Jack of all trades and a master of none ?

[Pompal 09.]

Hi all,

When I was first starting out in Complementary therapiesand thinking about all the therapies I'd like to learn,a Reiki Master I knew told me to be careful and make sure I didn't become a "Jack of all trades and a master of none".

I was wondering what you all thought about this ??? Sometimes I come across other therapists listings and websites and their list of therapies goes on and on.Do you thinkit possible to completely master 10 or 12 therapies all at once?

I practice Reflexology, Auricular Acupuncture and Reiki ~ and tend to treat my clients usinga combinationof each ~ I'm hoping to do a course in Tibetan acupressure head massage in June and then really feel that will be enough for me !! Even though i'm qualified I still feel I have much to learn in each field and want to concentrate on becoming really good and effective.

Is it just that because of CPD that therapists have this never ending list?
Love to hear your views!!

Meridianmoon x

www.meridiantherapies.co.uk

 

[jayant]

I started studying herbalism at about age 14, which got me interested in other alternative therapies, I then went on to study aromatherapy, massage, shiatsu, acupressure and nutrition over a number of years, 'mind therapies', studying counselling, and then Psychology with the OU, and then changed track and went into physiotherapy and sports therapy.

Plus I have studied just about every type of massage there is, and manipulative therapies, but all this has been over a period of more than 20 years.

My treatments are adaptations of everything I have learnt, and is individual to each personI treat.

One thing that annoys me, is when therapists claim that theres is the only way. Having studied for all these, I still see patients, who's problems I cannot resolve, so I refer them. I feel that a lot of therapists have the same weakness, and that is fear of having to refer, and believe me the ability to know when to refer, and be able to is an excellent quality in a therapist.

Anyway, back to the original posting, I think a lot of therapists like to branch out, because, if you stick with one therapy, then you are chasing patients/clients who either enjoy or respond to that particular treatment, whereas if you have different therapies under your belt, you can target a greater range of people.

 

[beautifultoes]

I only have a qualification in Reflexology. I would like to learn new therapies one day, but for now i want to be the best i can be in my chosen career (Reflexology) so i plan to practice for a good few years and develop myself within this field with CDP.

Don't really fancy being a 'jack of all trades', i think i would feel a bit lost (don't ask me why)

Kate

 

[Maggie Monette]

Hi, Like sports therapy I have always studied, from school I went straight to continue study in the armed forces, where I trained as a chef, studied nutrition and morerecently sports nutrition, I had a 12year career in catering and lost my motivation having completed my final city and guilds, adv diplomas etc, so went on to teach at catering school. After getting married I then changed careers completely and went to college to study construction related subjects,( I know i'm going off thread, but read on) after 10 years in that trade I had an accident and another forced career change, i have over the past 5 years studied personal training, sports physcology, sports therapy( current employment), massage both sports and remedial, I was recently due to attend an exercise therapy course for rehabilitive purposes but was prevented doing so by illness, also preventing a shoulder replacement operation.
I have 2 further courses booked for this year, start a sports development degree in sept at uni, run a fitness consultancy with my wife, we have five kids all of whom keep us busy with sports teams, dance, ballet etc
My point is that some people are motivated by study, I will constantly learn from others and enjoy doing so, whatever study you embark on you will learn from everyone you meet, so follow your dreams, learn what you can and irrespective of you study directiion you will become a better therapist and person, you will also be quite handy to have in a quiz team.

I dont agree very much with the "jack of all trades, master of none" the broader experience you have the broader you areas of expertise,. do always remember your limitations and if in doubt........... refer, refer,refer

best of regards
gaz

 

[mias_mummy]

I suppose I am a jack of some trades, but its intentional. I love learning about the therapies so I continue to study and have done for years. My special interest is ADD/ADHD and the autistic spectrum, and its useful to have a broad range of experience. I use nutrition, colour therapy (mainlyfor advising on tranquil living areas and bedrooms) and stress managementmainly, but there are several others I can choose from. I know my limitations, and I network with 2 other therapists with different skills.Iwill refer to them, and they refer people to me. We also run joint workshops for parents and carers. I am interested in providing something that would have helped me when I was going through some of the problems with my own children. Being a Mum who has gone throughit has been an important part of my training!

I don't consider myself an expert on any therapy, but what I have is a toolkit that I can pick and choose from. For what I do sometimes thats a better option, for example if a child is food phobic, then nutrition wouldn't be the first thing to try, but it can come in later. IfI only offered nutrition, then yesI might be more of an expert in nutritionbut I might be less helpful to a particular family. I think of it as being a bit like peeling off layers of an onion.I try topeel a few layers back, and then if it needs someone more specialised than me to carry on, then Irefer. So I think that both ways of working are right, it just depends on the circumstances.

 

[mintie_boy]

I wholly agree with Rustic, but dont sell yourself short, you have a certain degree of expertise or you would not be passing on your skills by helping others and that is how I view my service, I am able to assist people in a variety of ways.
My sports therapy career evolved from needing a better understanding of my own disability, cvombined with a general apathy from the medical establishments where I received treatment. I can now use my experience as a patient to better understand how to treat others.
best regards
Gaz

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi everyone, just wanted to point out that although we all would probably aspire to being masters of our trade, that perhaps a jack of all trades could in fact be a more HOLISTIC practicitioner. Afterall, isn't that the whole reason why we got into complementary therapies in the first place, because of the belief that the treatment of illness is not just about using a magic bullet to deal with the symptoms. But that we look at the problem from a holistic perspective, focusing on the body, mind and spirit. this can't be achieved by mastering one therapy alone, as different clients need different approaches. And it would appear that the jack would be better equipped to deal with the situation. Being able to combine massage,plant medicine, nutrition, exercise, meditation, relaxation, chakra work, counselling etc as a wholistic treatment packageis in my opinion a skill worth having. As you've probably guessed I am a bit of a jack of all trades but hey thats the way i like it.

 

[gamesvuwyshs]

agree totally

 

[Ha.r.Monica]

Ask someone not involved in the industry - that's your best bet. Last time I asked, they said that it looked like the title of this thread...

 

[hrpyano]

well none of my clients/patients have ever complained, and for the best part of my career I have never advertised, and only got clients through word of mouth, and have, for the best part of 15 years been extremely successful. I believe that has been due to my being able to offer a completely holistic service.

As I said previously, and we have seen it on these threads many times, there are a lot of therapists that train in one therapy, and then attempt to treat ailments, for which they havent been trained, feeling that if they dont attempt, they will get a bad reputation. However the bad reputation comes, when, after spending lots of money with the therapist, the client realises that they were never going to fix them in the first place, and go elsewhere. I am in the very fortunate position, of having to very rarely refer.

I like Biggaz, have a thirst for knowledge and learning, but also a thirst for helping others to the best of my ability, and if this means that I have to learn more skills, then so be it.

 

[Each_Ego]

ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH SPORTSTHERAPY

NOT SURE THE POINT DARRENFOLLOWSTHEPATH WAS TRYING TO MAKE![&:]

 

[Techwing]

Totally agree with you about the jack of all trades master of none. I don't think anybody can master all those therapies no matter how intelligent or capable they are. I can understand doing a small selection of therapies that complement each other, that way you can offer your clients more and also attract a wider range of clients.

Donna.xx.

 

[Adriene]

Yes I agree, there is no one therapy that has got all of the answers otherwist there would only be one.[/align][/align]If we cannot sort something within our own field then we have to either pass them on to someone else or take onboard new ways of workingor adding new tools to our tool box as I tend to perceive it [/align]

 

[lutherRuisy]

you can master anything you want if you have an open mind, dedication and belief......too many 'therapists' with closed minds in my opinion

 

[santi]

Oh I so agree with you! it makes me cringe when I read neverending lists of therapies after people's names. It makes me think:

1) None of them can be that great as if they were then you wouldn't *need* them all (I practice Homeopathy and HypnoBirthing and in my opinion I don't need anything else - I can cover every eventuality that walks through my door - unless it's someone just looking for a feel good massage actually).

2) That each of the therapies can't be very indepth to study if you have time to train and master 12 different ones.

The lack of passion and dedication to one or two different therapies always make me avoid these sorts of therapists and seek out another who offers the same therapy alone or perhaps with another one or two others max.

Sarahx

 

[ComStar Computers]

speaking as a Jack-of-all trades and master of SOME!!!

I have a few therapies to my name and will keeping adding to them, it is my personal choice and journey of learning.

I don't necessarily use all of the therapies that I have trained in for a few reasons, either no interest from the public so forget my training, not feasible to do (too expensive, not got the right equipment/space to do the treatment justice), the training wasn't up to my standard, or just not ready for it, but may go back to it when I feel ready.

Someinsurance companies now ask for CPD training, so you are being encouraged to continue your training.

I enjoy courses, I love learning new things, I love the whole aspect of meeting new people and learning new things.

I also made a conscious effort to train in many disciplines because I had read an article stating that a massage therapists work lifespan was up to 7 years due to strain on joints, bones, body and emotions. I then decided that I wanted to be working in this 'trade' for longer than 7 years so seeked out therapies that gave my joints, etc a rest, eg reiki, hopi ear, hot stone, crystals.

Changing tacks:

I originally trained as a chef, did 4 years training straight out of school to become a chef and baker. In our training we were taught all aspects of cooking but were encouraged to specialise in one aspect, eg pastry chef. That is feasible if your working in a cordon bleu restaurant but if your working in a pub or old peoples home, etc, you can't just cook pastry, you need to access all of your skills.

A beauty therapist needs to be able to offer not just facials but an array of treatments.

Some therapists want to be able to offer an array of therapies, but some people want to specialise in just one or two.

So, I stand here (well not literally as I'm in the library and may get funny looks)and say my name is daisychain and I am a Jack of all trades and master of some.

 

[tuan]

I wouldnt call individual therapists, butI have had both homeopathy (from someone who studied it for 3 years) and reiki, and I have to say that neither worked for me and my problems. In my case I found the two therapists to be unhelpful for my problems and wouldnt recommend either therapy to friends. I did try other therapies and found them to work and would recommend these therapies.

If they had other therapies under their belts maybe they would have been able to help me.

I have seen therapists trained in many different therapies and they have used their varied skills and knowledge to help me.

I have done various jobs before i trained as a therapist, gained a degree and lots of other 'professional' qualifications, which means that I could, if i wanted, work ina few specialised and high paid jobs. These jobs are quite varied and just because I have different 'trades' under my belt, it doesnt mean that it has lessened my skills.

I agree with Staranise, in that I aspire to be a truly 'holistic' therapist. It saddens me to see that some people in the 'health and healing' industry can be quite arrogant as to suggest that 'theirs is the best therapy and only one that people need'.