Confidence

[rtevsuceiwxijhedj]

Hi everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all.
I don't know if you remember but I have posted many times over the past 2 yrs as I have not had the confidence to get my massage/aroma off the ground due to lack of confidence. Well last year I had a really bad time in my personal life which made my confidence even worse.I managed to comethrough it and Idecided to take the plunge and go and do some voluntary work in a hospice as I need todo something for myself for achange and build up my self esteem. I have been working in a local hospice for 3 months and I really enjoy it.The patients really do appreciate thetreatments and I find it very rewarding.

My problem is I still lack confidence in myself. I keep thinking that I don't remember all my anatomy and physiology and all my oils inside out. I have a change to do some treatments where I will be paid but I am really nervous. Why do I feel easier doing treatments for free than doing them and getting paid for them. I also did VTCT Indian Head Massage about 3 years ago but have not practised since then. I would also like to do this on clients but do not feel confident with it.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me.

Many thanks.

 

[twinkletoes]

Hi Rose,

Getting started isreally difficult and I'm sure no therapist has ever gone through the processwith out more than a few moments of self doubt.

Are there any' Health Spas' or the such like near you? I mean the type of place that markets and advertises themselves so they will get the clients in and all you have to do is provide the treatments? Obviously these type of places will take a big cut of your fee but you may find it beneficial to get some experience dealing with fee paying customers like that and also these sort of places will coach youto develop repeat business which is akey skill for anyself employed therapist?

If you do do thisjust make sure it's not on your door step or close to where you want to work in the future otherwise it might cause some bad feeling when you leave i.e. in relation to client ownership or percieved client poaching etc etc

Just a thought, hope it helps, good luck!

Adam

 

[Maryah]

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Hi Rose,

Doing volentary work is a greatplace to start with if you lack confidence and self esteem, as it gives you plenty of practice and you are doing something very worthwhile (bless you) for people in need of your services, which then in return should boost your self esteem. Do it for as long as you feel you are able andcomfortable,perhaps theneither tryhealth spa's Salons etc like madmonk suggested.
Try not to worry too much about what you have forgotten in your training, you can always, re-read and study again at home. I find I do this quite alot myself, (bad memory you see!)
I am massage therapist too, and I understand what you mean about lacking confidence when it comes to paying clients, but as soon as you start getting some regular's and some positive feedbacks, you will know you have nothing to worry about. You really really have to just believe in yourself, and keep repeating to yourself "I am good at what I do, and I have the ability to help peoplewith health problems." I dont do aromatherapy myself yet but I am very much into essential oils and their healing properties. More and more people are turning to Complementary Therapies these days because we all becoming a stressed out bunch are'nt we?. And there are going to be many people out therein need of your therapies that you have to offer. Have you thought about doing your therapies from home or home visiting? I am building a client base doing home visits myself, its been hard work and you really have to put the effort into advertising and finding out what works best for you.
Anyway like I say just believe in yourself, andthen everything should work out well for you.
I wish you good luck andevery success, you can do it!
Jill x.


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[Serghey]

Hi Rose

I justed wanted to add my support and also mention that i wonder if it has as much to with self worth as self confidence.

Being able to do it for free but not for money perhaps indicates that you don't think you're worthy, of enough value or just not good enough to get paid for it.

Irealise this is related to confidence and i'm not quite sure what i'm trying to get across but perhaps you are using the 'lack of knowledge' idea to cover up the fact that you don't feel of enough value to get paid for what you do?

Unfortunately i don't have a quick fix for this but thought this might paint things in a different light.

If this resonates with you i hope it helps!

Good luck

Sx

 

[aqeapunpicmigpefh]

If you can do it for free, then you have the techniques there so it's not the practice that you need. You know that people are going to be grateful for something that they might not otherwise be able to afford/ think of in the first place.

Maybe you've never seen yourself as a business woman? There are hints and tips in the business section of HP to show you that people can and do build a successful business - don't think that you have to action everything at once though! Just take things that are comfortable for you.

Maybe you are frightened of being paid for doing something you like? (and you obviously do like what you are doing at the hospice) That (silly as it might seem) someone will take the enjoyment away from you and make it into work?

As someone else said, there is no quick fix. While we can support you and give you ideas, only you can say "yes, that's it!! That's what I was looking for!!"

 

[Lttlehrse]

I think most therapists, after they qualify, experience a similar feeling of 'am i good enough?'or 'why would someone want to pay for my treatment?' etc. I think it is normal to feel this, as you still feel a bit of a newbie.

When I first started working, I was constantly surprised whenever a client expressed that they loved their treatment, I felt like saying 'Really? Wow!' For a long time I still felt like I was almost being assessed every time I did a treatment, and felt relieved when a client showed satisfaction!

Over time, however, your confidence does improve and (eventually, I hope) you will feel that you are the professional and that you do not have to prove your worth to the client, and you can act with the kind of authority that GPs do - for example, you wouldnt question what a GP told you and say 'I'll think about it' when he prescribed you a treatment/medicine. So why feel inferior when you are advising a client on what treatments or products are best for them.