Christo Scheepers is a Registered Therapeutic Reflexologist by choice and in this post some questions regarding his reflexology journey will be asked and answered to understand better why he has chosen a profession where he works with feet.
- Why did you choose a profession where you have to work with people’s feet?
I did not choose a career where I have to work with people’s feet, but instead I chose a healthcare profession, because I wanted to help people. Reflexology interested me since I was in school and I remember receiving a book as a high school pupil on the topic of reflexology and it really fascinated me, but it did not just cause me to enter the world of reflexology; instead my journey was more along the lines of helping people rather than wanting to work with people’s feet.
- I hear that you initially studied counselling, so how move from counselling to reflexology?
Yes, that is correct. After school I started working with my dad on our dairy farm and I did not have the opportunity to study full-time and therefore I worked on the farm and studied agriculture part-time. The healthcare aspects of dairy farming interested me, but I realised that I would rather like to work with people instead of with animals.
I completed the 2-year agricultural diploma with a distinction in the animal healthcare and then enrolled for a 1-year diploma in psychology (this time relating to people). I really enjoyed the field of psychology and found it fascinating and added some practical work with the theory by getting involved with Life Line in Port Elizabeth. On completion of the diploma I was hooked on wanting to help people while working on the farm, I continued my distance educational studies.
I enrolled for a Bachelor of Ministry (B.Min.) in Christian Counselling degree with Theologos School of Counselling under the leadership of Dr Sarel van der Merwe in Kempton Park which I obtained with honours (Cum Laude). This qualification changed my life, even though it was not a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) recognised qualification. During the years of study my life was impacted on spiritual, emotional, physical and relational levels. These qualifications changed me from a very shy person to a confident individual that could communicate with others; until this day I still believe that this qualification had the major part to play in my bedside manner when working with clients and patients. I wrote 6 scripts for this qualification ranging from topics on abortion counselling to pastoral counselling to rape counselling; the beginning journey of my love for research.
That qualification was followed by a Master of Ministry (Cum Laude) degree under supervision of Prof Marius Herholdt where I wrote a dissertation on trauma counselling from a pastoral perspective. Finally, I completed a Ph.D. degree, once again with Prof Marius Herholdt as promoter, during which I developed a Christian-Holistic counselling model. The whole holistic approach resonated with me. As part of the Ph.D. I researched holism and alternative and complementary therapies and enrolled and completed a Diploma in Reflexology in the Beauty Industry in 2003 and started offering holistic counselling combined with reflexology; I was registered with the Council for Counsellors of South Africa (CCSA) at that stage.
These qualifications were not SAQA accredited, but added true value to my research and people helping journey. At that stage we sold the farm, I borrowed money and bought a home industry business in Port Elizabeth as I studied further doing some short courses in healthcare and massage. The business was uniquely located close to the Greenacres Hospital and the Greenacres Shopping Centre and had enough space, so I changed it into a coffee shop with added space in which I started up a holistic counselling practice focusing on trauma counselling. Soon I started operating inside the hospital as well and saw tremendous results when combining reflexology with trauma debriefing.
I then enrolled with the South African Theological Seminary (SATS) and had Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) done and completed numerous additional subjects and eventually graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) degree that was SAQA accredited, with pastoral counselling and apologetics as major subjects. This was done because the business aspects of the private practice interested me and I wanted to do a business qualification and needed a recognised undergraduate degree to enrol.
A move to Cape Town in 2008 followed, leading to the purchase and later closure of a franchise pie shop during which a lot of money was lost. At that stage I started working in the agricultural IT industry in an attempt to repay debt, but also enrolled for a SAQA accredited Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree. That company closed down and I started working in the Tibb Institute and completed the M.B.A. with research and a dissertation in the business aspects of the Tibb Healthcare Profession. The research also took me for interviews with The International Academy of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy (IARAMT) and once again my interest in reflexology was rekindled. Keep in mind, that since 2003 I have been doing reflexology either full-time or part-time, but within the confines of the beauty industry.
I wanted to continue the research in the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) industry and completed a Doctoral Research Training Programme (D.R.T.P.) with the University of Stellenbosch Business School followed by enrolment for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in the management of innovation and technology with the Da Vinci Institute; this time a fully SAQA accredited qualification. The Ph.D. research is entitled Creating an Entrepreneurship Framework to Stimulate Employment Creation in the South African Healthcare Industryand once again Prof Marius Herholdt is acting as promoter on my request.
During this time, I wanted to also benefit from the Ph.D. research and make my dream of helping people a reality and therefore completed the 2-year Diploma in Therapeutic Reflexology (Cum Laude) with the IARAMT in order to formally registered as therapeutic reflexologist with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) and obtained a formal practice number. I started up a therapeutic reflexology private practice in April 2018 in Eversdal, Cape Town.
This is a long journey, but a journey with a foundation of wanting to help people. A journey during which various therapeutic modalities have been used and practiced, but eventually I made the decision to focus solely on therapeutic reflexology.
- Why did you choose to specialise in therapeutic reflexology?
In my journey I have learned about and practiced various modalities like bodywork, coaching, counselling, ethnomedicine, herbal medicine, holistic healthcare, iridology, massage, narrative therapy, natural healthcare, pastoral counselling, quantum physics, reflexology, socio-therapy, theophostics (prayer therapy) and trauma debriefing. All of this was done under the registration of various association like the Association of Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners (ASCHP), the CCSA, the Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA), the Ethnomedicine Practitioners Association of South Africa (EPASA), the Natural Healers Association (NHA), the South African Association for Pastoral Work (SAAP), the South African Natural Health Practitioners Board (SANHPB) and as Doctor of Natural Medicine with the World Organisation of Natural Medicine Practitioners (WONMP) in the United States of America (U.S.A.). During this period, I have also worked with devices like the RIFE Medic and the Quantum Scio.
All of this provided me with valuable knowledge and experience to holistically understand people. Combining this holistic background with my love for people and my desire to help people made me realise that I have enough general knowledge and experience and would like to spend the rest of my career to specialise in one modality. I wanted to be focused and develop my skills in one area just like a medical specialist would spend time developing skills in one area of medicine. For me that meant that I could focus my skills, attention and future research on one area and become the best in that area that I can be.
I chose therapeutic reflexology as this modality. As such I am now registered as a therapeutic reflexologist with the AHPCSA and have a valid practice number. AHPCSA registration provides me legal status to practice this profession. As a member of The South African Reflexology Society (TSARS) and the American Psychosomatic Society, I also keep abreast of all new developments in the field of reflexology.
Why I chose therapeutic reflexology, is based on various facts:
- I love therapeutic touch and have personally seen the value of it;
- Therapeutic reflexology offers a healthy therapeutic form of touch that is non-invasive;
- I have personally experienced in my own life and have personally seen in patient’s lives the benefit and holistic effect therapeutic reflexology can have on a person’s spiritual, emotional, physical and social wellbeing;
- It fascinates me that by working on a person’s feet, a person may be helped holistically;
- I love doing therapeutic reflexology;
- Many people have told me that I have a gift and that I am very good in doing therapeutic reflexology;
- I wanted to specialise in a statutory recognised healthcare profession;
- I wanted to offer my patients the option to be reimbursed by their medical schemes; and
- I wanted to specialise in a therapeutic profession instead of in a diagnostic profession.
I can therefore say that I’m a therapeutic reflexologist by choice.
- Is it not weird working with people’s feet?
No, not at all. I love working with people’s feet and have seen so many benefits in it. It is always such a privilege and honour when a person entrusts me with his or her feet and stimulating the reflex points on their feet and to see them experience relief and relaxation.
In healthcare professions we work with people’s various dimensions, from the various body parts to emotions and even spirituality. I’m sure you won’t ask a urologist if it is weird working with a male’s private parts or ask a gynaecologist if it is weird working with a female’s private parts? Many work with people’s feet, not only a therapeutic reflexologist; just think about a podiatrist, orthopaedic surgeon, medical doctor, physiotherapist and so forth.
People sometimes feel self-conscious about their feet, but as a therapeutic reflexologist my therapeutic domain is your feet and therefore you can rest assured that you will never be embarrassed or made uncomfortable when visiting a professionally registered therapeutic reflexologist.
- Do you only work with people’s feet?
No, people’s feet are my therapeutic domain so I usually start all therapeutic reflexology sessions by assessing and treating people’s feet, but I am also trained to offer other therapeutic reflexology sub-modalities like hand reflexology, facial reflexology, auricular (ear) reflexology, body reflexology and electronic Vacuflex Concepts reflexology.
- Do you intend to study further in Therapeutic Reflexology?
The 2-year Diploma in Therapeutic Reflexology is the highest qualification available in the world within this field, so there is presently no additional formal training that can be completed in the field of therapeutic reflexology.
However, as a registered therapeutic reflexologist with the AHPCSA, we need to complete a certain number of continuous development programme (CPD) points annually in order to be able to reregister in the following year. I am keeping up to date with the latest research in the field and regularly complete CPD programmes that does not only keep my skills contemporary, but also teaches new skills.
- Any final comments?
I am a therapeutic reflexologist by choice. I studied and practiced various modalities before, but made the decision to focus my attention on therapeutic reflexology and therefore I practice this profession as my modality of speciality.
I would probably continue my love for research into the future in relation with the profession of therapeutic reflexology and the field of complementary healthcare as I believe that this industry has a lot to offer the modern world that is characterised by constant change, stress and turmoil.
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Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 1080000737453
Tel. 072-800 7243