Today’s post is aimed more at fellow healthcare providers, but it may be an interesting read even for current and potential patients, or just for those interested in Therapeutic Reflexology because I am sharing some personal stories in the process.
In today’s post, we’ll consider how to navigate therapeutic connections between Therapeutic Reflexologists, and perhaps even other physical therapists, and their patients. For this post, the term “patient” will be used when referring to somebody consulting with a healthcare professional, although sometimes the term “client” is used as a replacement in the marketplace.
The idea for this post originated while communicating with a fellow healthcare pr, so, what will be covered in this post, are the following:
- What is a therapeutic connection?
- The uniqueness of Therapeutic Reflexology connections
- Personal Stories: Connecting with Celebrities
- My Connection Motto
- Navigating Therapeutic Connections
- What is a therapeutic connection?
Therapeutic connections are also sometimes called therapeutic relationships or therapeutic bonds or therapeutic alliances between healthcare professionals and their patients (Anderson, 2024; Cuncic, 2025; Opland & Torrico, 2024).
Therapeutic connections are mostly addressed in the fields of psychotherapy but may be present in other healthcare professions as well on a different level. A therapeutic connection is a “collaborative and trusting bond” (Opland & Torrico, 2024) between a healthcare professional and the patient and is characterised by trust, mutual respect, empathy, safety, and a non-judgemental attitude (Anderson, 2024; Cuncic, 2025; Opland & Torrico, 2024).
Therapeutic connections are different from friendships, according to Anderson (2024), because it maintains professional boundaries in that it has a specific focus, namely the therapeutic journey of the patient. Therapeutic connections aim to provide patients with a safe space where feelings and experiences may be explored to result in positive outcomes, personal growth and effective healing (Anderson, 2024; Cuncic, 2025; Opland & Torrico, 2024). Cuncic (2025) even allures to the fact that therapeutic connections stimulate positive treatment outcomes because stronger therapeutic connections inspire patients to more actively participate in the healing process, resulting in better results.
- The uniqueness of Therapeutic Reflexology connections
Even though therapeutic connections are mainly considered within psychotherapeutic settings, it is present within Therapeutic Reflexology sessions as well. The therapeutic connection between the Therapeutic Reflexologist and the patient is unique as it contains an added element, not usually dealt with in psychotherapeutic settings, which is the added dimension of touch, because Therapeutic Reflexology is a touch therapy and involves physical contact between the therapist and the patient.
As a Therapeutic Reflexologist I am always honoured to be entrusted with the feet and body of a patient as the mere fact that a patient allows physical contact, is already the first sign of trust. Usually, you do not allow just anyone to touch you, so whenever that privilege is extended to another person, it should always be treated with the utmost respect. That never goes unnoticed in a therapeutic session. It has been said to me before as well…
I just remember one patient that told me that she does not mind people touching her hands or even giving her a hug, but she never allows anyone to touch her feet because for her it is too intimate; so, when she offered her feet to be therapeutically touched during the Therapeutic Reflexology session, it was treated with that level of respect. The biggest compliment was after the session when she indicated that she actually enjoyed it and returned afterwards for more sessions. I had multiple patients like that, especially the ones that are always hesitant for the first session because their feet are ticklish and they do not want to be tickled or they just do not like their feet being touched, but then they are totally surprised afterwards that it was “very pleasant” and “not ticklish at all”.
Therapeutic Reflexology connections are furthermore unique because it stimulates the body’s own innate healing abilities to restore homeostasis (balance) in the body, but also the other areas because you are a holistic being consisting of different dimensions, namely the spirit, soul, body, social, sexual, financial, and career/ministry dimensions (Scheepers, 2003). That is a fascinating journey, because as the therapist stimulates nerve endings on the feet, and sometimes other parts of the body, the body attempts to restore balance and then you may become aware of different emotions and sensations. Some patients are more sensitive to these emotions and sensations and sometimes when stimulating a specific area on the feet, the patient may say they are experiencing a tingling sensation or a warm feeling or sometimes other sensations on a different part of the body, or they may experience a sudden flood of a specific emotion. That is a story for another day, especially since interesting research is being done about that now where medical scanning is involved in showing how foot reflexology stimulates different parts of the brain that may result in such sensations in different parts of the body.
Without transgressing any further, let’s get back to therapeutic connections. When people meet and interact with each other, for however briefly, there is a connection that forms. The more people interact with each other, the deeper the connection becomes. In Therapeutic Reflexology, there is an immediate connection between therapist and patient, not only due to the interaction, but also due to the exchange of physical touch in a therapeutic environment.
Let me tell you about a few interesting stories from my past to try and explain such connections.
- Personal Stories: Connecting with Celebrities
3.1 Celebrity 1
Decades ago, when I was still a young man, I had the privilege to meet and interact with somebody that today is a very famous singer and a well-known celebrity.
In the small, rural town community where I grew up, I attended an event at a local church where a pretty much unknown group sang some songs. The one girl on the stage immediately stood out while she was singing because she had the most amazing voice.
After the service, she was outside the church building, and I approached and started chatting with her. During the conversation I mentioned something about her beautiful voice, and she told me that she was considering the way forward with regards to career choice as she loves to sing, but there was another profession she was interested in that she told me about. I made the remark that with a voice like hers, she should be singing, and any other career options should be secondary, because her voice is unique.
After that conversation and leaving, life went on. Over the years I have followed her career. I am still listening to her songs, I still think she has an amazing voice, and yes, I have been buying some of her music. It is awesome to see how she developed her singing career into being one of the famous singer celebrities in modern society.
Now, bringing this story back to connections. We had a very brief connection, or in other words, interaction with each other, at that event decades ago and it was a once-off encounter. Our life paths just happened to cross for a moment in time.
After she became famous, I did attend some of her concerts/events that she was having, but I did not go up to her to say something like “remember when we met …” because I do not see it as necessary or adding any specific value; I was just somebody in the audience enjoying her beautiful voice and good music, and namedropping has never been my style. It may not even be something she remembered because it happened decades ago, and it was a brief interaction.
Why I remember it, is because I have always found it fascinating to see when somebody uses a special gift, talent or ability and uses it to the full and for some or other reason, I was part of her life for a fleeting few minutes.
Lesson Learned: Sometimes your path crosses with that of another person for only a moment, so try to add value to everyone you meet because you never know who you are interacting with and where life will take that person in the future.
3.2 Celebrity 2
That makes me think of another celebrity. Just after I completed matric, I heard a female singer on television and called my mother and told her, listen to this girl sing, she is going to become a golden album singer. After that, I was looking for a CD everywhere but could never find it in the stores; she was too new at singing.
I went to Potchefstroom for a training course and during the weekend I was in a Musica store asking the people behind the counter if they had her CD, but they had no idea who she was. As I was in the store talking to them, I looked through the window at the loud music that I heard outside in the parking lot because somebody was having a music show directly outside the store on a stage. I went out to see what is going on and there this singer was singing as she was advertising her very first CD. Needless to say, I bought the CD from her and after she signed it for me, I told her about seeing her on television and how I was searching for her CD, and she found the story interesting, and we ended up taking a photo together. I have been following her career ever since and today she is also a well-known singer.
Lesson Learned: Seeing somebody in the media does not necessarily mean you will meet that person, but if you get the opportunity, treat them just like any other person and do not be afraid to just be yourself and share a story; it may end up in a brief connection and perhaps something like a photo; if you are into that sort of thing. For me, the photo was more to prove to my family that I actually found the CD from the very person that was on television that sang the songs, but what was more valuable that I remember until this day, was the chat with her and the beautiful laugh as I was telling her about how her CD evaded me until I could get it from her personally.
3.3 Celebrity 3
A final example succeeded the Potchefstroom trip. My first ever flight on an aeroplane happened as I flew back from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and as you can imagine, I was very excited about the experience. My parents would meet me on the airport. As I walked into the terminal building and saw my parents, my mother was exceedingly excited and without greeting me, ran right past me shouting the name of a celebrity as she grabbed him around the neck and gave him a kiss. What a funny moment. The poor guy did not know what just happened when a big superfan approached him like that and he looked so uncomfortable. I happened to be on the same flight that this huge celebrity was on; one of the most famous singers in our country at the time. For a moment, we met and exchanged some words before he moved away. Maybe I should add, and then eventually my mother greeted me too. We laughed about that for years thereafter.
That incident is still funny, but what was really thought provoking, is that less than four years later, that singer passed away unexpectedly. It was a moment in time where I could really see what a difference a brief moment in time can make which probably affected my whole outlook on interaction and connection into the future; if we did not happen to be on the same flight and if my mother did not happen to be such a big fan, I might have never shaken the hand of this famous celebrity. What that brief connection resulted in, is something unexpected, but when I heard of his death, it was different than just hearing about a celebrity that died; it was hearing about it on a whole different level because what I remembered in that moment, was not how he performed on stage, it was not how he looked while singing on the stage at my school when he did a concert there years before, or how he looked on television; in that moment, I remembered him in that brief moment when I physically connected with him on the Port Elizabeth airport.
Lesson Learned: Make every moment count, because you never know when that might be the last moment you have with a person. Also, treat celebrities like normal human beings and do not make them uncomfortable in public; I know, it comes with their territory and fans are just excited to see them, but for me personally, the encounter made me realise that I always want to treat a famous person the same as any other person. Just because of their public status, I never want to cause them to be uncomfortable in a public space.
3.4 Celebrity Conclusion
These are just three examples of momentarily connecting with celebrities, or celebrities-in-becoming. These were three interactions that I shall never forget. When seeing these celebrities on television or at a concert, it is always interesting how my mind always goes back to those personal, physical encounters. The first celebrity I spoke about is an excellent example because today she is a very famous singer and whenever I see her sing with such confidence on stage, my mind always goes back to that personal conversation outside the church building before she became famous.
I want to link that to the physical touch that was involved; the two female singers were bid farewell with a hug, or a hug and a photo taken while holding each other, and the male singer with a handshake. I want to propose that due to that very brief physical touch, a different type of connection was formed, however briefly, that resulted in paths crossing physically for just a moment. In a therapeutic setting something similar happens but on a deeper level due to the touch being different as it is therapeutic in nature.
- My Connection Motto
Sharing all those stories was just to show that sometimes we connect with people, and it may have a lasting impact on you, but you may never know exactly why your life paths crossed at those specific moments in time.
There is a motto I live by which guides my connections, namely the well-known motivational quote, “I go where I am celebrated and not where I am tolerated”.
Have you ever experienced just being tolerated in a conversation? I have. Just think how you are standing speaking to people and they are telling you about their lives and then they ask you a question, but as soon as you begin answering, they start speaking to somebody else in the group or their attention goes to somebody else in the vicinity and they excuse themselves to go speak to somebody else; that while you are still speaking. That for me is a sure sign of just being tolerated and that is not a connection.
In the Therapeutic Reflexology therapeutic setting, I celebrate each patient, and I never want anyone to just feel tolerated. Each patient is seen as valuable and they are offered the best possible therapeutic experience possible; as a result, I constantly keep my skills updated and through continuous development programmes, try to add new skills to my skillset.
Patients make the final decision about whether to make a Therapeutic Reflexology appointment or follow-up appointments, or not, and from my perspective, I always see it as an opportunity to work with somebody or time to discontinue such sessions. I thoroughly believe that the people I am supposed to therapeutically connect with will come my way at the right time and for the right season, or length of time, and when the season is over, therapeutic sessions will discontinue. There is no need to fight the process; that is the life cycle of therapeutic connections. Following a similar outlook on healthcare provision, may be beneficial to the healthcare professionals’ own mental health.
- Navigating Therapeutic Connections
Finally, getting to the crux of this post, how to navigate therapeutic connections. On this point, I can share general guidelines, and I can share how I personally deal with it, but I cannot speak on behalf of other healthcare professionals and how they deal with it.
There is a saying that curing patients is bad for business (Packer, 2018), which is understandable if you think about the business model behind the saying because a cured patient is a lost patient. Personally, I disagree, because when I get good service from a healthcare professional (or any other person), I keep on supporting them; just ask my car dealer that has already sold four vehicles to me because I keep on going back to the same salesman that gave me excellent service while others where not willing to help.
From my perspective, I never follow this approach and maybe my business model is not the ideal for a private practice, but for me offering Therapeutic Reflexology is a calling and more than merely a business to earn income from. My opinion has always been that if a patient comes to me for a specific reason, let’s see if Therapeutic Reflexology can be beneficial and if the patient experiences relief, that is awesome. If at that moment, the patient decides to discontinue treatment, I fully support it. If the patient decides to continue treatment due to experiencing tremendous benefits, not necessarily only for the main reason they came, but also additional benefits like improved sleep and reduced stress levels, then I fully support it. The decision is often that of the patient.
However, I have previously worked with patients where after a few sessions it was clear that Therapeutic Reflexology is not providing the results the patients wanted, and then an open conversation with the patients resulted in referring the patients to another healthcare professional. I do not believe in making patients continue with therapy if it serves no benefit to them, because for me it is not about maximising income from a patient, it is about helping where I can and about empowering the patient to experience holistic health and if that happens to be with another healthcare professional, then the person should go there.
Therefore, my outlook on therapeutic connections have always been understood by the different levels of therapeutic connection pursued by the patient, namely:
- Once-off Connections: Sometimes a patient comes for a singular Therapeutic Reflexology treatment and that is perfectly fine.I do not try to convince them to continue treatment, I would usually follow up after the treatment to see how they are doing and offer them the opportunity to make another appointment but then leave it in their hands. If they choose not to continue, that is accepted as our paths crossing at one moment in time.
- Short-term Connections: Sometimes a patient comes for Therapeutic Reflexology for a specific reason and once they experience relief, they discontinue treatment. That is accepted as our paths crossing for a short period of time for a specific purpose because they either received good results or decided not to continue for whatever reason. The ideal would be if they let me know, but that does not always happen either.
- Long-term Connections: Sometimes a patient needs Therapeutic Reflexology on an ongoing basis due to experiencing very high levels of stress or due to a chronic condition. In that instance, our paths crossed and interconnected for a while and such connections are often deeper due to constantly interacting in the therapeutic environment. This level of connection may result in eventual discontinuation of treatment which is then discussed and navigated with the patient to not just end it abruptly, but to gradually discontinue it in such a way that it is in the patient’s best interest. It sometimes happens that a patient discontinues treatment and then years later will make another appointment; like I experienced recently when I had the opportunity to treat some patients again, that I literally saw years ago during the COVID period. After discontinuing treatment, they years later decided that another session would be needed or wanted and then would make an appointment again. Sometimes, however, long-term patients decide to discontinue sessions abruptly by cancelling all sessions without providing any explanation; in such instances, the healthcare professional should be mature enough to understand that life circumstances change and it is not a reflection about their skills, because ultimately the patients would not have come for so many sessions if you were not providing a good service; just realise that circumstances may have changed and the patient do not necessarily want to provide any explanations. I never take that personally, because ultimately, without sounding arrogant, I know that I am good at what I do and if the patient decides to discontinue sessions, it is for their own valid reasons, that I do not necessarily have to understand or know about..
Navigating therapeutic connections takes maturity and professionalism from the healthcare professional. As a therapist, I physically work and connect with patients and the therapeutic bond that forms are always handled with valued care. Thinking back of when I completed the first reflexology training and being in Randburg in 2003 doing the practical training under the guidance of Hans Gerspacher from Germany; I still remember sitting in front of the patient’s feet and that very first time physically connecting as I placed my hands on her feet, and then subsequently on all the other patients’ feet during the practical week; that is a feeling I shall never forget. It can probably best be described as the feeling of a therapist, that feeling every time you get to touch a patient’s feet, the feeling of tremendous responsibility to offer the best quality therapy because that patient is offering her feet to you in an act of total trust.
As a Therapeutic Reflexologist, you should sometimes professionally deal with your own emotions because even though it is a therapeutic connection, you are still connecting with another person, even if only in a specific setting for therapeutic purposes. An example of this, is a patient I worked with earlier this year. It was a short-term connection, and she was dealing with ongoing cancer treatments and needed Therapeutic Reflexology to try and reduce pain. I was privileged to provide her the therapy in her very vulnerable state of severe pain. When learning that she passed away, it was very sad, because she was young and as a healthcare professional, it is not easy when hearing that a therapeutic patient passed away. I shall always remember her within the therapeutic setting and the conversations we had and sometimes no conversations, but her just lying there receiving treatment.
Having been in the industry for 22 years, I have had my fair share of dealing with the passing of patients. As a healthcare professional, I must deal with those emotions in a such a way that I do not transfer those sad emotions onto another patient. Yes, as healthcare professionals we tend to keep clinical distance, but in a therapeutic setting it is a nurturing environment, and it is totally normal to experience an emotion like sadness when hearing that a patient passed away.
Navigating therapeutic connections is about realising that the bond between the Therapeutic Reflexologist and the patient exists for a specific therapeutic reason and it is not friendship but has specific outcomes in mind that is focused on the patient’s best interests. Some guidelines are being considered at present from the statutory council’s side with regards to social media interaction in aligning with modern times, but from my side, I have always allowed patients to contact me personally (not on group chats) via WhatsApp to discuss matters with regards to appointments or treatments or outcomes or questions. If you are one of my patients, I am ultimately available to you. As I do not use personal social media, the profiles I have online are my professional business pages like my Facebook page, Instagram page and LinkedIn page and anyone is welcome to follow any of those pages; it is public and available to anyone, attempting to share content of value.
With social media also comes a whole new world of things to navigate, because sometimes a patient (once-off, short-term, or long-term) may decide to discontinue sessions and do what many modern social media users do and ghost the healthcare professional. That means the healthcare professional is blocked from all online communication and interaction. If that happens to a healthcare professional, realise that it is a decision made by the patient to discontinue online interaction with you and you do not have to know the reason behind it; it is the patient’s right and decision to do so. Also, separate online connection from real in-person connection because social media is not necessarily an indication of the patient’s overall decisions and opinions. A good approach, is to reach out to the patient once via your usual communication channel and if the patient does not respond, respect the patient’s decision to discontinue interaction until such time as the patient decides to connect again, if ever. It is eventually the patient’s decision and not that of the healthcare professional. Personally, I am perhaps a bit old school, but the social media craze has never fazed me, so I far more prefer in-person interaction and for that, a patient must make the decision to make an appointment or to make contact.
The statutory council (Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa – AHCPSA) has always been adamant about the fact that therapeutic connections are not friendships and that line should not be blurred. In Therapeutic Reflexology, that is sometimes a bit blurry because it is not like going to a surgeon or psychotherapist that should not work on friends and family, because Therapeutic Reflexology is non-invasive and often friends and family would make an appointment. In that instance, the person was a friend or family member first before becoming a patient, so it is dealt with slightly different. Personally, I separate what happens in the practice from what happens in other settings, so if a friend or family member receives a Therapeutic Reflexology session, that is left in the practice office. When interacting in a social setting, that matter is not discussed to avoid blurring any therapist-patient lines, because in that setting, the person is a friend or family member, not a patient.
In conclusion, navigating therapeutic connections should always be beneficial to the patient’s therapeutic journey and if not, an open conversation should probably result in referral to another healthcare professional. In that regard, I have always been mindful of the fact that as a male therapist, some people may not be comfortable with me and if they at any time feel uncomfortable, I shall gladly refer instead of providing or continuing therapy; thus, I always commence with the open conversation about what therapy will entail and making sure the patient is comfortable with what to expect during the treatment before continuing.
At the end of the day, we are all human and we all make mistakes, but in navigating therapeutic connections, realise it is not always resulting in long-term treatment and you should be comfortable with short-term or even a singular connection; add value to every patient in the time that your life paths cross for a moment in time, but do not be devastated if the therapeutic connection ends for whatever reason. Instead, see every therapeutic connection as a privilege granted to you by the patient for a specific season in their lives!
References
Anderson, C. (2024) What is Therapeutic Relationships? [Online] Available from: https://focuskeeper.co/glossary/what-is-therapeutic-relationships#:~:text=Therapeutic%20relationships%20are%20vital%20in,client%20without%20becoming%20personally%20involved. [Accessed 6 October 2025].
Cuncic, A. (2025) Why a Therapeutic Alliance is Important in Therapy. [Online] Available from: https://www.verywellmind.com/why-a-therapeutic-alliance-is-important-in-therapy-7503678#:~:text=A%20therapeutic%20alliance%20is%20defined,and%20feel%20supported%20by%20them. [Accessed 6 October 2025].
Opland, C. & Torrico, T.J. (2024) Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Relationship. [Online] Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608012/ [Accessed 6 October 2025].
Packer, M. (2018) It’s Official! Curing Patients is Bad for Business. [Online] Available from: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/revolutionandrevelation/72407 [Accessed 6 October 2025].
Scheepers, C.A. (2003) The Exploitation of Practical Sociology as Counselling Model for Application in a Christian-Holistic Founded Practice. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Pretoria: Commonwealth Open University.
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Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
DTR (Cum Laude), PhD
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 0737453
Tel. 072-800 7243