Tag Archives: therapy

Getting Started in Complementary Health

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An increasing number of people decide at some point in their life to get the necessary qualifications and become a complementary health practitioner.  The recession and job losses of the recent years have somehow inspired many people to make the big step and, sometimes without other choices, start their own private practice. The challenges which can be found when working in private practice affects both professionals with university degrees like psychotherapists and psychologists, as well as other recognised qualifications.

Starting a complementary health business is similar to opening a shop, an office based service supplier or any other traditional commercial business.  Like in any other business, sales and cash flow are essential to guarantee positive results and so one of the most important things you need to do is to ensure that you  have plenty of clients  to pay your overheads  and  guarantee yourself a decent income.  Depending on the country where the complementary health business is based, it is also necessary to be familiar with legal, professional and business requirements.

What is a Complementary Health Business?

Complementary health treatments include a broad range of disciplines. It is important to learn about the particular form of holistic health practice and  complete the necessary training before committing to opening a practice. . Examples of complementary health businesses include:

  • Hypnotherapy
  • Massage
  • Reflexology
  • Reiki
  • Acupuncture
  • Homeopathy
  • NLP

Setting Up a Private Practice in Complementary Health

Some complementary health practitioners work from home whereas others set up a separate office/studio in which to work from.  There are both advantages and disadvantages in working  from home  as there are in working from a private studio; initial set up for a home practice may be cheaper but there will need to be enough space to work professionally and take into account:

  • equipment/furniture needed
  • health and safety
  • legal requirements
  • scheduling and managing appointments
  • associated costs
  • personal privacy and security

Insurance, Legal and Professional Requirements for a Complementary Health Practice

There are different insurance, legal and professional requirements in the UK. It may be necessary to obtain a business license (even if working from home) from the local authorities and comply with certain local and national laws. In addition, it may be necessary to obtain professional memberships in order to apply for an adequate professional insurance cover; different types of insurance cover may be needed.

Maintaining Tax Records and Banking for a Complementary Health Practice

It is important to keep a record of all purchases and expenses and receipt of income for tax purposes; at the end of the tax year, a complimentary health business will be expected to file a tax return either as a sole trader or an incorporated limited company (partnerships may be applicable if two or more practitioners work together).  Opening a business’ bank account is also essential in order to keep business transactions separate from personal ones.

Marketing a Holistic Health Business

I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise when I say that in the 21st century, every business should have a web presence in addition to other direct and indirect marketing operations.   A complementary health business can be marketed through a combination of web site, blogs, forums and social networking. Depending on the skills level of the holistic health practitioner, it may be necessary to employ someone to both set up and maintain the various web marketing tools required.

Some complementary health practices, both in the UK and abroad , are not tightly regulated, making it simple for almost anyone to set up and call themselves a holistic health practitioner or practice. However, in order to maintain high standards and increase the chances  for success, it is advisable to take all accredited training in the chosen discipline, obtain insurance,  memberships to the relevant governing body and comply with the relevant legal requirements.

Working Within a Professional Health Centre

While working from home can be a simple and cost-effective way to get started, it can limit the opportunities of expansion as well as the amount of money that can be charged.  An effective alternative is to work from a complementary health centre which, among other basic things can offer:

  • good quality therapy rooms that are suitable for your  therapy/discipline
  • a central and easily accessible location reception and phone answering service to ensure that your phone calls are answered and your clients or prospects are well looked after
  • a place where you always feel  safe  when working with clients

The main advantages of working from a professional complementary health centre are:

  • better image
  • possibility of justifying higher fees
  • building up a stronger brand

Conclusion

Getting Started in Complementary Health can be a very rewarding and life changing decision.  When well-managed, it can bring financial accomplishments, the opportunity of making a difference in many people’s lives and achieving a great level of satisfaction.

However, it should be considered for what it really is: a business venture which as such requires accurate planning and adequate business skills in marketing and sales.

Complementary Therapy is Dead

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Are you ready for the big change?

The “Complementary therapy” label is about to die and with it many of itspractitioners. This is actually good news because the label is about to die only to make room for a bigger, fresher and more official one; “Therapy” or “Treatment”.

I guess that you may be asking yourself what this means and whether it makes any real difference. In fact, you may be asking yourself whether  you should keep on reading at all. I strongly invite you to  carry on reading as this very article might be the one thing that makes the difference between passion with no money and passion with rewards! This article might give you the opportunity to learn how to ensure that others see you as a professional therapist and that you canbuild a successful business whilst helping others.

In the past, complementary therapy has been criticized,  then acclaimed, then criticized some more, then acclaimed and so on, back and forth. Most of time, complementary therapy rooms were the destination of people with solid spiritual beliefs whilst “professionals”, skeptics and “old fashioned” members of the public would stick to the good old GP prescriptions and nothing else; whether these worked or not.

More and more often today we see people seeking help and advice directly from complementary therapists and GPs themselves are referring more and more clients to alternative therapy professionals. What this does is simple; it kills “complementary” and “alternative” and it makes it more and more official.

Hypnotherapy, EFT, Acupuncture, Reiki and other therapies are becoming more and more popular among the general public and people are getting more and more educated. The main natural consequences of  the above are two which, if ignored, may be the beginning of the end of your therapy business.

1. With the general public being more educated and so you must be more accurate and congruent as the level of awareness raises within the consumers.

2. Having noticed the demand, other people may spot the opportunity to help others whilst making a living and add to your competition.

Whilst some may think that the above are threats, I truly believe that they are a blessing to both therapists and clients. Why? Simple! Clients are safer and better looked after and therapists can make a better living doing a noble profession.

There are two simple things you need to do as therapist in order to make this transformation convenient:

1. Ensure that you are professional in all ways. This includes the way you dress (you must be professional), your knowledge and skills (you must attend CPDs), your premises or the clinic you operate from (which must be clean, well known, located strategically – never work from home unless you have a separate building/detached room), your fees (the lower your fees the lower the perceived value), your website (it must communicate professionally), your business card, your opening times (part timers will struggle) and your marketing knowledge (no marketing = no clients, bad marketing = still no clients and even less money).

2. Your rapport skills. Whatever your profession, you must be able to build rapport with your clients almost instantly. When I first started years ago, the only complaints that I have received (very very few), were not for the results of my therapy/coaching, but because I did not build rapport with my clients. 80% of GPs who did not build rapport with their patients, will receive a complaint. GPs whobuilt rapport with their patients, are less likely to receive complaints even when they do make mistakes.

Being able to build rapport is fundamental if you want to be successful in this business; you work with people not with their problems and many therapists/coaches focus too much in the issues and not enough on clients. They forget that clients are there because they need attention, they do not need attention put on their issues, they need to be directed onto their solutions.

Complementary therapy is dead!

You are all becoming a bigger, more influential and more official group within the healthcare industry.

Therapeutic Theatre

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The relationship between the Call to Adventure and the journey towards self actualization is one of the most common themes of mythology and one of the richest in symbolic value. This call to adventure helps to establish the stakes of life’s personal and professional games and makes clear our goals as an active participant.

A very special experimental cutting edge theatre group that is dedicated to empowering individuals to freely nurse their imagination and originality in a safe supportive space is Drastic Productions founded by Liz Clarke and Lotty Lowri in 2006 as a positive response to offer performance experience to groups of people who might not normally have access to it.

Super Heroes & Alter Egoes - Lottie Psychottie

The highly committed team at the theatre helps people to identify those aspects of self that require creative release, discharging exciting new energy into the psyche and dissolving long held inhibitions in the process and activating powerful archetypes. These archetypes could be said to represent specific functions and parts of the personality which resolve the tension in responsive feeling.

The valuable work that Liz and her talented team facilitate is unique in that it draws on a broad spectrum of post modern climate and cultures. As a combination of professionals they radiate enthusiasm and warmth as well as being vitally interested in creating an environment that offers a variety of mental stimulation, movement and experimentation. The team strength lies in their highly specialized approach to working imaginatively, providing a catalyst to bring about a profound transformation in others. Like a true catalyst in chemistry, they help bring about a change in a system and help guide others in their growth. Drastic Productions helps individuals to explore their surroundings in unfamiliar ways such as the use of taste, touch and sound. They believe that we are all creators and artists of our own individual experiences and responses to life. By living art, we become art.

In the concept of the Holy Grail an ancient and mysterious symbol for all the unattainable things of the Soul that all heroes and heroines search after, the ultimate boon or reward is a certain self knowledge and transformation that follows when we take possession of whatever we are seeking. It is the fundamental character of the universe to be active in the production of wholes and that the evolution of the universe, inorganic and organic, is nothing but the record of this whole-making activity in its progressive development.

The unifying force of all life phenomenon suggested by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who lived about “ 546-470 BC” was named physis and was conceived generally as the creative force of nature. It is the healing energy behind illness, the energized motive for growth and the driving force of creativity in an individual. The human will playing a crucial role as it represents the seat of primal power-the striving force that can be found in all creative individuals. Any act of deliberate creativity is a reaching out to create or co-create a relationship with another. All creativity therefore implies relationship and a desire for connectivity. The creative expression of the individual towards life is closely mirrored in the relationship between the creative individual and the collective –society. We are pro-social relationship-seeking beings who in order to evolve and rediscover ourselves have to continuously pay attention to our experiences, preserve our integrity, to experiment and promote our creative impulse.

Drastic Productions through its innovative programme of workshops and interesting series of seminars intends to heal the splits and divisions of the person and in doing so, valorizing personal responsibility and freedom to choose one’s life based on making healthy choices through the celebration of curiousity and joy in learning and unlearning for oneself, inspired by welcoming diversity, spontaneity and playfulness in an abundant sharing of emotional experience. Their workshops offer an opportunity for playful improvisation, communication and idea sharing. Liz and Lotty delve into character, story telling and physical theatre, always striving for inclusion and promoting positive images.

Each workshop leader has professional qualifications and experience in working with minority groups in quite challenging and unusual environments ranging from high security units, psychiatric wards, prisons and even nightclubs! Referrals by mental health services are accepted with participants presenting with an array of health issues such as depression and schizophrenia. The team do not work with a social label or medical diagnosis but with the whole person. They are not a drama therapy group and all their work is carefully planned and complies with their Vulnerable Adults Policy. Their skill in working with vulnerable people ensures that they manage any creative risks sensitively. Each session offers an opportunity for reflection and feedback.

Their most important and exciting work to date is dealing head on with how women with mental health issues are portrayed in the media. The team’s social and theoretical influences range from sex positive artist Annie Sprinkle to the work of long standing theatre companies such as Candoco and Back to Back in Australia. As Liz Clarke is a practicing live artist her work is mainly body based and so she brings in influences from this sphere. At present the team are planning to bring out their ‘The Dare Devil Divas Compendium of Super Heroes and Alter Egos’ which will be a graphic novel working in partnership with Bristol organizations and leftfield art book publishers. They have also been asked to perform and facilitate at several festivals this year and are hoping to take their place in national Arts and Health debates.

Super Heroes & Alter Egoes - Betty Bruiser

Good teachers and Mentors are enthused as the word comes from the Greek word en theos , meaning god-inspired or being in the presence of a god. Drastic Productions as modern day mentors who seek to empower individuals to make the most of themselves are strongly concerned with collective issues, what we all experience in common-the major victories and tragedies of our times and especially the expansion of consciousness and understanding that help us on our heroic journey to wholeness.

In the anatomy of the psyche, mentors represent the Self, the god and the g-ood within us, the higher noble self or conscience that acts as our inner guide when there is no one there to protect us or teach us right from wrong. Symbolically mentors stand for our own highest aspirations. Another important function of the Mentor is to motivate us and help us overcome our fear through encouragement.

If you would like to unleash the hero or heroine inside of you then I am confident that you will be fully supported in your personal quest by contacting www.drasticproductions.co.uk E-mail: info@ drasticproductions.co.uk or call Liz Clarke on 07748 805 674.

May the force be with you.

References

Capra, F.( 1978) The Turning Point: Science, Society and The Rising Culture. Toronto: Bantam.

M,Leau-Ponty, M (1962) Phenomenology of Perception. (C. Smith, trans) London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Zohar, D (1990) The Quantum Self. London, Bloomsbury.

Images reproduced from drasticproductions.co.uk

Human Vibrational Energy and the Assemblage Point

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Being human is a beautiful condition. It is what separates us from the void of emptiness and bestows a natural disposition towards seeking the light. In the language of Physics , the vacuum is the ‘grand state of all that is in the universe’. The vacuum is not empty, on the contrary, the vacuum spoken of by quantum physicists is filled with immense vibrational potentiality.

At heart we are all good. It is important to affirm this daily and never allow the demons of doubt, fear, negativity and hatred to blight your life since our waking consciousness is only a small portion of our actual real consciousness. Our deeper selves are often very different to our daily superficial selves.

Amanda Solk

Amanda Solk is a very special young lady who I would describe as a ‘light carrier’. This exceptional young woman has been for many years ‘opening’ people up to their assemblage point – the vortex of the human energy field. The (AP) Assemblage Point is the point in the body where as an embryo our life force is assembled. According to Amanda it is the seat of our human and spiritual life force and for us to function healthily it needs to be aligned in its optimum position which is in the centre of the chest, close to the heart. By exploring and understanding the origins and the potency of human forces, her concept is that we not only become much better able to cope with them but also gain a much deeper and more compassionate understanding of our own Soul and that of our neighbors.

The Greek word psyche translates in German to mean the ‘Soul’. In the Greek myth of Psyche there is an exploration and confrontation of the emotional underworld to retrieve special treasure (spirituality) before Psyche can attain her apotheosis and achieve transcendence.

Successful re-alignment of the Assemblage Point to its optimum position by Amanda’s skillful assistance can result in increased knowledge of the self and eventually even the universe as a living energy. Just as the body is subject to illness from excluded parts of the self, so society can be made sick and subject to violence from those whose pain causes them to lash out towards everything that excludes them. With war and violence on the rise in the world millions of us are struggling to just keep mind, body and soul together. Perhaps our knowledge of the world and matter can no longer just be derived from direct sensory experiences and requires a new way of seeing?

The discovery and the teachings of shifting the Assemblage Point developed out of the ancient mysterious sacred beliefs and practices of the Native American Indians and Shamanistic traditions. Jon Whale PhD a gifted electronics engineer was the one to rediscover the definite existence of the Assemblage Point, having been fascinated by its potential for healing for many years. With the aid of other doctors and physicists his biggest and most valuable find was that the Assemblage Point can be repositioned after suffering trauma and abuse, whether physical or mental. If our Assemblage Point is knocked out of position for whatever reason, we will only be operating on half our energy quota. This reduced quota can create such symptoms as; depression, panic attacks, stress, fatigue and general unhappiness. These self defeating, emotionally debilitating features can give rise to further problems such as lack of confidence and low self esteem, in turn creating a vicious circle.

The good news is that Amanda has received extensive professional training by Dr. Angela Blaen, Founder of The Assemblage Point Association and the first person to have the existence of her Assemblage Point scientifically proven by medical experts in 2000. The procedure itself takes over an hour and once undertaken needs to be revisited by regular 2-3 monthly checks to ensure stability of the Assemblage Point. The results are permanent and the benefits just amazing with clients repeatedly reporting a feeling of being grounded and centered. The centeredness offers individuals the liberating freedom to release pent up fears, grief, shock, guilt, hurt, rage and disappointment etc. The list is as endless and as varied as Amanda’s grateful clientele. More often than not, a greater personal peace is frequently experienced with the heightened attendant confidence and personal ability to ‘handle’ life. Negative emotions, various addictions and angry outbursts to name a few crippling conditions become a thing of the past and no longer control or influence the individual. When we start to make contact with our knowing selves we will begin to finally hear messages of our own profound inner truth and beauty. Thanks to Amanda Solk’s amazing talent and treatment perhaps we can all finally draw upon a cosmic reservoir of intelligent spiritual and universal power and no longer erroneously presume we are but a tiny drop in the ocean of life but rather instead to remember, we are the ocean.

If you would like help with repositioning your Assemblage Point you can contact Amanda in Huddersfield on: 01484 535371 or 0788 1665 909 or to find out more about her wonderful work visit her at www.fullspectrumhealing.co.uk and www.mandisolk.com.