Young kids do not usually lie silently on the sofa enjoying the treatment. They like to chat and to play, frequently enacting what is going on in their lives, their fears and hopes. As an example, I have been dealing with a 4-year-old weekly for 8 weeks. He was quiet and cautious, but by week 3 he was playing and chatting. He is hyperactive, and very intelligent but has family issues (the daddy recently vacated) and he recently began school.

Such concerns are not uncommon, however are hard for kids to handle. Generally they want share their day with any readily available listener, any tensions, upsets and interesting happenings. It tends to be spontaneous and brief. They frequently lose themselves in their own dream world, gladly chatting away to themselves.

Therefore a long time throughout reflexology sessions with this particular kid includes him enacting conversations his father, or showing school scenes with the aid of toy bricks. The therapist needs to anticipate this and even welcome it as part of the treatment; certainly in this case the child is a lot calmer and happier and is interacting socially with other kids since he has been getting the treatments.

Treatment Guidelines

Due to kids’s brief concentration period it is recommended to keep the treatments from 15-20 mins. Also as their feet are so little, it is all the time you need to give them a treatment.

Pressure needs to be extremely mild when dealing with kids. They let you know extremely quickly if any area is painful, ticklish or feels ‘funny’.

Clinical recommendations

Scientifically with young kids it is best to avoid reflexology points including most of the endocrine system, the exceptions being the hypothalamus when there are sleep problems, and the adrenal, which is often like a hard little pea in kids. The nerve system, lymphatics, sinuses, ear eye line and points, neck and shoulder are all excellent areas to do.

In many cases it is sufficient to cover the abdominal area normally. The kidney, bladder and adrenal needs to be covered, as this aids with sleep issues and with managing children’s energy. Due to bad diet the colon often needs a lot of work.

Teens and reflexology

Unlike children they have no problem sleeping through a treatment – sleep indeed tends to be one of their favored states. Another contrast is that teens can also generally provide an accurate history at the start of a reflexology treatment.

Teenage psychological concerns and the therapist

Teenagers tend to be extremely reticent when discussing their psychological background, providing just quick comments such as ‘examinations’ or ‘been in trouble’. If they have an emotional response such as ‘watering eyes’ and you ask them if they would like a tissue they tend to respond by saying they are fine and attempting to keep their eyes open through the rest of the treatment.

In contrast there are also chatty teens who do not sleep or rest throughout reflexology sessions. Often both overly anxious and high achievers, they normally manage to talk without giving much away about themselves or what is taking place in their lives.

Interestingly, teens are frequently happy to discuss, albeit briefly, issues such as the death of someone near them, as it does not review their behaviour. These are safe topics which communicate an emotional state they enjoy to share at the start of a session.

They are likewise pleased to share with you how the treatment makes them feel. Generally they enjoy them and are extremely enthusiastic. I presume there is a fear that if they do not show this interest they will not be permitted back for another treatment.

Stress, stress and anxiety and anxiety are common among teenagers, which is why reflexology is so efficient for them. Luckily reflexologists tend to get the sweeter and more grateful side of their natures; sulks can occur however are less typical. Occasionally when they are going through a really psychological time they may not want the treatment; they are not necessarily conscious it will assist and are often afraid of demonstrating an emotional reaction.

Unlike young kids they are a lot more curious about what you are doing. , if you work on a sensitive location they let you understand by asking what the section you are working on correlates to.. The older the teen the more curious they are, and the more open about what is taking place in their lives.

In all cases the reflexologist requires to be familiar with such emotional sensitivity and react properly.

Physical symptoms

The main physical signs teens present are colds/flu, hayfever, headaches, and neck and back pain, the latter typically due to carrying books or menstrual problems. A huge bulk of all children’s necks feel incredibly crunchy, maybe is because of playing video game, and most of them are unaware of the presenting stress.

Medical suggestions

Scientifically it is still best to avoid a great deal of the endocrine system in younger teens, with the exception of the reproductive organs, adrenal and hypothalamus. If you are giving a partial treatment it is suggested to treat the heart, as erratic, swinging emotions offer a reaction there. Unlike children the adrenal tends to be soft and tired and so requires to be treated to provide energy.

Treatment Guidelines

Unlike kids you generally see teens without a parent/carer existing. It is therefore crucial to describe the nature of the treatment at the very first session, which all details they provide you is personal, other than in cases of kid security, self-harm, harming someone else or having an infectious disease. In such cases it is naturally the obligation of the therapist to contact the pertinent authorities.

Dealing with kids’s organisations

If your contact with the kid is through an organisation such as a charity, or after-school-club, this organisation ought to have a kid protection policy which the reflexologist requires to be knowledgeable about. You may likewise need to a boosted disclaimer (cops check) from the authorities if you want to deal with an organisation. This must not be necessary if you are dealing with kids individually.

Working with these organisations can be very rewarding, however also has downsides, most certainly that of getting a case history from parents/carers who might not exist during the reflexology treatment, where the child client might be unable to communicate their history.

Since signed permission will be needed prior to you can treat the kid, I will provide a consultation type out with the authorization kind in the hope of getting a comprehensive case history. Nevertheless my personal experience is that it tends to be very inadequately filled-in.

This can be due to information security legislation, under which the organisations often do not have or might not disclose all the appropriate product. Best advice is to telephone the child’s parents; having allowed for the reflexology they will normally be happy to talk.

Reflexology and kids – conclusion

Children are a pleasure to give treatments to and react rapidly and favorably to them. It is very gratifying and something I would advise to all my fellow reflexologists.