Screening Clients Part 2

Even with the best screening possible, there are times when a client is skilled in the art of acting or subterfuge and a therapist will end up in a room with someone who is seeking sensual or sexual services. You may want to take a self defense class or Krav Maga just as a precaution if you will be doing outcalls.

If the client is overly aggressive, either physically or verbally, I tell new therapists, "The client is lying down naked on a table and you are fully clothed and standing, just walk out of the room". Leave your table, purse, and supplies in there. If you are in a hotel or spa, go get security. If you are at your home or an office, call the police and tell them you were harassed. If you are at the client's home, go to a neighbor or go to your car and call the police from your cell phone. Hopefully you will never have to go this far and a simple, "Please stop doing (or saying) that." will suffice, but it's always good to have a plan B, just in case you need it.

Even after all my years of screening and using my intuition, I had a client once ask me at the end of our session, "Is that all there is?" I simply answered, "Yes, please take your time getting dressed, I will wait outside." One of my friends (a professional dominatrix) suggested that I should have replied, "Well, I have a strap on, and for $500 more I can use it on you, and lube will be an additional $100, which you're probably going to want." I don't know if I would actually be able to say something like that if the situation ever arose again, but now I have a plan B ready.