Professional Development

Workshops and Webcasts

As part of the KTP project, external speakers came in to provide in-house workshops which presented and discussed research issues in complementary therapies. These were each followed up in one month with an open access webcast (an online seminar) presented using facilities at the University of Plymouth. The webcasts were an opportunity to build on the discussions which took place at the corresponding workshop as well as engage with a wider audience.

To find out more about webcasts and view a list of open-access events, visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/health/webcasts

‘What’s the point?’ Practitioner perspectives on complementary therapy research

Held on Monday 27th April, 2009

Jan Williamson

Jan Williamson is an established complementary health practitioner, yoga tutor and author. She lectures both nationally and internationally. She works with naturopathic health care principles and her focus is to enable clients to be involved in their own health care. Jan is the director of The School of Precision Reflexology based in Devon, U.K. Currently Jan teaches a full practitioner training course and post grad courses in Precision Reflexology, Diet and Nutrition and Advanced Precision Reflexology. She has published a research paper on reflexology and the menopause (a project that was funded by The Foundation for Integrated Healthcare). Jan talked about her own experience of research and its relevance to her own practice. This webcast provided a forum in which to discuss the role of evidence in complementary therapy practice.

To download and view this webcast visit http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=18368

Using the MYCaW instrument to evaluate the use of complementary therapies in complementary cancer care

Held on Thursday 11th June, 2009

Dr Charlotte Paterson

Charlotte Paterson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Health & Social Care Research at the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter & Plymouth, she has over twenty years experience as a general practitioner and more than ten years experience of research into complementary medicine. Charlotte discussed the need for an evaluation tool in complementary therapies and how the Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being (MyCaW) tool was developed and how it is used in practice to provide qualitative and quantitative data about the experiences of people using complementary therapies as well as changes in their concerns and wellbeing.

To download and view this webcast visit http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=18368