Holistic practitioners, is online the way forward?

Over the years, many companies have been reluctant to allow employees to work from home, as they couldn’t see the advantages. But, things have rapidly changed because of Coronavirus and the imposed lockdown. Now, companies see that remote working can have its advantages and many employees will continue to be partly based at home, well after lockdown finishes. 

So, how does this work out in the health and well-being industry? In reality, some practitioners cannot work from home. However, for those that can, many have not explored this way of working before.

The challenge to practitioners is, have you considered the advantages of offering holistic therapy remotely, and are you brave enough to enter this new world? In this article, we'll explore the advantages of online or remote working for you, as a holistic practitioner, and for your clients.

In the last few months, so many things have changed. It's natural to be apprehensive about working online. Perhaps you're not so confident with change and are uneasy about what it involves.

It might be reassuring that many holistic practitioners have seen the opportunities available since lockdown, and have adapted their work practices accordingly.

I spoke to a nutritionist the other day who has adjusted so well to online working that she is now changing her business structure. She is moving toward the convenience of working online with clients. As a working mum, she found it difficult to fit life into her busy schedule but she has been making use of evening appointments from home and says they work out really well for her.

It is hard to adjust but, if you don’t, your clients are missing out on so many advantages. Of course, some clients may be apprehensive at first, but no one can argue with the fact that the best way to protect clients during a pandemic is to work with them remotely.

What are the benefits of remote therapy for clients?

There are numerous benefits for clients connecting to you whilst at home:

• Reduced risk with Covid-19, particularly for vulnerable clients.
• Ease and comfort from being in their own home. Nothing is more convenient as staying at home and many of my clients come online holding a cup of tea!
• Confidentiality is easily maintained by the use of headphones.
• Family members are often very supportive and give clients privacy.
• Many people enjoy using online platforms such as Zoom and are already familiar with the process of attending video calls.
• The practical difficulties and inconvenience of getting to appointments, such as traffic, parking and bad weather can be avoided. This can reduce clients' stress significantly.
• The advantage of reduced traffic and pollution also has its benefits locally, within the town or city where they live. Also, there are advantages to the planet as a result of reduced emissions.

I'm a holistic therapy practitioner. How can I benefit from offering online services? 

The benefits for you as a practitioner are also numerous. There may be additional benefits which aren’t on this list that impact you personally. These might not become apparent until you change your working practices.

• You'll have a significant reduction in outlay on rental premises as well as commuting or parking costs.
• Reduction in the cost of providing hand sanitisers/masks for clients - if this is something you are currently factoring into your pricing.
• With a reduction in expenses, there's potential for increased profit.
• Online platforms such as Zoom are generally free for one to one appointments and are reasonably priced for group meetings. It's also easy to make appointments links and manage your diary.
• There is greater ease of transition between appointments and home life. When the appointment has finished, you're already home!
• You have more flexibility between appointments. You can choose to sit in the garden to clear your energy and refocus, reducing your stress levels.
• It's easy to allocate part of your home or a particular room to online work. You can even buy printed screens to hide what’s behind you. You can also position your workspace to look out of a window during sessions, to benefit from more natural daylight. 
• You're able to conduct appointments in a comfortable space, even in your slippers if you want to! How lovely is that?

Online working may be the unknown for you, but rest assured there are so many lovely advantages and amazing online tutorials to give you ideas and support. There has been so much talk over the years of changing in the way we do things and this is a marvellous time to branch out and see what the advantages are for you.