BUSINESS
FHT
ACCESSIBLE TO ALL The Federation of Holistic Therapist’s Leanne Sheill looks at simple steps you can take to make your therapy practice more inclusive…
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HE death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has led many of us to consider what actions we can take to promote anti-racism and encourage inclusivity in our business practices. Below are six small changes that we could all make to offer a more inclusive service, which in turn will help to attract a more diverse client base…
have a good knowledge of how these can impact those affected. Where appropriate, communicating to your BAME clients that you have considered such matters will help to increase their confidence in you as a therapist.
REALISTIC COMMITMENTS
People from diverse groups sometimes prefer to stay within their own communities because they feel more comfortable and readily accepted. Try researching if there are any groups or charities locally that could help you reach out to another group of people. When contacting these groups, look to focus on the benefits that your therapy practice can bring to them and make it easy for them to share the information more widely.
It’s not unusual for businesses to share equality and diversity policies, only for these goodintentioned documents to go by the wayside a few months later. It’s often not through lack of caring but because the policies were unrealistic in the first place or there was a lack of structure to maintain these commitments. Step back and take a critical look at every aspect of your business, outline simple actions you can take to make a difference and set regular dates to review your progress.
IMAGERY Seeing images that you can relate to helps to make you feel instantly comfortable. When choosing images to promote your therapy practice, keep an eye out for photos with diverse models. There are a number of free stock image websites that focus on promoting diversity (see nappy.co, eyeforebony.com and genderphotos. vice.com). Alternatively, use images or illustrations that reflect how a client might feel after a therapy, such as a picture of a calming scene or relaxing colours.
REACH OUT
TAILOR YOUR PRODUCTS Skincare products naturally work better on some skin types than others. Think about whether you
could introduce a new product that works well for your BAME clients. Make sure to do some research on these products too - what is it about them that makes them work well for different skin types? The more understanding you have, the more your clients will see that you care about them and the overall effectiveness of their treatment.
LANGUAGE The language you use will go a long way to encouraging a diverse range of clients to use your services. Not everyone will resonate with the same approach so look at what language your diverse groups of clients might surround themselves with and take the time to tailor the way you communicate with them. For example, technical jargon might be stressful for certain clients or you might like to consider learning some basic sign language for clients who are hard of hearing. n
i
The FHT offers a range of membership benefits to
holistic therapists and runs the largest independently Accredited Register for complementary healthcare therapists. For more information visit
www.fht.org.uk or
call 023 8062 4350.
ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE Sadly, people who form part of the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) community can be more prone to certain health issues including sickle cell disease, kidney failure and getting seriously ill from viruses such as COVID-19. It is important to be aware of these health complications and to
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HOLISTIC THERAPIST 2021
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