Case Studies

Professional

A Graduate’s Story

“I was already in a well-paid profession when I chose homeopathy to help the eczema of my son. I became fascinated by the subject, by its abilities and by its philosophy. I watched my homeopath and sensed her job was rewarding, something I realised my job had lost. I decided to study to be a homeopath although I was still in a dither about changing careers.

Being a professional turned out to be an asset and a challenge. But heh, isn’t that the case for everyone who starts out. I found I had many skills already, but in other places I had to unlearn stuff and that was often challenging.

I continued to work and study, oh and have another baby, until I was given an opportunity to decide on my future career. I was offered voluntary redundancy and at this point I decided I would leave the safety of my 19 year old career and commit myself to a new one.

I’m now graduated and in practice, my sons are hurtling through their own education, and I have a career that is rewarding and where I can call the shots on how I spend my time. It has turned out to a lifestyle choice as well as a career choice. And no, no regrets.”

FAQs

Can I continue to study whilst in my current job?
Yes if it gives you the time available to study. You should read the section on requirements which explains the attendance and hours of personal study. Some of our students commit to homeopathy during the course and leave their career. Others stay in their career until they are qualified and then start to build up their practice. At some point they either go part-time in their previous career or feel ready to leave it. This decision might be based on income, or some other lifestyle issue.

Is the course of a professionally recognised standard?
Yes. The course is recognised by the Society of Homeopaths as meeting their educational and clinical standards. On graduating from SHC, your qualification will be recognised by them and allowing you to use RSHom after your name, full membership of the Society of Homeopaths and recognition by the emerging single national register (CORH).

Is working full-time ever an issue?
Any other commitment will be an issue at some point, it all depends on how you manage it. With people in full-time work, the major factor will be if you work weekends. You will need to attend a minimum of 8 weekends of college teaching a year. We have students who are on rotas and who manage to plan well ahead with their bosses, other students do swaps with colleagues, and some choose to use their annual leave.

During the four years you will need to attend clinics and often these are weekday. It is possible to find weekend clinics but if will narrow your options.

Working full-time and studying is a commitment. Some things have to be sacrificed along the way to attaining your goal. Throughout the course we teach professional development and part of this is self-care. Your studentship is an opportunity to practise these skills before entering practice. You will also have a personal tutor to talk things through with.

It is possible, why don’t you come and visit us and we can introduce you to some of our current students who are doing it.

Carer

A Graduate’s Story

“I was already a full-time parent when I started my studies. Being at home gave me  the opportunity to study homeopathy and give the sort of care I wanted to give to my children. It turned out to be a juggling act.

There were times when I had to separate my two roles; writing an essay with Teletubbies on just didn’t work. At other times I could merge them; supervising them in the paddling pool whilst reading my books. I found I had to have some structure and would write myself a schedule for each week that I would tackle as time became available. I would also schedule in assignment time when the children spent time with my partner or their grand-parents.

Despite the schedule I had to have contingency plans. Chicken-pox twice (of course they did it one after the other and not at the same time!), stopped my study in its tracks for a while. Sometimes I had to defer work and as long as I kept my tutor informed this was never a problem. When I could, I would get ahead in my study so that when the crisis struck I was ok.

Watching children really allows you to see elements of homeopathy philosophy come alive. I felt lucky to have this practical experience.

Once I graduated and was able to practice, I decided to do so on a small scale until the children are older. Homeopathy will always be there for me, as they and I grow.”

FAQs

Can I fit my study around my caring responsibilities?
Yes if it gives you the time available to study. You should read the section on requirements which explains the attendance and hours of personal study. Often it allows you more flexibility than paid employment, but do be ready for the ebbs and flows it brings.

What if I can’t get to a college weekend because of my caring responsibilities, for example, my child is sick?
Firstly do what you can to give yourself backup cover, although we know that this is not always possible. All students find they have to miss some weekends due to various commitments. When this happens we ask that their group supports them and collects lecture notes and handouts. As long as you attend a minimum of 8 weekends in an academic year you will be ok.

What if I fall behind in my studies?
We have a formal process for requesting extensions for assignments etc, but really this is all about managing the situation well. Keep in touch with your tutor and negotiate any deadlines or support you need. There is a possibility of being passed at the end of each year dependent on certain outstanding work being completed over the summer. If necessary, this is an option.

It is possible, why don’t you come and visit us and we can introduce you to some of our current students who are doing it

Life Experience

A Graduate’s Story

“My family had already flown the nest when I considered studying homeopathy. What I knew about its philosophy seemed to fit with my own – my life experience had taught me that you need to consider the whole, not just the parts. I felt ready to give something back to life and becoming a homeopath seemed to fit that and my own needs.

I was very hesitant about the learning and the assignments. Whilst I had some qualifications, somewhat dated now, I was worried whether I could do it again. It seemed so long since I’d written something resembling an essay. Fortunately I had a deep love of books so the reading was a joy. What I found was that the course built up your skills, like bricks on bricks, developing my skills and my knowledge in an almost imperceptible way. I will never forget

my sense of achievement when I received an A grade for an assignment.

Yet I never shone at assignments as it wasn’t my forte. My strength was my understanding of people, my cognitive skills and my inner sense of ease. I found my life experience had given me so many tangible and intangible skills that suited my desire to be a homeopath.

I am in practice now, quietly serving my patients, never to be a driving force within the profession. That’s how I would want it.”

FAQs

How do I get back into study?
A step at a time! We send all successful applicants a pre-course study pack which allows you an opportunity to work with similar material to that which you will meet on the course.You may also like to study one of the many excellent books on returning to study, for example, the Open University produce an excellent guide. We offer a full backup support to ‘returners’, as it is our belief and experience that often a confidence booster is all that is needed – we all need! one.

I was never any good at writing essays. Will this be a problem?
Not if you are open-minded and ready to develop. We will support you in all your written work. There are some essays to do, but many assignments use other formats. Our course is structured so that you develop from expressing you understanding, to critically evaluating information in your final year.

What if I can’t keep up?
You’ll be surprised by how many students do. Please remember that academic skills are only part of the training. Whilst you might find some elements challenging and more time-consuming, you will find that your life experience will help in other areas and you can complete these quicker. If you do choose to go at a slower pace, the course is structured so that you can complete the academic part of the course separately to the clinical education part. This would allow you to complete the training over 5 years instead of 4 years.

It is possible, why don’t you come and visit us and we can introduce you to some of our current students who are doing it

Patient

A Graduate’s Story

“In 1992 my second child was born and he coughed. He continued to cough through two sets of anti-biotics and an inhaler. As he was, by now, still only six months old, I felt that enough was enough.

My friend advised me to see a homeopath. I knew nothing about homeopathy apart from the fact that it was a load of bunkum!  I took him more to appease my friend than anything else. The homeopath asked me all sorts of questions, gave my son one little white pill to suck and he never coughed again!  Needless to say I continued with my son¹s treatment and added two more children and myself to the homeopath’s patient list.

Every time I visited I sought to glean a little more information about the subject of homeopathy as well as discussing the case in question. My homeopath was very tolerant, enthusiastic and informative. She fuelled my desire to further my knowledge and actively encouraged me to begin formal study with a recognised course provider. And that is precisely what I did! 

I loved every single minute of my study, even the really hard bits that seemed to always coincide with some family crisis or other! I loved the challenge, I loved the friendships, I loved learning. And here I am, a few years further on, a fully qualified registered practitioner with a busy practice and, yes, I am still learning!”

FAQs

Is it good to have been a patient?
We strongly believe that all students of homeopathy should have experienced both its healing and its unique method of case-taking. Your personal experience of this process will help you empathise with other patients. So yes, it is good.

All I know about homeopathy is its effects. I haven’t read loads of books on it. Is that ok?
Yes it is. Our course assumes you are a novice in all areas of the curriculum and sets out to teach you. We send all successful applicants a pre-course study pack so that you can take some time to familiarise yourself with the type of material you will meet on the course. Most people have some time before they start in September – you could borrow some homeopathy books form your local library and give yourself a head-start.

It is possible, why don’t you come and visit us and we can introduce you to some of our current students who are doing it