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As our profession pushes toward patient-centered care, one thing is becoming clear — the old clinician-as-the-expert model isn't serving our patients the way we think it is.

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Walt Fritz — a physical therapist with nearly 40 years of experience and someone who famously walked away from a prominent role in the myofascial release world to publicly question the narratives he'd built his career on.

They talk about shared decision-making, informed consent, power sharing in the therapeutic relationship, and why the "soft skills" might actually be the most important skills we have.

In this episode:

• Why the clinician-as-the-expert model is failing our patients
• How the language we use (like "releasing fascia") affects informed consent
• What shared decision-making actually looks like in a treatment room
• The concept of *metatherapy* — and why how you apply a technique matters more than the technique itself
• How to give patients a range of treatment choices including home care, frequency, and movement
• Why the "micromanaging patient" is actually your greatest asset
• Carl Rogers' 1957 paper and what psychotherapy figured out 70 years ago that manual therapy is still catching up to
• Why Walt calls these "human skills," not soft skills

Whether you're deep into manual therapy or just starting to question some of the narratives you were taught — this conversation is going to make you think differently about the person on your table.

Safety video Walt Referenced can be found by clicking HERE

References:

Helou, L. (2017). Crafting the dialogue: Meta-therapy in transgender voice and communication training. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2(10), 83-91.

Cerritelli, F., Chiacchiaretta, P., Gambi, F., & Ferretti, A. (2017). Effect of continuous touch on brain functional connectivity is modified by the operator’s tactile attention. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 368.

Rogers, C. R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of consulting psychology, 21(2), 95.

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We've been told a lot of things by our regulatory bodies about what we should and shouldn't do in our treatment rooms. But there's one area where I think we've been steered in the wrong direction — and that's mental health conversations.

Of all the musculoskeletal professions out there, our patients open up to us the most. They're on our tables for an hour, relaxed, vulnerable, and trusting. And yet we've been consistently told to shut those conversations down and hand them a referral card.

This episode is about why that needs to change.

⚠️ *Content warning: this episode discusses self-harm and suicide. Please honour where you're at before listening.*

In this episode:

• Why massage therapists are uniquely positioned to hold space for mental health conversations
• Jamie's personal story of losing 12 people to suicide — and what every one of them had in common
• Why suicide isn't what most people think it is — and why that reframe matters
• Why it's better to say something than nothing — every time
• The ALGEE framework from Mental Health First Aid and how it applies directly to your treatment room
• What the research actually says about asking someone directly if they're thinking about self-harm
• Two real-life stories about asking the hard question — and what happened next

This is the conversation our profession has been avoiding. It's time we stopped.

🎓 Want to feel genuinely equipped for these conversations?
Jamie teaches both Psychological First Aid and Mental Health First Aid. Sign up on the waitlist: https://go.themtdc.com/mhfa-waitlist

🆘 In crisis or know someone who is?
Call or text 988 (Canada & US) — someone will answer.
Here is a link to find a helpline anywhere in the world https://findahelpline.com/

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Help us keep this content free and accessible for massage therapists everywhere.

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We didn't learn this in school — but we probably should have.

In this episode, Jamie sits down with friend and fellow RMT Mike Reoch to talk about something most massage therapists are never taught: how to actually build a sustainable practice.

Mike has been a massage therapist for 18 years, worked in seven clinics across five cities, and now runs a thriving clinic in Kamloops with his wife — and he has a lot to say about what actually makes a practice work long-term.

In this episode we cover:

• Why BC isn't actually saturated with RMTs — and what the numbers really say
• How to stand out when every therapist's bio sounds exactly the same
• Finding your ideal patient avatar and why niching down actually grows your practice
• The danger of building your practice on one referral source — and how to diversify
• Why "sales" doesn't have to feel gross — and what good sales actually looks like
• Mike's new course, *The Honest Practice Blueprint*, and why he built it for newer RMTs

Whether you're just starting out or feeling stuck in your current practice, this conversation is full of practical, honest advice that nobody taught us in school.

🎙️ Enjoying the podcast?
Subscribe so you never miss an episode — and if this conversation helped you, leaving a review goes a long way in helping other massage therapists find this show.

If the New Generation Massage Therapist Podcast has been part of your growth as a therapist, consider supporting the show. For as little as $3/month you help keep this content free and available for massage therapists everywhere who are ready to level up

Support the show