I work both online and at a practice in Hale (Altrincham).
Tuesdays are 100% online with a mix of new patients, follow-ups and student/practitioners supervision. Patients have booked from the other side of the world (which always surprises me), but I also have patients who have stayed with me when I moved from London and now have a sound local base which I built up since I moved to Altrincham 4 years ago.
Bookings and payments are done via my website and people who have booked receive a Zoom link. So, on Tuesdays I have between 5 and 6 appointments – 6 is my maximum (I have learned from experience that 7 is too many for me).
New appointments last between 1 hour and 90 minutes, follow ups between 30mn and one hour depending on the complexity of the case. Supervision/Mentoring session last between one hour and 90mn. I try to have at least 30mn in between sessions to regroup/move/prescribe/eat and think!
Each encounter is an experience, an exchange, sometimes a revelation.
The challenge is to be fully present at each session without one session encroaching on the other.
I use a computer software (Synergie Viva) to help choose rubrics and differentiate between remedies. I am also surrounded with books and enjoy the research and the puzzle solving that makes a Homeopathic prescription. A lot of thinking is involved, books pile up on the desk, several screens are open on my computer as I compare rubrics and remedies until I am satisfied with the remedy choice.
If I cannot manage to prescribe on the day I sleep on it and look again at the case the next day. Some cases need to go to Supervision if they present a challenge or push my buttons.
Practitioner mentoring sessions and student supervisions are a joy, providing great intellectual challenge with the opportunity to give practical support. A session can be about cases, issues with practice building, discussions about Homeopathic philosophy etc. It is always in depth and invariable rewarding for both parties.
I make sure I take the dogs for a walk at the end of a day spent mostly online– I know I tend to overthink or feel I am carrying my patient’s burdens and have learned that both boundaries and self-care are important for a healthy practice.
I still use paper notes and paper files even though I find filing a real chore – going digital may be on the cards as I am running out of storage space in my home office.
I send prescriptions by email, will dispense remedies if patients are local or order what they need from UK pharmacies. If the patient is abroad, they are responsible for sourcing their remedies locally.
Practicing has been a joy since the day I started taking cases at college. I love the challenge of each case, the analytical work and seeing the stories unfold. My least favourite task is dispensing remedies and having to queue at the post office with a pile of envelopes – I do not see any added value in this and would rather leave it to the pharmacies.
Being part of a community is both necessary and supportive – NWCH is a real hub for Homeopaths in the North West – I have found my ‘tribe’, the members of my peer supervision group, my homeopath and many dear friends.
I love my job!
Anne Gabarre RSHom, Chair of NWCH
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