Massage Therapy Licensing Exam (MBLEx) · Client Assessment, Reassessment & Treatment Planning
Massage Therapy Licensing Exam (MBLEx): Treatment Planning and Reassessment Concepts
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Overview
This chapter is about turning your assessment into a plan, then checking whether the plan works. A treatment plan gives each session a purpose. The exam asks about setting goals, getting consent, reassessing, and knowing when to refer.
Good goals are set together with the client and are clear enough to measure. For example, a goal might be to turn the head farther with less pain over several sessions. The plan lists the techniques, how often sessions will happen, and how progress will be tracked.
Informed consent means the client understands what you plan to do, why, and any risks, and agrees to it. Consent is needed before the first session and again whenever the plan changes. The client may withdraw consent at any time.
Reassessment happens after a session and over a series of sessions. If results are not improving, the plan is changed. When signs point to a condition outside massage therapy, the therapist refers the client to a health care provider.
Key concepts
Treatment plan
A written plan that lists the client's goals, the techniques to use, session length and frequency, and how progress will be measured.
Memory tipPlan = goals + methods + schedule + how to measure.
Measurable goal
A goal with a clear way to check progress, such as a pain rating, a range of motion change, or being able to do a daily task.
Memory tipIf you cannot measure it, you cannot tell if it worked.
Informed consent
The client's agreement to treatment after hearing what will be done, why, and any risks. It is needed before starting and whenever the plan changes, and it can be withdrawn.
Memory tipExplain, then ask, then begin.
Reassessment
Checking the client again after a session or series of sessions to see whether goals are being met and the plan needs to change.
Memory tipTest, treat, retest.
Referral
Sending the client to a physician or other provider when a concern is beyond the massage therapist's training or legal scope.
Memory tipMassage therapists do not diagnose; they refer.
Often tested
- Set treatment goals with the client and make them measurable.
- Reassess after sessions to see whether the plan is working.
- Get informed consent before starting and whenever the plan changes.
- The client may withdraw consent at any time.
- Refer to a health care provider when a condition is outside your scope.
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. Who should the therapist set treatment goals with?
- ① The client's employer
- ② The client
- ③ No one; the therapist decides alone
- ④ The front desk staff
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ② The client
Key point: Set goals together with the client
Treatment goals should be set together with the client. This makes sure the plan fits what the client wants and agrees to.
Wrong choices
- The front desk staff: Front desk staff do not plan the treatment.
- No one; the therapist decides alone: Deciding alone leaves out the client's wishes and consent.
- The client's employer: An employer is not part of the client's treatment planning.
Question 2. What is informed consent?
- ① The client agreeing after being told what the treatment involves
- ② A signed payment receipt
- ③ The therapist's notes about the session
- ④ A doctor's prescription for massage
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ① The client agreeing after being told what the treatment involves
Key point: Informed consent = agree after explanation
Informed consent means the client agrees to treatment after learning what it involves, its benefits, and its risks. The client can also say no.
Wrong choices
- A signed payment receipt: A payment receipt is not consent to treatment.
- The therapist's notes about the session: Session notes record care but are not the client's agreement.
- A doctor's prescription for massage: A prescription comes from a doctor, not the client.
Question 3. What should a therapist do when a client's problem is outside the scope of massage therapy?
- ① Suggest a medicine for the problem
- ② Ignore the problem
- ③ Refer the client to a suitable health care provider
- ④ Diagnose the problem and keep treating
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ③ Refer the client to a suitable health care provider
Key point: Outside scope: refer
When a problem is beyond what massage therapists are trained and licensed to do, the client should be referred to the right health care provider.
Wrong choices
- Diagnose the problem and keep treating: Massage therapists do not diagnose medical conditions.
- Suggest a medicine for the problem: Massage therapists do not prescribe or recommend medicine.
- Ignore the problem: Ignoring a problem can put the client at risk.