NEWS

Bristol Cancer Help Center Paving the Way for CAM Therapy

John Illman

A new educational program has been launched in Britain for complementary therapists by the Bristol Cancer Help Center, a charity that uses complementary therapies to help patients change the way they live with cancer.

The first 25 graduates of the pioneering national qualification received their certificates in July from Ian Gibson, Ph.D., a leading member of Parliament and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer. A further 75 therapists, including aromatherapists and reflexologists, are registered for future courses.

With 40% of U.K. cancer patients now visiting complementary therapists, the Bristol center’s chief executive, Christopher Head, said that the need to ensure that therapists "are well trained and understand the needs of people with cancer has never been more vital." There has been concern over patients who delay cancer therapy by seeking care from poorly trained (and sometimes unscrupulous) complementary therapists.

The course comprises 6 core days spread over 1 year. The topics include an introduction to the holistic approach to cancer; a course on defining cancer; a course on using self-help approaches such as meditation, relaxation, and visualization; a class on counseling; a lesson on how to introduce complementary therapies into a health care organization such as a clinic or health center; and an introduction to palliative care (this is provided in collaboration with local branches of the state-funded National Health Service).

Pat Turton, the center’s director of education, explained: "We require students to have done a recognized training course in their field and to have been in practice for at least 2 years. They must maintain a professional portfolio over the year and complete a piece of reflective writing on all six core components."

Turton added that the center is seeking accreditation for the course from the University of the West of England.

The current £240 charge for the course is subsidized from the center’s £750,000 annual charitable income. Turton explained: "We keep our costs deliberately low so that complementary therapists and nurses can afford them."



             
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