Thanks for booking your intake.

I'm looking forward to meeting you soon!

Here are a few things I find helpful to mention before our first appointment:

1. Approach: I approach massage therapy through a trauma-informed lens: I believe this approach can benefit everyone, and it can be particularly helpful if you’ve found accessing massage or other forms of touch work challenging in the past. We can discuss this more during our intake.

2. Intake:. Our first appointment is an intake. We take time to slow down and establish rapport so we can create an effective treatment plan that centres your needs and consent. We often take a little longer for intake than a typical massage appointment. It’s even possible for the intake session to be talking only, establishing a treatment plan that might start at our next appointment. We will collaboratively decide how your first appointment goes. Don’t worry; if you know you want to prioritize hands-on time, we can do that!

3. Consent: Creating the conditions to practice assessing and communicating our needs can be a big part of trauma-informed care and can, in turn, support the process of trauma recovery. We will work together, at a pace that supports clear communication and ongoing, informed consent.

4. Disclosure: While sharing details of your lived experience may be helpful, you’re not obligated to share anything you don't want to. We can create a treatment plan that supports your past experiences (including trauma) without you having to disclose anything specific. Sharing your personal stories can also happen across time if that feels easier.

5. Confidentiality: Your private information will be treated with absolute confidentiality. Anything you share with me verbally will be kept between us, unless I have your permission to discuss it with another healthcare professional. Anything you share in your forms is stored with medical-grade encryption and will also not be shared without your permission.

6. Preferences: I will ask questions that help me understand your preferences. This is a way for me to customize the treatment and help you feel comfortable. It can also be a way to acknowledge triggers you might have and to collaboratively make a plan for how I can best support you if you do become stressed or triggered during a session.

7. Clothing: Effective hands-on treatment can happen with clothes on, off, or some combination of those two. If you choose to have some or all clothing off you will have privacy to change and you will always be draped with sheets.

Please be in touch with any questions you might have before your first appointment.

Warmly, 

Annie