camclub June Articles « camexpo | 20-21 October, Earls Court, London

camclub June Articles
<ul>
<li><a href=”#healing”>Healing hands - Angie Buxton-King</a></li>
<li><a href=”#Gill”>Predictions, Crystal Balls and Buying Patterns - Gill Tree</a></li>
<li><a href=”#CNHC”>CNHC register opens to reiki</a></li>
</ul>
<h2><a name=”healing”></a>Healing hands - Angie Buxton-King</h2>
Angie Buxton-King provides an introduction to healing, before discussing its benefit as a supportive tool when used alongside conventional medical care.

Healing is based upon the principle that the physical body is surrounded by an energy field and when a person becomes unwell physically, emotionally or mentally, this has an unbalancing effect on the energy field. Sensitive to energy flow and intuitive to areas of imbalance, a healer aims to facilitate the rebalancing of the<img title=”Angie Buxton-King for website” src=”http://www.camexpo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Angie-Buxton-King-for-website.jpg” alt=”" width=”165″ height=”200″ /> energy field by channelling energy through their own hands gently placed on – or just above – the client’s body. In turn, this may help to ease physical, mental and emotional symptoms.

A state of balance

There are a number of different modalities of healing and the ability to succinctly categorise these is often the source of much conflict and confusion. For this reason, it may be easier to focus on the similarities instead of the differences – healers do not under any circumstance diagnose specific medical problems, but aim to treat the individual with a view to alleviating physical, emotional and spiritual distress.

Relaxation is the main benefit of all healing modalities, as this opens the doors to further multi-faceted benefits on a number of levels. Many of us understand that our emotions can have an impact on our physical self, therefore healing may act as a preventative approach to healthcare by helping the body to achieve a state of balance needed for good health and well-being. Healing can provide very useful support to people affected by health issues, most notably in stress-related illnesses and in mental and emotional health, as relaxation can help to alleviate some of the associated stress and anxiety. It can also potentially help people to cope with some of the physical symptoms of illness and side-effects of conventional medication and treatment.

Therapists in private practice are afforded greater flexibility in working and can gear the environment more to reinforce relaxation and healing than those in a hospital setting. However, although the therapy environment may enhance the client’s receptiveness to energy channelled from the therapist, a healing session can be just as therapeutically effective in a clinical setting. Clients in both settings commonly report feeling the energy moving within their bodies, seeing bright colours, and experiencing a twitching or movement as the energy rebalances. It is very common for a client to experience a change in temperature, and often to feel heat from the therapist’s hands.

A supportive tool

Complementary therapy has progressed enormously following the House of Lords Select Committee report in 2000 which placed healing in the Group Two category of therapies ‘which are most often used to complement conventional medicine and do not purport to embrace diagnostic skills’, alongside others such as reflexology, aromatherapy and massage. The report recognised that many of the therapies in this group provide a supportive tool when used alongside conventional medical care, and may help relieve stress, alleviate side effects, provide support for the elderly and play an important role in palliative care.1

Healing can be very beneficial alongside conventional medicine, and my clinical experience within the hospital setting allows me to say that the therapy can be used to:

• assist anxiety management;
• aid pain management strategy;
• provide a supportive measure through unpleasant and/or painful procedures, such as lumbar puncture, bone marrow aspirate, liver biopsy, and so on;
• reduce chemotherapy/radiotherapy gut disturbance;
• reduce nausea and vomiting;
• reduce pain associated with sore mouth;
• engender a sense of control;
• enhance compliance with treatment regimens;
• enhance coping;
• enhance the immune response;
• improve quality of life;
• increase confidence and self-esteem; and
• assist the patient in the dying process.

There is no ‘one tool fits all’ for healthcare, however by providing conventional medicine and complementary therapy alongside each other we can facilitate a more holistic path to be taken by the client /patient .We must not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ but allow people to choose for themselves how they wish to approach their health care.

Case study
Dr Anil Wijetunge was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2005 and was seen by a healer on the hospital ward at least twice a week for 30 minutes, sometimes more when he was experiencing a great deal of pain. Anil offers this patient insight:

‘When I was diagnosed with leukaemia in May 2005 my world was turned upside down. I had worked as a hospital doctor for 17 years in most of the medical specialties, including cancer. I knew from the early signs that the disease was very advanced and I was in a poor risk group where the chances of survival were only approximately 35 per cent. I had to face – and come to terms with – the possibility of death, and accept whatever treatment and consequences arose.

‘I experienced the most appalling pain in my back and throughout my body, especially in the muscles. There were infusions of very powerful drugs to keep my circulation and heart going, and it was a very difficult time being in an isolation room, month after month. I started my first healing sessions having known absolutely nothing about the therapy before; even when I had worked with cancer patients myself. I closed my eyes as the healer placed his hands over specific areas of the body, starting at the head and making gentle contact. I was immediately struck by how hot his hands were; they radiated heat. The healer slowly changed the position of his hands to cover and pause over different parts of the head and face, then the trunk, arms and legs, down to the soles of the feet. Gradually my mind calmed and I became less tense. For the first time I felt someone was helping to fill the massive gap in modern medical care where holistic care should be.

‘The healing sessions I experienced allowed me to fully relax, close my eyes and let my mind drift, out of the isolation room to a calm, quiet place that made me feel as if I was walking through a beautiful, sunny garden where I was reassured and spiritually nourished.

‘By the end of each session I was physically more comfortable and emotionally relaxed and stronger. As a hospital doctor I would never have realised how healing could benefit a patient. As healing defies detailed analysis of its mechanism of action in conventional medical and scientific terms, it is too easily dismissed by most physicians. My experiences as a leukaemia patient have shown me how important it is to provide holistic care that supports a person emotionally, mentally or spiritually. This is virtually absent in medical care today and I believe all sick people are suffering to some extent because of its absence. Healing provided an important part of that missing element of care and it helped me face up to and survive the physical and mental challenges.’

Working in the healthcare environment
Therapists who are keen to work in a statutory setting must develop the skills required to work safely and competently in such an environment. Further training can help the therapist to successfully integrate complementary therapies into the field of conventional medical care, taking into account how to:

• approach and present themselves and their therapy work to hospitals;
• describe complementary therapies to medical and nursing staff;
• use language to bridge the gap between conventional medicine and complementary therapies, as this can make or break your career at this stage;
• protect patients – and yourself – from the risk of infection;
• measure treatment outcomes, as gathering an evidence base is very useful in our field;
• gain support through clinical supervision; and
• gain funding (therapists often have to rely upon themselves).

1. House of Lords Select Committee (2000). UK parliament Science and Technology Sixth Report. Source: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldselect/ldsctech/123/12304.htm

Biog box
Angie Buxton-King is a reiki master, spiritual healer, tutor and a council member of the College of Medicine. She regularly speaks at medical and holistic conferences, is the author of The NHS Healer, and runs training in Delivering Complementary Therapy in a Statutory Setting. She has been employed for 12 years at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) working with cancer patients as part of an integrated holistic package of care. In 2003, she was promoted to manager/healer of the complementary therapy team, leading the acceptance and development of healing and other complementary therapies within the trust. Angie and her husband, Graham, are the founders of The Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust (SBSHT), which helps to fund healers to work within the NHS with cancer patients. They set the charity up in memory of their late son Sam, who had Acute Muyeloid Leukaemia and benefited enormously from healing before he died in 1998 aged 10. In 2008, Angie and Graham created The Guild of Professional Healers to represent healers and provide a body of healers that embraced the different modalities within one organisation. www.cancertherapies.org www.angiebuxton-king.com

This article was first published in International Therapist (October 2011, issue 98), the membership journal of the Federation of Holistic Therapists (www.fht.org.uk). Reprinted with permission of the FHT and Angie Buxton-King.
<h2><a name=”Gill”></a>Predictions, Crystal Balls and Buying Patterns - Gill Tree</h2>
<img title=”Gill Tree website” src=”http://www.camexpo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Gill-Tree-website.jpg” alt=”" width=”158″ height=”220″ />

One of the keys to a successful business plan and therefore a successful business is the ability to fairly accurately predict your sales over the next 12-36 months. Whilst a fairly easy task when established, when you are a new business having a crystal ball would be really helpful to be able to make such predictions.

However if you are willing to play detective to establish your potential customers buying patterns with some market research, you will be able to start working on sales projections fairly quickly.
Going on a fact finding mission will allow you to start to define how your business is going to take shape. You need a several pronged strategy:

1/ Network with other therapists
Join a professional association that has regional group meetings that you can attend. When you are established in the group ask the questions in number 3.

2/ Call up 10 therapy centres and ask:
If I book a course of treatments what discount do you give?
Is it common to book a course of treatments?
How quickly can you see me?
I’m new to this- do people usually come weekly/ fortnightly/monthly?

3/ Find a successful therapist who is out of your area, offer a free treatment as a swap for their information and advice on:
How long it took them to get established
What successes they had, what failures
Their clients buying patterns;
How many: 
come weekly
come fortnightly
come monthly
come as one off’s or on an occasional basis
Any seasonal fluctuations
Hints and tips

Repeat this several times with other therapists

Think up your own questions to ask also. Once you have completed this task, I guarantee you will have a much clearer idea of how your potential clients are going to buy from you. You will also be able to work out exactly how many clients you are going to need to fulfil your goal.

For example lets imagine your goal is to have by the end of year one, a full clinic of 20 hourly clients per week, paying £50.00 an hour and working 46 weeks per year.

Having done your market research above, you established that you will get approximately 30% of your clients coming weekly, 30% coming fortnightly, 30% coming monthly and 10% coming as one off’s or on an occasional basis. (this is for illustration purposes only- you need to do the research in your area to find out what is true for your market).

If this was the case you would need:
<table border=”0″>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Type of client</td>
<td>Number each week</td>
<td>Total number of unique clients required per annum</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Weekly</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fortnightly</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Monthly</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>24</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ad hoc (twice year)</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>52</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Total
</td>
<td></td>
<td>94</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
This is an illustration only. You need to come to your own conclusions about how many clients you want coming on a regular basis and with what frequency. However if this was my business, I would look at the figures above and say, “hold on a minute. I only need 40 regular clients for the whole year, that’s achievable, but the 52 adhoc, that seems like a lot of work to get them. Let me rethink my percentages and also think about how I can ensure repeat sales”.

I mentioned above that it is a good idea to network with other therapists, but to be really successful but you need to expand your network far beyond that group of people.

Get Networking
Networking is going out to business breakfasts and meetings and specific networking events to meet many people, swap business cards and help support each other with business leads.
I think networking is an extremely important business activity, but it needs to be done selectively. I am quite a social animal and have really enjoyed going out and networking and meeting interesting people. That in itself served a purpose. It kept my energy high for my business and I would come back with some new ideas. There are lots of networking clubs and groups. the local chamber of commerce will have meetings and the virtual networking club ecademy <a href=”http://www.ecademy.com/”>http://www.ecademy.com/</a> will have local meetings.

However did it bring me any business?
No! Not until I was clear about who I needed to network with and collaborate with. (More about collaborations in a future step).
Listed below are guidelines for making the most of networking.
Network with Purpose
Before you sign up for a networking event, think about reason for attending. Decide your goals and what you hope to accomplish. You may not achieve them straight away but thinking this way really gets your prepared and you will improve with networking practice. Often what happens at networking events is that you develop stepping stones to where you want to be.
Goals may be:
• To get ideas for how to run your business
• Find out about opportunities for working in clinics and centres in the community
• Practice giving an elevator pitch (giving a short promotional presentation)

Prepare your pitch
Often at networking events you will be invited to give a short presentation. Grab this opportunity with both hands. In later steps I will be talking about how important public speaking is to your success (and how many people who would rather die than speak in public have become great speakers!).
Practice in front of the mirror at home a one minute presentation clearly stating with warmth and humour why you are the person to book for your particular speciality.
Practice scanning the room and making eye contact and smiling as you speak.
Be prepared
Make sure you arrive on time and are armed with plenty of business cards and promotional flyers. If you’ve booked an event be sure to attend- no dropping out because of nerves ort a better offer or feeling too tired!
Make sure if you promise something to someone that you do the follow up within 48 hours of the event. Remember what goes around, comes around and your success is more likely if you are congruent.
Network and be yourself
People are more like to trust and warm to you if you are sincere and are being yourself. Be interested, listen, be genuine, honest, friendly and giving

Network with a view to giving support and help
When you are networking your thoughts should be on “how can I help” rather than how can I sell my service. If you have this mindset, when you present a particular issue or problem people will want to help you too. So for example, I recently met a woman at an event who I know would really benefit from being in touch with 3 business people I know. I have called them to see if they would be interested in speaking with her and put them together. What I get from that is the satisfaction of helping and knowing that there are other like minded people at networking events who will do the same for me.

Happy business planning!
Gill Tree is the Managing Director of Essentials for Health, one of the UK’s leading Schools of Massage and Sports Massage, established in 1992. She is an award winning entrepreneur, therapy business expert, author and presenter at CAM EXPO. Keen to support you with her business acumen and expertise so that you can focus on working you’re your clients, Gill would like to offer you a special 20th anniversary gift. Her E-Business Tool Therapists Business Passport for free.

Simply click here <a href=”http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/Page.php?ID=Business_Passport”>http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk/Page.php?ID=Business_Passport</a>

Essentials for Health, thanks to Gill’s 20+ years of therapy business experience, prides itself in being the School that Provides a Career not just a Course.<a href=”http://www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk”> www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk</a> 01628 476100
<h2><a name=”CNHC”></a>CNHC register opens to reiki</h2>
<img title=”CNHC logo cam” src=”http://www.camexpo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/CNHC-logo-cam.png” alt=”" width=”164″ height=”81″ />CNHC opened its register to reiki on 14th May 2012. This means that as practitioners register, members of the public will be able to search the CNHC register for reiki practitioners in their area.

Practitioners are only admitted to the register if they can demonstrate that they meet national occupational standards and agree to abide by a rigorous code of conduct, performance and ethics. More and more people are searching the register to find practitioners who are properly trained, qualified and insured so this is good news for practitioners who want to sign up.

There has been a lot of demand for reiki going onto the register. CNHC’s Chief Executive, Margaret Coats, commented: “Reiki is widely used by people in services such as cancer and palliative care where it is essential that practitioners have met proper standards. The opening of CNHC’s register to reiki provides this assurance to members of the public and commissioners of services.”

Reiki is the 14th discipline to join the CNHC register since it opened in January 2009. The other disciplines are Alexander Technique teaching, aromatherapy, Bowen Therapy, healing, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, microsystems acupuncture, naturopathy, nutritional therapy, reflexology, shiatsu, sports therapy and yoga therapy.

Any practitioner interested in applying should check the CNHC website for details of the verification process. For further details check CNHC’s <a href=”http://www.cnhc.org.uk/pages/index.cfm?page_id=68″>step by step guide</a> on the ‘How to register’ section of CNHC’s website.

Reiki advertising wording available
Now that the register is open to reiki, the therapy descriptor for reiki is available on CNHC’s website.

CNHC has worked with the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Copy Advice Team, in consultation with CNHC’s Profession Specific Boards (PSBs), to produce wording to describe each of the therapies CNHC registers. The reiki descriptor is the latest to be added to the list following work with CNHC’s Reiki PSB.

The purpose of this is to offer wording that practitioners may use to describe their practice in a way that will reduce to a very great extent the risk of a successful complaint to the ASA. CNHC will inform registered practitioners of any amendments to the wording which may result from any future ASA adjudications.

All CNHC registered practitioners may find the wording for their therapy available to download in <a href=”https://www.cnhcregister.org.uk/secure/login.cfm?loc=/my_cnhc/index.cfm&”>MyCNHC</a>. The descriptors are also available on the CNHC website here <a href=”http://www.cnhc.org.uk/pages/index.cfm?page_id=86″>Complementary Therapy Descriptors.</a>

For more information about advertising see <a href=”http://www.cnhc.org.uk/assets/6-063.pdf”>CNHC Advertising Guidance</a>.

For more information about the CNHC go to CNHC’s website at: <a href=”http://www.cnhc.org.uk/pages/index.cfm”>www.cnhc.org.uk</a> , email <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a> or call 020 3178 2199