Some Hopefully Helpful tips to develop a Holistic Healing Center

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Some Hopefully Helpful

tips to develop a Holistic Healing Center The start and development of a holistic healing

center can be both a traumatic and enlightening experience. In an attempt to

minimize the former without detracting too much from the latter, I would like

to share with you some thoughts and ideas that may prove useful to those of you

who have just begun or are planning to put together a center. Much of what I

have learned has been echoed by other holistic physicians to whom I have

talked. They also went through the oft times painful process of birthing a

multi-disciplinary center. The commonalities that follow are what the novice

should be familiar with in order to avoid "re-inventing the wheel",

i.e., gleam these pearls of wisdom from ones who have been there and done that

so that their mistakes are not repeated by yourself. (1) Start your center or retreat from

a business perspective and make sure it is on solid financial ground before

extending too much into the spiritual realm of operating on faith and good

intentions. Since we live in the real world of bills, mortgages, and

litigation, it is prudent to proceed, at least initially, with a left brain

emphasis on the organizing and operational aspects of your endeavor. Formality

and linear function can be de-emphasized at a later date and the intuitive and

abstract allowed a greater role. (2) Strongly recommended is the writing

down of everything discussed among the principals so that misunderstandings are

averted. To rely entirely on verbal agreement is an error. Memory is tenuous at

best and what I think I heard you say may be considerably different from what

you thought you had told me. Besides detailing the nuts and bolts of business

arrangements between members of the group, I would encourage that all areas of

importance be precisely spelled out: job descriptions, marketing plans,

office/center policies, mission statement or philosophy of practice, to name

just a few. (3) One early consideration is the

choice of practitioners who will be part of the center. Although much can be

said favorably for youth and enthusiasm, we found it advantageous to have

individuals who were seasoned veterans in the world of business. Such persons

realize that overhead is more than just rent and utilities. To understand and

appreciate the considerable costs involved in the initial start-up as well as

ongoing expenditures is to avoid fractious and prolonged discussions over

finances. I recall an instance of a

pragmatic/theoretical conflict in our first year together as a center when we

were in the midst of overhead excess and trying to curtail expenses. As cold

weather was approaching, several therapists had requested that we replace the

existing gas heaters with electric ones, citing their concern that the noxious

fumes given off by the old gas heaters would increase pollution and thereby not

be good for the health of patients (many of whom had environmental sensitivity)

or themselves. There ensued a lengthy debate on the pros and cons of purchasing

new electric heaters, much of it centered on the cost of buying and operating

them. Resolution only came about after information was presented that electric

heaters produced electro-magnetic pollution which could be as detrimental to

health as the toxic fumes from gas combustion. (4) A complete budget is essential.

This should include everything from ": slip & fall" insurance on

the premises to office and cleaning supplies, furnishings, and bookkeeping. And

should there be salaried employees, as is almost unavoidable given how IRS

defines contract labor, the myriad of taxes/withholdings can be quite alarming

to someone not versed in such aspects of administration. (5) The decision of whether or not to

participate in managed care is one not easily arrived at, especially in this

day and age. There are certainly arguments on both sides although I favor the

"fee for service" route. It has been shown that Americans are very

willing to pay out-of-pocket for alternative health services. This coupled with

the freedom from the bureaucracy and cumbersome paperwork involved with

becoming and being a provider for an HMO, PPO, etc., makes it very attractive

to go outside the system. Your gross revenue may be less but so will your

expenses and headaches! There are endless other intricacies involved in

making a holistic healing center work. The more information and experiential

feedback that can be gathered prior to the creation and development of a

center, the smoother the eventual launch and sailing of it; I would definitely

advise seeking out others who have been down the same path, successful or not,

and pick their brains thoroughly. Believe me; you'll be glad you did! As Plato said thousands of years ago: "The

cure of many diseases is unknown to physicians. They are ignorant of

the whole which ought to be studied also, for the part can never be

well unless the whole is well. This is the great error of our day in

the treatment of the human body, that the physician separates the soul

from the body." www.freewebs.com/sujokpk