Wearing the right uniform (Darina, Craniosacral Therapist)

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Mike's Reply:
by: Mike

I think that the clue in your question is that "you became annoyed...". Normally, this indicates that one thinks there is an element of truth in what is being said!

Here is my opinion. You are working alongside a particular medical practice - which has certain "unspoken" standards. So, for the sake of fitting in - you may wish to consider dressing more "clinically" as requested.

But my guess is that this is not reason enough for you! So let me give you another one. One that focuses on your level of business - which is what your question was about.

Craniosacral Therapy is still very much in it's infancy. It has yet to be accepted as a complementary therapy in many countries. For example, while here in Ireland your health insurance offers some cover for Homeopathy, Reflexology and accupuncture - CST has yet to make it on that list.

Some of your clients will accept you as you are - and dress! However, the majority of the population will wish to see lots of unconscious visual cues telling them that you are an established and competent clinician. One of the easiest ways to do this is to dress in an "authoritative" manner i.e. a uniform.

We are getting into social psychology here a little (body language, unconscious persuasion etc.) but I bet that if you if you start to wear the more "clinical" white or blue uniforms - you will find that people will want to argue/investigate less on your background/credentials etc. - the appearance of authority seems to "short-circuit" a lot of scepticism.

I once saw a colonic therapist who took this to extremes - she walked around her clinic with a stethoscope around her neck (not sure where she intended to put it!).

There is a lot of research done in this area - exspecially be a gent called Robert Cialdini (have a look at his book "Persuasion - The Psychology of Influence").

In summary - my advice for all "complementary" practitioners who wish to be seen as more "mainstream" is to have a clean clinical environment, dress in a clinical style and have your certificates on display. These visual cues will help a lot of the population to accept your offering as legitimate - even without thinking too much about it!

Good Luck, Mike.

Wearing the right uniform (Darina, Craniosacral Therapist)

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Wearing the right uniform (Darina, Craniosacral Therapist)