Massage Therapy Licensing Exam (MBLEx) Treatment Planning and Reassessment Summary

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.

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.

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.

A measurable goal has a number or clear result and a time frame. Adding 10 degrees of head turn in four sessions can be checked.

Wrong choices

• Feel better in general: "Feel better" has no clear way to measure it.
• Have less stress overall: "Less stress overall" has no number or time frame.
• Enjoy the massage more: "Enjoy the massage more" cannot be clearly measured.

Reassessing after a session, such as rechecking range of motion, shows whether the treatment helped. The results guide the next session.

Wrong choices

• To charge for extra time: Reassessment is for checking results, not for billing.
• To diagnose the client's condition: Massage therapists do not diagnose conditions.
• To decide the client's medication: Massage therapists do not decide medication.

Consent must be given before the plan changes, especially for sensitive areas. The therapist explains the change and the client agrees or declines.

Wrong choices

• Start lightly and see if the client objects: Waiting to see if the client objects is not consent.
• Write it in the chart after the session: Writing it down afterward does not give the client a choice.
• Ask the front desk to approve it: Only the client can consent to their own treatment.

Reassessment shows whether the plan is working. If there is no progress, the therapist talks with the client and changes the plan, or refers if needed.

Wrong choices

• Keep the same plan with no changes: Repeating a plan that is not working does not help the client.
• End care without any explanation: Ending care with no explanation leaves the client without guidance.
• Tell the client the problem is imaginary: Dismissing the client's problem is unprofessional.

A written medical limit is there for the client's safety. The therapist follows it, explains why, and suggests the client discuss any change with the doctor.

Wrong choices

• Use deep pressure because the client asked: The client's request does not override a medical restriction.
• Skip the low back and not mention why: Skipping the area without explaining leaves the client confused.
• Remove the limit from the client's file: Changing the client's records is dishonest and unsafe.

A functional goal names an everyday activity the client wants to do. Lifting a grandchild without pain is something the client can notice in daily life.

Wrong choices

• Lower the muscle tone in the shoulder: Lower muscle tone is a tissue change, not a daily activity.
• Receive five massages: Counting sessions is a schedule, not a goal for the client's function.
• Increase blood flow to the shoulder: Better blood flow is a body effect, not a daily activity.