Do therapeutic reflexologists compete with each other? No, as professional therapists registered and regulated by the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) they are not supposed to, but let me put it in another way; I do not compete with other therapeutic reflexologists.
Put in another way, does your medical doctor compete with other medical doctors? The answer is obvious; no, they do not compete with each other, but work alongside each other as colleagues even when they function within different settings or practices. Well, the same is true for therapeutic reflexologists who are pretty much regulated just as strictly as medical doctors. You may not be aware of this, but therapeutic reflexologists that are fully trained and registered may also apply for a practice number and they obtain practice numbers from the very same organisation where your medical doctor obtains a practice number. A practice number is not only crucial if you want to be reimbursed by medical schemes, but it also provides credibility to the practitioner or therapist and you are ensured that you are visiting a properly registered and regulated healthcare professional.
Canvassing or Touting
Therapeutic reflexologists are regulated by the AHPCSA who makes it very clear that no form of canvassing or touting is allowed. The reason for this is that as a professional in the healthcare industry, it is seen as unprofessional conduct for a practitioner or therapist to canvas or tout or even to advertise any form of specials and discounts. You do not see your medical doctor do so, so if you ever see somebody calling themselves a reflexologist do so, then you should see red lights and hear alarm bells going off leading to the question why that person is doing so. Canvassing and touting is usually a clear indication that the person offering so-called reflexology is not properly registered and registered with the AHPCSA, which means they are not offering therapeutic reflexology or if they claim to do so, that means that they are actually doing so illegally and may be prosecuted.
Therapeutic reflexologists are allowed to make their services known, but they are not as per AHPCSA regulations allowed to advertise, canvas or tout. This means that as healthcare professionals they are all able to practice within a professional practice setting, but they are legally not allowed to compete with each other.
Different Services
Hearing this, you may wonder if therapeutic reflexologists thus offer the very same services? The answer to this question is yes and no. Yes, in order for a therapeutic reflexologist to be registered and regulated by the AHPCSA, they all have to undergo a two-year diploma qualification which includes theory on reflexology, therapeutic reflexology, anatomy and physiology, pathology and pathophysiology with some additional subjects. The qualification also includes 200 hours of community service practical treatment. You are thus ensured of the quality of the therapeutic reflexologist, because this is a requirement before they are allowed to register with the AHPCSA; the statutory body regulating the profession. Without registration with the AHPCSA, it is illegal to practice therapeutic reflexology. There is no other statutory council that can give a therapeutic reflexologist permission to practice the profession of therapeutic reflexology in South Africa.
Only once a therapeutic reflexologist is registered with the AHPCSA are they allowed to apply for a practice number. As mentioned, the practice number is issued by the very same organisation that issue practice numbers to your medical doctor and therefore you should not be fooled by certain organisations calling their so-called registration numbers, practice numbers, because it is not. A practice number is issued by a medical organisation that gives the therapeutic reflexologist the opportunity to be reimbursed by medical schemes.
With this in mind, you can rest assured that every therapeutic reflexologist practicing in South Africa has a basic qualification to ensure quality therapy, but there are still differences.
Therapeutic Reflexology is a Science and an Art
Even though therapeutic reflexologists all hold a two-year qualification, there are still differences between them, but this is based more on their personalities and how they apply their skills.
It is said that therapeutic reflexology is a science, because it is based on scientific principles and taught to therapists within a two-year professional diploma qualification. I have obtained this basic training from the prestigious International Academy of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy (IARAMT) that solely focuses on therapeutic reflexology training. The training was of extremely high quality and combines training in Western Scientific Principles with the Eastern Philosophical Information in order for the trained therapeutic reflexologist to be fully aware of information floating around on the internet that makes many wonder what reflexology really is. The training is of extremely high quality and also includes the 200 hours of practical treatments leaving the trained therapeutic reflexologists fully capable of delivering therapeutic reflexology confidently and competently.
However, therapeutic reflexology is said to be more than merely a science and it is seen as an art as well. Being an art, therapeutic reflexology treatments are very dependent on the individual therapeutic reflexologists’ application of all the theory and treatment. This causes therapeutic reflexologists to offer treatments based on individual personalities and how each therapist is able to apply theory and practice. Medical doctors are similar, they are all trained with a M.B.Ch.B.-degree, but how they apply all their knowledge is very dependent on each medical doctor’s unique approach.
So, therapeutic reflexology is a science which is transferred via the basic training, but it is also an art which is applied by each individual therapist’s unique application of the theory in practice.
Further Training
Medical doctors often receive further training and your General Practitioner (GP) may offer additional services based on a postgraduate diploma they completed. Some GP’s study further and complete master’s degree in medicine to become medical specialists in order to specialise in areas like dermatology, gynaecology and obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine and so forth.
Therapeutic reflexologists do not have that opportunity at present, since there are no specialist training available in South Africa; the only formal qualification available (which is also presently seen as the highest possible qualification for therapeutic reflexologists globally) is the two-year diploma in therapeutic reflexology that is only offered by three training academies in South Africa at the moment (accepted for registration by the AHPCSA).
This being said, it should be noted that therapeutic reflexologists do keep their skills current and even upgrade their skills by attending certain continuous professional development (CPD) training and then they are allowed to offer additional services that all therapeutic reflexologists do not necessarily offer. All CPD courses presented is approved by the AHPCSA before it is being offered to ensure quality of training and for the therapeutic reflexologists to stay within their scope of practice.
I have attended a few such training courses this year which gives me the opportunity to offer therapeutic reflexology manual lymph drainage, auricular (ear) reflexology and Vacuflex reflexology. Vacuflex reflexology is modern reflexology done by an electronic device called the Vacuflex Concepts apparatus which is a medically approved device. The Vacuflex Concepts is imported from Denmark and quite expensive so all therapeutic reflexologists do not use it. I am privileged to own the latest model of the Vacuflex Concepts and am able to offer modern electronic therapeutic reflexology in combination of manual therapeutic reflexology.
Speciality
It is presently not possible for therapeutic reflexologist to specialise in the same way as medical doctors do as there are not postgraduate training courses available, but therapeutic reflexologists usually “specialise” by focusing on their fields of interest within general therapeutic reflexology. Some therapeutic reflexologists would focus on cancer patients while others focus on diabetic patients and others focus on hypertension patients and so forth. It does not mean that the therapeutic reflexologist is specialising, but they focus more of their attention on specific groups of patients. Most therapeutic reflexologists work in general with all types of patients, but some just add to that by focusing more attention on certain groups of patients.
In my practice I offer therapeutic reflexology in general to anyone with any condition, but I do have a special interest in trauma and psychosomatic conditions and have been involved in working with such patients since 2003. I used to have a private practice in Port Elizabeth and since 2005 have been working with trauma patients and psychosomatic conditions in a Netcare Hospital as well. As you can see, even though I am a therapeutic reflexologist offering therapeutic reflexology to any person, I do have more experience and knowledge especially on trauma and psychosomatic conditions and how to deal with it by means of reflexology within my scope of practice.
Referral
As a therapeutic reflexologist, I work within a specific scope of practice as provided by the AHPCSA and when it becomes apparent that a patient may need a service that falls outside my scope of practice, I do professionally refer to other healthcare professionals like medical doctors, homeopaths, chiropractors, registered counsellors, podiatrists, physiotherapist, therapeutic massage therapist and so forth. As per AHPCSA, the therapeutic reflexologist may refer, but only to properly registered and formally regulated healthcare professionals, meaning the patient’s interest is always kept at the forefront of any referral. This is the privilege of working as a healthcare professional within a multidisciplinary team.
The patient’s interest is always kept in mind and therapeutic reflexology will not be continued if it is not beneficial to the health and wellness of the patient, but a referral will be made to ensure the patient gets the best healthcare service for his or her unique circumstances or condition.
Referral to other Therapeutic Reflexologists
Do you ever refer to other therapeutic reflexologists?
The answer to this question is very forthcoming: Yes, if it is in the best interest of the patient. Sometimes it is not in the best interest for a specific patient for me to work with them and then I would gladly refer such patient to another therapeutic reflexologist.
I do realise that all patients may not feel comfortable with me and it is quite important for every patient to feel fully comfortable and at ease with the therapist and in such instances, the matter will be discussed and once understanding what the problem is, then a referral will be made to another therapeutic reflexologist to ensure the patient gets the optimal benefit from the therapeutic sessions without feeling uncomfortable with the specific therapist.
Patients do not have to worry that the therapeutic reflexologist will feel hurt in such an instance, it is not about the therapist, but about the maximum benefit to you as the patient.
Feeling Threatened
Therapeutic reflexologists should not feel threatened with other therapeutic reflexologists, since we are not out to steal each other’s patients. It is all a matter of what is in the best interest of the patient. If a patient has been receiving many therapeutic reflexology sessions from a therapeutic reflexologist and does not see any improvement or progress being made, that patient has the right to speak to it with the therapeutic reflexologist and to even request a referral to another therapeutic reflexologist.
Therapeutic reflexologists value honesty and openness so will not feel threatened if a patient is not fully comfortable and happy with a specific therapist; or at least, I do not feel threatened in such an instance and do understand that life circumstances and patient preferences change.
I have a motto in life that if a patient is supposed to come to me for treatment, then he or she will come to me as it is meant to be.
Conclusion
Therapeutic reflexologists are healthcare professionals working in a multidisciplinary team, even though they work in different practices. After reading this post, you should not wonder if therapeutic reflexologists compete with each other, because as professional they are not supposed to.
What you should rather focus on, is that therapeutic reflexology as a modality is very beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing and if you have not had the opportunity to benefit from this profession, you should consider making an appointment. When you make the appointment, rest assured that the therapeutic reflexologist is a healthcare professional and will not offer you any treatment if you are not fully comfortable and at ease with the therapy and the therapist.
—
Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 1080000737453
Tel. 072-800 7243
info@christoscheepers.co.za