Castlepollard,
Co. Westmeath,
Ireland.
2nd June, 2010.
Dear Reader,
Deciding to visit a professional requires motivation. How do people know what therapy to choose? How do they select a therapist? When they finally arrive their thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears and expectations about what may happen have likely already been established.
The therapist in advance of this first meeting may have their own anxieties about the initial meeting. Some may be confident that no matter what presents they can handle it. Others may be going through a stressful time in their own life and be hoping that this client will be easy; not too challenging. In ideal circumstances they would like to cancel, but the mortgage is due this week….
These examples illustrate the complex web that is woven in the invisible ether before these two people meet. Multiply this by the number of clients seen in a week and all the ingredients are there to create stress, burn-out and possibly dis-ease for the therapist, and disappointment for the client.
Who heals the Healers? Training ends when qualification is received. Not all therapies have a professional body, and for those who do the time and resources are often taken up in setting up a system of self-regulation. It would appear to be left to the individual to maintain their well-being and develop their practice without the benefit of another point of view.
This is not a concern that has popped up with the dawn of the New Age, but one that has been expressed by significant figures in the past. Many writers have written on this theme and their words are often quoted under the banner of the wounded healer, “Physician, Heal Thyself”.
Carl G Jung summarises this best by saying that we can only bring somebody as far as we have travelled ourselves. These words are easy to quote but far more challenging to put into practice.
The first complementary medicine exhibition was held in Dublin’s Mansion House in 1984. People flocked to the event and in response to the strange sounding names such as ‘Reflexology’ ‘Aromatherapy’ and ‘Metamorphosis’. Their first question at each stand, often in between the giggles, was generally ‘What’s that all about!’
Twenty six years later and the contrast is remarkable with an extensive range of therapies available throughout Ireland under the broad heading of Complementary and Alternative medicine. The names of many of these therapies are now familiar and have been tried out by many.
It is therefore an opportune time to discuss the consumer issues that arise from this level of growth. These can be summarised in two categories;
1. issues for the consumer, and
2. issues for professionals, (used in this context to covers all disciplines).
Consumer Issues
When a consumer goes to a doctor, dentist or optician they are safeguarded by statutory regulation. Statutory regulation means that it is illegal to practice these professions without being registered with the appropriate body. As statutory regulation in not yet written into the statute books for complementary and alternative therapies, choosing a reputable therapist requires information gathering on the part of the consumer before choosing which therapy best meets their needs and which therapist to choose.
Some disciplines have self-regulated by forming a professional body and setting minimum standards of practice. In general, these organisations determine the minimum level of training required to practice professionally and maintain a register of therapists meeting this criteria. Letters used after their names by therapists often denote the body they are a member of. This should not be taken for granted, as many organisations also offer associate status for therapists in training and interested parties.
In addition, some associations have developed a code of ethics for practice and will provide information for consumers. This process is known as self-regulation of a profession. While this is welcome, it should be noted that membership is voluntary i.e. it is not illegal to practice without being a member.
Given this situation it is vital for consumers to ask questions. If you do not fully understand the explanations, keep asking until you do. Most reputable therapists will appreciate your questions. Another possibility is to first contact the professional body for the therapy that interests you, and request general information. This can be very useful in forming the questions you need answers to before making your final choice.
Having made your choice next come the practical concerns. How long is a session? How much will it cost? What can you expect to happen? Where does the meeting take place? What would a successful outcome be? Will regular sessions be required? How is progress evaluated?
Having gone to a therapist what was your initial evaluation? Why did you go in the first place, and now that you have been there, did the experience meet your needs? If you had any questions did you ask them? If not, why not? A common difficulty for clients at their first visit is to feel they don’t know enough to ask the questions they want to. Not everybody chooses the therapy most suitable for them at the first attempt. The answers to these questions are vital stepping stones on your personal journey.
The most vital point here is to trust yourself - make your evaluation before discussing with friends etc. just as you would with a doctor, solicitor, hairdresser, restaurant, or hotel. The procedure is no different. The reason for evaluating alone is that each persons experience is unique. A friend may experience the same therapy and therapist very differently to you. This is not necessarily a reflection on the therapist.
How suitable was the premises where you were received? Were you interrupted during a session? How was basic hygiene? Was the therapist ready at the appropriate time to meet you? If not how was this dealt with? Did you feel this time which you had contracted and paid for was solely to meet your needs? Did you leave knowing more about the therapist than you got time to tell of yourself?
Issues for Therapists
The word ‘Holistic’ is a familiar one in the area of complementary therapies and comes from the Greek ‘holos’ meaning whole. In the context of therapeutic work, ‘Holistic’ is understood to be an approach which recognises the Body, Mind, Spirit and Feeling aspect of being a person. To be true to the essence of the Holistic paradigm it is necessary to include both therapist and client, for when the two meet a particular energy system is created. To read more about this energy approach, see Applied Energy Therapy TM on my website www.psyche.ie.
Training in a particular discipline such as massage for example, will at the most basic level cover the workings of the body, massage strokes, and contraindications to treatment. While the thought, feeling and spiritual aspects may well be discussed, a massage qualification does not equip a therapist to deal with the emotional material that can often emerge.
Professional therapists will know very clearly the boundaries to the service their training equips them to provide and will make appropriate referrals as required. The therapist’s personal ethical code is what supports them in discussing the options available with their client. Openness and accountability are words not often used in this regard but they are as relevant here as in the business world.
When therapists work with a client outside their area of expertise they are exposing themselves to burn-out. The underlying motive to do this is worthy of exploration and will likely reveal some interesting personal material. It is not acceptable practice for a therapist to cross this fine line. The difficulty here is that these needs are generally unconscious, however, the responsibility for how they are met rests with the therapist in all cases.
What forum do you have as a therapist to monitor this unconscious process? When therapists identify their worth as persons by the success or failure they have with their clients they are unlikely to acknowledge to themselves that they need support around the personal issues their work may activate. If unchecked, power struggles and subsequent slipping of therapeutic boundaries can creep into the therapeutic relationship. Therapeutic work carried out in this manner can under no circumstances be truthfully called professional, never mind healing or holistic. In fact it can be damaging to the client.
The nature of therapeutic work is such that a therapist’s unconscious material will emerge in the course of their work. This is a simple fact and is no reflection on any therapist. The issue is knowing how to deal with this process. This places an ethical responsibility on every therapist to have a system in place to deal with this appropriately on an on-going basis.
Fritjof Capra illustrated the process of how unconscious material is generally dealt with in a lecture he gave by asking the audience to imagine a driver who responded to the red light on the dashboard of his car, indicating a critical oil shortage, by disconnecting the cables leading to the warning signal system. Satisfied the problem was adequately handled, the driver continued the journey.
While dealing with unconscious material can be challenging at times, the personal discoveries that are possible can be life changing.
To those not familiar with working on their internal process it can be difficult to recognise unconscious material without the help of a trained person. Many spiritual traditions would go so far as to say it is not possible unless we are enlightened beings such as Jesus or Buddha.
We come into being and exist through relationship. Relationships both personal and professional reflect our unconscious material. The hidden aspects of ourselves are visible in the qualities we love and hate in others. While we may feel fearful, we have a choice; to engage on a path of self discovery full of wonder, or to disconnect the cables to the indicators that show there is soulful work to be done!
Conclusion
The eventual introduction of statutory regulation will ensure the minimum standards for professional practice. The questions raised in this article aim to address the deeper personal issues. These issues have the potential to unravel the blocks for each human being to allow them to grow and develop personally and professionally.
To facilitate those interested in engaging in this process I facilitate this on a one to one basis or in a group situation under the title of a ‘Nuts & Bolts’ meeting. Contact details are on my website www.psyche.ie, and you are welcome to make contact with any questions or comments.
Yours faithfully,
Mary Stefanazzi
