PRACTITIONER PROFILE
Celebrating 30 + years of ATMS membership
David Shorrocks
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? The continuous learning criteria required to maintain accreditation . The benefits I have achieved in giving many clients a better life from the various treatments I have applied to them . This skill and others I had gained allowed me for over 20 years travel with State and National sporting teams to aid their performances during their events whilst on tour . During that time I was practising my profession as a Remedial Massage Therapist , I was a serving Police Officer with the NSW Police Force rising to the rank of Superintendent . Through my policing experiences I saw people at their worse . I took thousands of victims and witness statements . I learnt an invaluable skill in how to elicit information from people through selective questioning and letting people talk without interruptions and not answering the questions being asked . Even now in my own clinic I have clients who have been seeing me for over 20 years . I have been privileged to still treat my children and their children in this modality during their sporting performances at representative level in netball .
After retiring from the NSW Police Force in 2007 I gained entrance to Western Sydney University and completed a Bachelor of Applied Science ( Sport and Exercise ) degree and then an Honours Degree in Health Science . Having these degrees and Remedial Massage and Therapeutic Diplomas I am able to link the two , giving my clients a better outcome . What I am trying to say is keep learning other modalities , but you will continue to use Remedial Massage techniques in gaining the best results for your client .
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen during your career ? The benefits we can give cancer and disability patients . The updating skills to assist athletes at club level and high performance ( e . g ., Commonwealth Games in Queensland 2018 looking after Netball and Rugby Sevens ). The regular podcasts , seminars , CPE updates which are so important in maintaining your skill level and improving the treatment you can give your patients . The acceptance by health funds and general health practitioners referring clients for treatment .
What changes in natural medicine would you most like to see ? Fine tune the numerous techniques that already have been developed . More mentoring programs introduced . Continue with the podcast and face-to- face seminars with practical sessions included . Offer scholarships for research and their outcomes published .
Look at University level making Remedial Massage compulsory in Bachelor of Applied Science and Physiotherapy and not just an elective . This may entice students to become fully accredited in our field as they will see the worth in this modality in the rehabilitation process of many injury cases and disability .
What advice do you have for today ’ s emerging practitioners ? Do not become tunnel-visioned in your first years of practice . Broaden your scope of knowledge and hands-on experiences . You may need to volunteer your time to gain this exposure and see the fruits of your skill when working with people on a regular basis ( e . g ., sporting bodies , age care facilities ).
It takes time to earn a reputation in any skill acquisition . Be prepared to accept constructive criticism and learn from it . Finally , remember your patient deserves the utmost professionalism in improving their life and overall well-being .
Always show empathy , remain professional and ethical in all avenues of this profession . I have a saying , “ Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have , provided you give it to someone else ”.
Paula Owen
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? I am a Remedial Massage Therapist and Herbalist . Firstly , the most important thing that has kept me practising for 30 + years has been the outcomes from clients I have treated . My primary practice has been Remedial Massage . Clients book in for a range of reasons , but usually they have some physical pain or discomfort . When you address their pain through treatment and talk to them about the techniques you have implemented they understand what is happening with their body . When you make recommendations to them for further treatments and they follow through you are working with their ailments and providing management for their symptoms . Remedial massage works . When clients feel the benefits it ’ s rewarding for them and you . Developing ongoing client relationships over a period of time also means that your clients develop trust in you and your work . They will relax more in sessions and you develop a good therapeutic relationship with them .
I have seen good results with Herbal Medicines I have prescribed to clients over the years . I believe in Herbal Medicine and the use of plants to support the body towards better health . I have taken herbs for my own health since I was a teenager and have used herbs with my children and family over many years . This has kept me engaged in the work I have done with clients over the years .
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen in your career ?
38 | vol30 | no1 | JATMS