Why you should read this article:

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To increase your awareness of the psychological benefits of massage therapy

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To read about barriers and facilitators to introducing seated chair massage in forensic mental health settings

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To consider the value of introducing seated chair massage in your own clinical setting

Massage therapy has recognised psychological benefits, yet it is rarely used in forensic mental health settings. In 2022, ten-minute sessions of seated chair massage – where recipients remain fully clothed – were offered to patients and staff at a secure forensic mental health and learning disability service in the UK. This article is a service evaluation of the impact of providing these sessions. Seated chair massage was found to have overwhelmingly positive effects in the short term and the authors concluded that it is a low-risk, boundaried and appropriate complementary therapy intervention for patients in forensic mental health settings. Their findings challenge the view that these settings are essentially ‘no touch’ environments. The article outlines barriers and facilitators to introducing seated chair massage in a forensic mental health service, which may be useful to other teams considering developing a similar service.