New Year’s Day has come and gone and we are almost midway through January 2019 already; this post will discuss the year ahead of you with Christo Scheepers Therapeutic Reflexologist.
I hope everyone had a great festive season and had the privilege of taking some time off. I was blessed to take a few days off and to enjoy it in the beautiful Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape. The one day my wife and I went on a rubber duck boat ride in the ocean, about 4 kilometres down the coastline (always a great experience with the choppy Tsitsikamma ocean waves) and when back at the Storms river mouth, I had a swim and as I was standing in the sun getting dry, somebody called out: “Christo, is that you?” I looked a bit out of focus as this is not the place to expect the person, but it was one of my MBA-degree students from Cape Town whose research I supervise that also happened to be there for vacation; it just showed me that you cannot escape who you are, you can be observed by familiar faces anywhere you are. Taking that a step further places a huge responsibility on each of us; with social media being the “know-everything-about-everyone’s-life-platform” many people may be observing you without you even realising it. Is that an exciting or fearful thought for you? Think about it, your decisions and behaviour may be witnessed by people you are not even aware of, but may also set the scene for your 2019-story; how will you be writing your life’s story in 2019?
That is a good question for you to think about and a bit of Narrative Therapy; a technique I learned years ago during my counselling studies. You are able to write and rewrite your life’s story, it is literally in your hands.
After the Tsitsikamma time and visiting my parents in the Alexandria/Port Alfred/Port Elizabeth area, the new year started with getting the children ready for school; my youngest daughter is in grade 5 this year and my eldest went to high school and entered grade 8. Time is passing so quickly; it felt like just the other day that these two girls were born. This is exactly the reason why we have to grab every opportunity and make the most of 2019 that is ahead of us.
This year may offer some challenges in many environments, whether the political arena or the educational system or the healthcare domain or your job or your business, but that is not all this year will hold for us. 2019 will offer some valuable opportunities, but whether it will change your life for the better or not, is fully in your hands. It rests in your decisions of making the most of the opportunities being presented to you or ignoring the opportunities and deciding not to change your status quo. It is really in your hands, but do not let fear withhold you from grabbing exciting opportunities; on the other hand, do not make foolish decisions and grab the wrong opportunities. Be wise in your decisions and make sure you choose the right opportunities and stay away from the wrong ones.
There are usually some changes in the new year and it is definitely the case at the private practice of Christo Scheepers Therapeutic Reflexologist as well. This year began with a slight increase in medical aid rates and therefore prices for therapeutic reflexology services increased slightly, but that also made us relook what we offer to make more options available to more people, especially since this practice charges medical aid rates. Overall, very exciting changes for the new year. We also had to revisit operating hours to make it more convenient for patients and clients, but also to ensure I am able to complete my PhD-thesis this year; some exciting research in the field of complementary medicine with a special focus on therapeutic reflexology that needs to be written and completed. The data collection was completed in 2018 and the data analysis is almost complete leaving the writing of the thesis and the changes that always follow after the promoter and university reviews the various chapters and completed thesis.
My vision is to help people and I do so in various ways; therapeutic reflexology is one way, but I also supervise postgraduate research students, lecture at business schools, write curriculum study guides and have a family. Luckily time management is one of my strengths and it is always exciting in the beginning of a new year to see how to be optimally productive during the year while taking my own health and lifestyle into consideration.
Thank you to all the patients that supported this practice last year; I am humbled at how many people entrusted their feet to me and even more blessed when looking at all the good results that followed the sessions. What a privilege to be a Therapeutic Reflexologist and part of the South African Complementary Healthcare Industry.
Many say that “a change is as good as a holiday”, but in the business world we know that change is usually accompanied by resistance, so this year try not to resist change (or by implication, if a change is as good as a holiday and you resist change, you are actually resisting a holiday). Change is good if it is there for your benefit and the changes made at Christo Scheepers Therapeutic Reflexologist’s private practice for the new year, will only benefit you. More therapeutic options, more flexible operating hours and more experience as I grow.
Ever since doing my very first reflexology treatment in 2003, I have always been humbled by the fact that patients trust me with their feet and their bodies; offering the best possible therapy customised for each patient and client has always been my aspiration.
I do distinguish between patients and clients in my practice; I see patients as people coming for therapeutic reflexology with the specific purpose to have a condition treated or health maintained while I see clients as people coming to me for therapeutic reflexology with the purpose to relax and keep stress levels under control. I have been trained in reflexology (as the beauty industry offers) through Aesthetic-Cosmetic by a German reflexologist named Hans Gerspacher when graduating with a Diploma as Reflexologist (Cum Laude) in 2003 and also in Therapeutic Reflexology (as part of the South African healthcare industry) through the prestigious International Academy of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy (IARAMT) by Inge Dougans, founder of reflexology in South Africa, when graduating with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Accredited Diploma in Therapeutic Reflexology (Cum Laude) in April 2018. The latter lead to formal registration with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) and obtaining a professional practice number, making medical aid reimbursements possible.
I am looking forward to see previous clients and patients again this year and to welcome new patients and clients into this practice in the coming year.
See you all soon.
Reflexology Greetings
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Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 1080000737453
Tel. 072-800 7243