Why I Stopped Trying to ‘Fix’ My Clients
“Do you want to be the ‘maintenance person’ or the ‘repair person’?” This was the question that got me thinking…
After teaching Pilates for only 3 years back in 2016, I was debating on going to physical therapy school to deepen my knowledge and take the next step in my career. When I sat down with my dad, Mike Crooks, who is a physical therapist of 40+ years, and presented him with this idea, he responded with the question above. He went on to say that both have great value in the support of people’s physical (and mental) well-being, but they do have different perspectives or goals. What I took away from that conversation was that I enjoyed being the maintenance person, so to say. Although, the Pilates industry shifted that meaning a bit. Let’s unpack that…
With the historical richness of its efficacy, and the reputation that preceded the Pilates Method (Contrology), much of the public has come to trust Pilates instructors with their physical wellness. So much so that the lines of maintenance person and repair person began to blur. When a client, new or current, expects us to fix problems, that puts inappropriate expectations on the scope of work for a Pilates instructor, which can also be stressful! As much as I want to help people (since that is why I got into this profession in the first place) I don’t have the education or training to know the fix, nor should I pretend to in order to make them satisfied with my service. Even if I took continuing education courses to advance my knowledge, it still wouldn’t be appropriate for me to assume I know how to implement a certain protocol or fix the issue. The moment I look to an expected solution through my education or workshop notes and feel so sure of it being the fix, I rob the client of their ability to navigate their own movement. “If ____ then _____ will fix it.”
I don’t need that validation and they shouldn’t have that expectation.
Here is what all of this, and 12 years of teaching Pilates, has revealed to me: my job and purpose is to help people help themselves. That might seem like it should go without saying, but when we really look closely at how we teach and guide our clients, every exchange matters. From the moment we start the session, to each opportunity for self-evaluation by the client, there are impactful communication skills that we can utilize to best support them.
You might be wondering, “What do these communication skills look and sound like?” To put it simply, I started with non-connotational questions. By removing the idea that a certain answer may make us happy or proud of our client as their instructor, it can open the opportunity for them to self-assess honestly, and without expectation on their outcome. This sets a stage of continuous self-assessment for enhanced awareness that ultimately can lead to the client’s better sense of movement autonomy. In other words, clients can feel their way to better movement with our questions and guidance to support them.
Let me clarify something: This does not mean that my education has a lesser value. On the contrary! It means we can take the lenses of anatomy/kinesiology/Contrology/etc, and while looking through them we listen to the navigation from our clients’ communication to help us direct them. Not with our assumed standards or picture-perfect exercise ideals, but with our knowledge of how the body can be most efficient with movement. And guess what can happen in that process… Client goals are met! That may include a perceived fix, but that is not my directive. My goal is to help them find better movement in their body and achieve their movement goals. Plain and simple (but not always so simple, haha!).
I am sharing this perspective with the hope that other Pilates instructors, or any physical modality teachers, can explore another layer of teaching for the benefit of the clients they reach. Empower our clients to explore, understand and deepen awareness for their bodies.
“It’s not about having all the right answers. It’s about asking the right questions.”
– Michael Crooks, PT, Dip MDT
Christine holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Minor in Dance from CSU Sacramento (2011). She trained comprehensively in Pilates with BASI Pilates under Karen Clippinger’s Dance Specialization program (2013). With experience in physical therapy, Pilates studios, and educational conferences, Christine became a Pilates Educator for Balanced Body Education in 2019. She now presents workshops internationally. Christine blends her mechanical and kinesiological expertise with contemporary, Pilates-informed movement to help every body achieve balanced, effective movement.
Christine started her movement education path in college achieving a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from CSU Sacramento (2011), as well as a Minor in Dance. Her combined interest of those brought her to Pilates, receiving her comprehensive Pilates training with BASI Pilates under Karen Clippinger’s Dance Specialization program (2013). Building on knowledge from experience in physical therapy clinics, Pilates studios, and educational conferences, Christine then became a Pilates Educator for Balanced Body Education (2019). Traveling with the Balanced Body Education team to their Pilates On Tour conferences, supporting in the conference circuit (i.e. IDEA World, etc.), and now presenting workshops internationally, she enjoys the ability to reach so many teachers. In maintaining a continuous goal of expanding movement knowledge, she utilizes her mechanical and kinesiological understanding along with innovations of contemporary, Pilates-informed movement. To put it simply, she strives to help every body find their most balanced quality of movement and feel good doing it!}