Third of way through course and having second thoughts

[qpfnowsp]

Third of way through my massage course and am starting to have second thoughts. I am doing OK with the theory and getting there with the practical.

It has cost me around £400+ to do the course (VTCT) at college and means a lot of travelling too. I have also bought the textbooks, uniform, shoes etc and am really giving it 100%.

I saw a course (weekend) advertised in Indian Head Massage and thought this would be good to do alongside my main course when I have completed this. Our college doesn't offer IHM, so I'd have to go elsewhere anyway. I checked with the tutor who said she wouldn't recommend it as I would not be able to charge for it and if I did IHM on anybody I would not be legally covered.

Prior to this we'd also been told a huge list of ailments/illnesses which people might have and which we would not be able to work on - things like high blood pressure etc. So I'm thinking if I can't do any of these (without a Drs permission) and now I can't use IHM, who the heck can I work on?
Any advice welcome. Thanks.

 

[Melissa27Uk]

My reflexology training was intense. We had to do A & P and had to do 175 conditions and diseases and treatments for those conditions and diseases as part of the year long course. We had to do 200 case studies also. The A & P was the hardest part for me. It cost me a nearly a grand. There was a list of contraindications as long as your arm. But it's part and parcel of any holistic therapy that works alongside the medical profession.

 

[abcdefg]

I would look in to the IHM course further to check whether you will be covered legally to offer to clients. Perhaps ring up the FHT and tell them who is running the course etc. and they should be able to tell you whether you would be covered or not.

Treat within your comfort zone while still taking in to account what you have been taught - From my point of view, if they have high blood pressure and are on meds then their blood pressure is controlled and massage would help to lower it expecially if it's related to stress. I'd get them to mention to their doctor next time they go that they are having massage but I would be happy to treat someone with this condition - same goes for many other conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, pregnancy, etc. If you don't feel confident about treating someone or don't understand an ailment in detail then ask them to speak to their doctor first before treating them. It is pretty unlikely that you'd get a doctor to give written consent for you to do a treatment but verbal consent is fine but get them to sign a disclaimer.

Don't let the contra-indications put you off doing massage - it's a wonderful gift to have and it can help so many people.

I think there have been posts on here about contraindications and GP referrals before so it might be worth doing a search.

 

[Pompal 09.]

It's important to realise that you're just at the beginning and won't actually be fully qualified even if you do Level 3 courses - there are degrees in aromatherapy and sports massage! So the long list of contraindications may be a pain, but you need to know what they are. Doctors tend not to give permission unless they have referred their patients to you, in which case their permission is implied, but you still have to do the letters and stuff - at least so you can fulfil the syllabus and pass the course!

Also, after you've completed your course, you will need to get insurance and the question is whether the insurers will recognise the IHM course. If you already have insurance, ask your insurers. I think this is what the "legally covered" means. As holistic therapies are not legally regulated at present, the whole idea of being "legally covered" is a bit of a red herring.

It's quite common for students to get misgivings about the course. This phase starts after about six weeks and usually last about another six weeks. (I've been a FE/HE teacher for 20 years!) If you can persuade yourself to wait, the feeling will pass.

 

[CloudTheMan]

That's interesting to hear Chris - I know when I've studied in the past and had second thoughts about the course it has been around that time frame. It's the persuading yourself to wait to see how things go that is often the difficult part.

 

[Darksoul]

Hello Two Hoots,

mmmm...I'm going to throw in an alternative view point here.

About 4 years or so ago, I trained in various holistic including Aromatherapy advanced diploma level. Paid all my fees. The second year of the course I actually gave up part way through as I decided it wasnt really what I wanted. However I was persuaded to return after having only missed a couple of weeks to finish the course. I dragged myself through it. I was working full time in a regular day job.

TBH, I never did anything with any of it when I finished and just wished I hadn't wasted my time, energy and money in the first place, and when I made my decision to pack it all in, wish I'd stuck to my decision instead of listening to others,

So, perhaps you can look at your reasons for choosing to do them in the first place, and are those reasons still valid or not?

and do I ever regret not using all those qualifications and having my own busines.....nah.....not one bit

 

[Mommy to my Kailyn]

Hi Twohoots
you never know whats around the corner in this life, so I say dig in and stick it out, you are more likely to be rewarded for your efforts than to have regrets like the post above.

Regards steve

 

[? Juicy Heiress ?]

Quote from ChrisRams "there are degrees in aromatherapy and sports massage!"

A degree in Sports Massage...................I think not!
regards
BGFL

 

[akaMaryn]

http://www.uwic.ac.uk/courses/sport/sporttherapy.asp
http://www.gre.ac.uk/fd/subjects/spo/ssst

I think so!

 

[rotatrelo]

Sorry for straying off topic, but Chris, they are Sports Therapy degrees, not sports massage.

 

[Adri]

;-)

bgfl

 

[miranda li]

Hi there, thats incorrect, the minimum level for practitioners in the UK is Level 3, not degree, the only difference is, if you want to work in elite sport, the minimum requirement for sports massage is level 4. If you have level 3 in aromatherapy or sports massage, you will be fully qualified.

 

[Kerry Moriarty]

Go with your own instinct, if you are enjoying it carry on!

 

[yARiitZa.<3]

Wow - thanks very much for all your advice everyone.

Can someone tell me then what IS a good qualification to get in IHM so that I can use it alongside my VTCT Swedish Massage when I do qualify. As I said, my college doesn't run such a course. Sorry to sound so dim about all this but I genuinely don't get it. Also I don't want to go and pay to go on some course which is not recognised by anybody.

Note the positive "when" in the last para.

 

[ERR0R]

Anbody got any thoughts on the Indian Head Massage qualification please?

 

[B K]

VTCT is the best qualification ...I have attached their weblink below..

Good luck

www.vtct.org.uk