Instructors must practice what they preach
Instructors must practice what they preach
Instructors for community outreach classes in complementary therapies must have experience as well as knowledge, says Bruce Doolin, LMT, CPFT, owner of Wellness Works Holistic Health Center in Columbus, OH. To select instructors for his business, Doolin and his partner network with practitioners in the field. They sit in on practitioners’ classes and interview them as well as their clients. Doolin and his partner also review practitioners’ credentials.
Doolin advises patient education managers unfamiliar with complementary therapies to contact the appropriate association. Those practitioners who are legitimate will most likely be a member, he says. Reputable schools also are good sources for instructors.
When making a decision on whether or not to use a practitioner as an instructor, look at where the practitioner received his or her training and how many hours the practitioner has completed in the field as well as the number of years he or she has been practicing. Also, ask for references. "If you are going to have someone teach your group, you will want them to have done the work before so you can call their references," he explains.
While experience is important, hiring instructors who practice what they preach is equally important, says Sonia Strevy, BSN, MS, coordinator of the Optimal Health Center at Marion (IN) General Hospital. "You want someone who makes a good role model and uses a variety of techniques themselves — someone that eats healthy, has some sort of exercise and movement program, and practices some relaxation techniques — because if they can’t talk the talk and walk the walk, they lose credibility," she says.
A combination of formal and informal training works well. A good instructor might be a nurse or other professional who is not only trained in holistic health but has an interest in the whole-person perspective as well, says Strevy. "Instructors not only need to know their topic, but practice their topic. For this kind of education, they really need to practice it," emphasizes Strevy.
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