1 Intake → 2 Screen safety → 3 Clarify goals → 4 Assess → 5 Plan → 6 Obtain consent → 7 Treat → 8 Reassess → 9 Document. If new information appears, loop backward rather than blindly finishing the plan.
Before choosing a technique, ask whether the presentation requires postponement, local avoidance, modification or more information/referral. Safety outranks completing a routine.
Translate broad requests into observable goals. “Relax” may become reduced perceived tension and a calmer session. “My shoulder is stiff” may become more comfortable reaching or a specific ROM comparison. Goals should reflect what matters to the client.
Select position, regions, technique family, pressure, pace, duration and reassessment based on intake + assessment + client preference. Avoid recipe thinking. Two clients with the same diagnosis can need different sessions.
Ask: What changed? What did not? Was the change meaningful to the client? Did any adverse response occur? Reassessment can happen during the session through feedback and after the session by repeating a relevant measure.
If the client reports soreness for days after the last session, do not automatically repeat the same intensity. If a technique improved the target without adverse effects, that becomes useful planning information. Treatment history is data.
When information is incomplete, choose the safest reasonable action. It is professionally appropriate to modify, defer a region, request medical clarification or refer rather than pretend certainty.