seeking some advice please...

[Alexia]

Hello Everyone,
I'm new to this forum and I'm finding all of the posts really imformative and a great read, so I thought I'd put a post up to request some advice...

I've been self employed as a holistic therapist now for 4yrs. I first set up working as a reflexologist, then after a year once I firmly had reflexology under my belt, I gradually trained up as a reiki master and now since May I've added massage. I was honestly very naive when I started up, but I have learn't so many lessons a long the way!! I'm only 25, so after 3yrs in business working from a rented premises, I moved and rented a room at busy gym, which was lovely to for the company and didn't make me feel so isolated. However I tend to notice the noise a lot, although - thankfully, my clients are usually too relaxed to care - which is great!

Only the slight down-side is that I've been having a few little problems with the person who rents a room beside me. He is a very good physio and has been doing it for a long time. At first we got a long great, I'm a little shy but was always taught to respect my elders, so things where alright at first. We would chat quite openly with eachother, so last yr I told him I was about to begin training in massage (which i has been excited about) he immediatly told me he wasn't happy about that, as he did sports massage. (I can see his point, then again, swedish massage is quite different to sports, and we both know that. This news was new to me, as he only advertised himself as a physio. Since qualifying, he has gone out of his way to be a little rude.

He has gone to my pin board and removed articles on reflexology that he felt were claiming to help specific problems. Which, if he had of read the article gave 3 peoples POV (doc, client and relfexologist) the reflexologist maintaining that we don't claim to heal, cure or diagnose anything. This upset me, as it was a positive article giving people the choice of looking into holistic therapies. But I didn't want to create waves to i took it away. He's come out during his treatments to tell me forcefully to stop banging my door - the room I rent, he rented before me and knows all the doors are fitted wth a spring, so he knew it wasn't on purpose. So I went to maitence and got the spring removed.

All of a sudden he's become really nice to me and wants to take me out to lunch and give me hugs. That same week two of my clients have told me that when they have been in getting physiotherapy, and he's told them he has seem them coming into me for treatment and asked them what exactly they were coming to me for. One comes for Reiki, so he mentioned that he also does reiki but doesn't advertise as he's natuarlly gifted with it and was told not to train. I do know for a fact that there are many gifted healers, but when it's provided as a service in exchange for money, i feel it's only right to have a certificate on the wall to ensure clients.

When the other client told him she comes to me for refexology, he then finished off her treatment by pulling up the blanket and gave her a foot massage. Both these clients came to me and told me to give me a 'heads up'.

I love my job and love helping people, and know for a fact that there are more than enough therapists for all of the clients in the world, but goodness, today I'm feeling pretty angry at his behaviour.

I realise this is a long post, but would anyone have any advice, or have been in this situation before?

With Best Wishes
Biscuits

 

[morrisonchick60]

Hi Biscuits!

First of all, you should feel very proud of yourself!!

He clearly has been watching you and it sounds like you are doing really well with your business and he appears to me to be jealous of this - Hence why he is attempting to 'muscle in' on your type of work.

If you catch him removing anything of yours from the pin board again I would confront him (politely) and ask him not to do it again as he has n oright to remove your items, and if he does it again you will mention it to the gym. (you may want to go and tell the gym instead of speaking to him, as he seems like the sort of person who would then complain about you 'to get in there first')

I would try not to worry about it too much, you clearly have a solid client base if your clients are telling you what he is doing, and it is only making him look bad to them which I am sure will spread by word of mouth.

If he really is starting to be unpleasant and aggressive towards you I would certainly have a quiet word with the gym, so that maybe they can keep an eye on what he is doing, without him being alerted as he may well be seen doing something which will add weight to what you tell them.

Try not to let it get to you would be the best advice I could give, as he clearly is feeling threatened by your professionalism and success!

 

[MarMar]

I agree with Steve.
He obviously feels threatened. Perhaps his business isn't doing too well.
Could you ask the gym if you could both have an allocated part of the noticeboard? Also, mention the strange behaviour to the manager but in a friendly manner. The manager will then start looking out for this behaviour and be more aware of the frission.

Keep doing what you are doing, and keep your distance.

 

[avissa]

Adding on to what has been said by steve and daisy.

This physio sounds like he is acting a bit unprofessionally.

If he is a physio, he is probably a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. Contact them and ask for a copy of their code of conduct. If he is breaking the code, you could mention this to him or the manager or even the CSP.

I hope you resolve this soon.

Best Wishes

Reiki Pixie