Mentoring our own
Recent graduate, longtime bodyworker, reiki master or shiatsu practitioner, all touch therapists have something to teach one another. So goes the theory behind the innovative Mentor Tree program of the Association of Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners (AMTWP) in Canada.

The program was created by two massage therapists and AMTWP members, who believe in mentoring both to help new therapists get their practices off the ground, and to help prevent burnout among those who have been working for a while. It was launched in 2001.

"The idea was to create mentoring circles," says LaDonna Smith, who developed the program with Karen Sloane. "We wanted it to be more than one-to-one. Many of us already work all on our own; we work in isolation."

The AMTWP, a 5,000-member national association, includes professionals from a range of therapeutic models, including massage therapy, reflexology and various forms of energy work. Mentoring circles have started in Calgary, Edmonton and Manitoba provinces, and interest is growing, particularly in rural areas of the country, association President Melanie Hayden says.

"We don't have chapters in our organization, so this is an opportunity for us to build community within each province and each municipality," she says.

In the Mentor Tree program, up to 12 members from the same geographic area, representing different modalities, meet monthly. The meetings are organized around discussion of issues relevant to the profession and to members' individual practices, and are based upon four competencies: self-care, business development, therapeutic relationships and technique. The program follows the mentoring model outlined in The Healer's Journey by Ernesto J. Fernandez, Smith says.

The program was originally taught on-site in a workshop, with potential facilitators traveling to where the workshop was held, but now a workbook has been developed that teaches members how to start and facilitate Mentor Tree circles wherever they are.

Participants say that participation in the program eases some of the loneliness and strain of working solo. And whether you're a new therapist or have been working for 20 years, the sharing is mutually beneficial. "You get the fresh perspective from those new in the profession, and for those of us who have been in the profession for a while, it reminds us why we answered the call," says Smith.

Meetings are structured to encourage open participation from everyone, but a facilitator keeps them on track, says Hayden. They also follow general guidelines, such as "Only speak from your own experience" and "Don't give advice" unless it is requested.

Mostly, Mentor Tree circles are simply a place for practitioners to be among their peers and talk about the issues pertinent to what they do.

"It's a really safe place to talk about these kinds of things," says Smith. "When I had a 97-year-old client die, there was a place for me to be with the grief. Only someone in our profession, who spends all their days one-to-one with [another] person, who knows all their body stories and all of their soul stories, can really understand the grief when a client dies."

Referral networks have grown from some of the circles, with members referring clients to practitioners with different skills or from a different modality. "It's absolutely amazing how open it is," says Hayden. "In theory, [we're] competing with each other, but we never view it as such.
- Kelle Walsh