Getting To Know . . .
STEVEN CLIDAS, MS, LicMT
With wide experience as a Massage Therapist, Steven Clidas has been working with a variety of clients and patients since 1982. His private practice centers around medical or treatment-oriented MT, specializing in managing chronic conditions, treating athletes and other performers, and stress management. Toward this, he uses a variety of techniques, including myofascial release, deep-tissue cross-fiber friction, neuromuscular, etc., grounded in Western or classical Swedish principles of massage.As a former teacher of special education for eighteen years, Clidas sees his work as in large part that of educating clients. "One of my strengths is in seeing patterns and relating treatment to what these patterns tell me," he says. Whether working with chronic pain, stress management or the rehabbing of injuries, the focus is, nevertheless, on empowering the client to take control of his or her health.
"Often, chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, respond to a combination of physical strategies, massage, and cognitive strategies to raise awareness and short-circuit habitual patterns that may lead to or reinforce illness," he says. Cognitive strategies, such as imagery, relaxation processes, meditation, etc., complement MT by allowing the client to begin to use mind and body together to gain control over pain and dysfunction. These somato-cognitive strategies can be a powerful approach to restoring and maintaining wellness.
Another aspect of this client-centered, empowering approach is the self-care plan. Developed to meet the individual client's needs, this plan includes what the client will do to maintain wellness either between sessions or after completing treatments. The plan is periodically reviewed, often in consultation with the client's physician, and updated as needed.
Working with athletes and other performers presents different challenges. Often these clients' greatest need is after an event. After working with a number of endurance athletes, Clidas has developed the Recovery Massage(sm) to help reduce or shorten the recovery time after an event and aid in healing muscles stressed in such performances.
Clidas is a graduate of the Swedish Institute for Massage Therapy in New York City. He has also studied at the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in Newington, CT, and the Institute for Human Ecology. He is an active member of the American Massage Therapy Association, holds a Master of Science degree, is a part-time MBA candidate at the Ancell School of Business, and is a Connecticut Licensed Massage Therapist. Clidas is a book reviewer for "Massage Therapy Journal" and a Co-Founding Member of Associated Massage Therapists.
Clidas has provided massage therapy services as an associate in two chiropractic offices in the Danbury area and maintains referral relationships with local healthcare providers. He has periodically presented workshops and seminars on such health related topics as: "Massage Basics for Couples, Partners and Friends"; "Massage and Meditation"; "Relaxation Techniques for a Busy Lifestyle"; "Can You Imagine That: Using Imagery in Everyday Life." And he has also presented "Managing Stress with Stress Antidotes" at local corporations and schools.
In the future, Clidas would like to be involved in bringing Medical Massage more into the mainstream by establishing it as part of a Department of Alternative Therapies in a hospital setting. Combining his teaching experience with his Massage Therapy work at an MT school may also be in his future.
