An Invitation
In accordance with Professor Buteyko’s approach to the training of facilitators and practitioners, we are very pleased to invite applications from our patients, health professionals and others who have an interest in providing the classical Buteyko’s Method.
Our approach is quite different to any other kind of Buteyko professional training on the market as it follows Professor Buteyko’s system for the training of practitioners. For example, we do not simply offer a practitioner course over two weeks, two months or six months as such.
Instead, we invite aspiring Buteyko facilitators and practitioners to learn and work with us on an ongoing basis, so they may authentically develop their skills and experience. This was the system that Professor Buteyko developed for his own team of practitioners.
Another difference with other training you may come across, is that before our facilitators and practitioners become absorbed working with patients, they must first authentically develop a high level of personal skill with the method for themselves.
Authentic Foundation
Practitioners who have not even come close to mastering the method they teach is not a foundation upon which one can build a viable or credible practice. And this is perhaps one reason why around 80% of people who have undergone most “Western” practitioner training courses are no longer active as practitioners.
So our first task is to develop facilitators and prospective practitioners who are robustly clear and experienced with Buteyko’s approach personally. Some applicants will have already managed this, others have a way to go. For some people it will take a few weeks and for others a few months or even longer. Our objective, regardless of how long it takes, is to see this process through.
Developing personal skills and mastery over one’s own health and mental equanimity is the bedrock of a practitioner and separates them from the all too often shallow and confusing health marketplace.
Furthermore, it should be noted that authentic practitioners are at the cutting edge of reversing real chronic disease – simple informational courses or fascinating health tips are not the substance of their practice, instead they are “agents of change”. And without an effortless conviction, backed up with personal experience and a depth that only comes from a solid personal experience, this is seldom achieved.
But above all other advantages and upon which all others are predicated, attaining mastery of the breathing and thus optimal health should not be seen as a barrier to becoming a practitioner, but an essential Ingredient.
Real support comes from being part of a team
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of our training program is that we don’t just train a practitioner to immediately deal with patients independently. Instead the prospective practitioner works under the supervision of an experienced and qualified practitioner -this is precisely how real understanding is attained. This approach is also much better for patients, their results and your reputation, which are better served when years of experience are applied. With internet video conferencing technology like Skype, almost anyone, anywhere in the world can connect with the expertise that is required. The benefits of being a conduit in the process, becomes real experience, which no amount of text books, lectures or courses can replicate. As facilitators and practitioners become increasingly more experienced they will obviously require less supervision.
Patients, especially those with low Control Pauses, who take large quantities of medications and who develop strong cleansing reactions, require very precise instruction and support. They are too challenging for the inexperienced practitioner, yet these are the very cases in which authentic Buteyko training shows its greatest potential and even an inexperienced practitioner can take on if they have the real time support of a qualified practitioner. This is another facet of our program which sets us apart.
We are looking for prospective practitioners who want to join a team and work with us to bring the authentic and undiluted version of Buteyko’s Method. As a team member it is in our interest that your practice flourishes, that you produce excellent results and your work will be both a benefit to all concerned and a credit to the reputation, principles and ideas to which we are devoted.
This does not mean that one cannot work independently but to have our support for this, the practitioner should limit their activities to their of real expertise and experience. Some practitioners may choose to specialize in the treatment of simple conditions and for children etc, others may prefer to deal with serious systemic disorders. Naturally the time it takes to acquire the necessary skills will vary according to how their Buteyko practice unfolds and their interests develop.
Practical arrangements
Obviously, if we are working as a team we must share income in a way that reflects the work we do, the skills applied and in such a way that is fair and reasonable to all parties. The arrangements we have are roughly as follows: after taking off the costs (advertising, rent etc) the net income from either workshops or private students is divided with a small percentage (10%) going to the parent organization to cover administration and promotion etc and the balance is divided amongst the participating practitioners. This balance should account for who booked the patient, who worked with them directly and what level of supervision and support is provided etc. Keeping the balance is Important as nobody will persist with arrangements that are not fair.
For example, a practitioner may work with a group of very easy students, according to their experience and require little supervision. Obviously the one who supervises in this case should only be paid a relatively small percentage and the bulk of the income should go to the practitioner.
On the other hand, an inexperienced practitioner may book a private student for example, that is extremely complex, requiring a great deal of highly skilled work, in which a Senior Practitioner or Senior Consultant is required. ln this case a greater share of income should be applied to those parties. The permutations of this arrangement are almost infinite, which means any strict rule will be imperfect or too complex to administer. To overcome this problem the parties concerned should negotiate between themselves on a case by case basis and be flexible.
A real team works together, their interests are aligned. Our whole team should be quick to offer support to each other and to share experience and ways to cooperate. As much as possible we aim to cultivate and encourage everyone to support the work of their colleagues. Once again, this was a unique facet of Professor Buteyko’s team and one which we presently emulate.
We don’t have complex contracts that “tie up” facilitators and practitioners because they choose to work independently for example. To the contrary, we hold the view that everyone is a free agent and should only work within our organization as long as they are entirely happy doing so. On the other hand, we do reserve the right to withdraw our support and official association from facilitators and practitioners that for whatever reason operate outside reasonable guidelines.
