Behavioral Assessment in Massage Therapy

Behavioral Assessment in massage therapy and bodywork has some overlap with Job and Lifestyle Assessment, but more specifically tries to understand if the client’s health problems may be behavioral in nature, as opposed to medical.

For example, it involves taking into account if the client smokes, sleeps too little, leads a sedentary lifestyle, eats unhealthy, or uses excessive alcohol or other substances, and if those have a relationship with the client’s physical or psychological complaints.

In fact, many chronic illnesses include a behavioral element, and by modifying one’s behavior one can support alleviating or curing illnesses instead of (only) using pharmacological treatments i.e. medication or engaging in other treatments such as massage or whatnot.

Think, for instance, of addressing diseases, discomforts or damaging patterns such as substance abuse, poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity, stress, or too little sleep.

In a general sense, we could say that Behavioral Assessment holistically incorporates biological, psychological, and social elements into its approach to disease and healing instead of relying or focusing only on biological i.e. physical abnormalities or dysfunctions.

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