How to Handle Emotions in The Treatment Room

This is the second part to treating aging clients. As I said in the last post, aging clients are going through a lot of emotions because so much is changing in their life, and you have to be able to handle strange emotions that may arise from them. We as estheticians deal with the power of touch, when we touch a person they feel a since of security, comfort, and compassion, which can lead to expressing emotions that we put deep in our subconscious .  Most estheticians who have worked with clients for years will have stories of emotional breakdowns on the treatment bed, or the disclosure of uncomfortable information.  Estheticians are not therapists but are often put in the position of therapists.

Most estheticians get into this field because we love being around people, and we love to make people happy and feel better about themselves. I am the type of person that wants to help people when something is wrong.  At one point in the beginning of my career I was going through some boyfriend problems. I was talking to a coworker about my issues and every time I would make a statement she would quickly say, “you should have done this, and you should have said that.”  It was really frustrating because deep down I just wanted to talk to someone, and that is when I realized that all people really need is someone to listen to them.  When you see a therapist they don’t tell you want to do, they let you talk and guide you to figure it out yourself.   It can be very uncomfortable for us when dealing with emotional clients.

We have all had those clients that never stop talking when they get on the table, and I would always think that I was not doing a good job because they couldn't relax.   A lot of women hold their emotions in and don’t tell even their closest friends what is going on because they don’t want to be judged; therefore they talk to us and that’s OK.  Our job as an esthetician is to care for their skin, help them relax, and proved a place of solace for them.
Guidelines for Working With Emotional Clients

1.  Stay Calm
2.  Don’t try to solve the clients problem
3.  Use good listening skills and offer support when appropriate.
4.  Do not give advice; stay neutral.Most of the time, they just want someone to listen.
5.  Don’t try to be a therapist.
6.  Try to limit the conversation.The best thing you can do is say little and give them an excellent treatment. Direct them to breathe and relax during their treatment.