The Empowerment Model:
An Interview with Susie
Hale, CTN, LPC, Professor of Traditional Naturopathy
Natural Reader Press introduced CCNH's newest publication, The Clayton College Model of Empowerment for Natural Health Practice, at the fourth annual health conference in April 2005.
The Empowerment Model emerged over the years here at CCNH in response to the need to develop an approach for working with clients for professionals who choose to practice as natural health consultants. The Holistic Times recently had the opportunity to talk with Susie Hale in-depth about the Empowerment Model.
HT: As an instructor at CCNH, what observations encouraged you to create the Empowerment Model (EM)?
SH: As CCNH leads the field in training natural health practitioners, the EM emerged as an alternate model of care to the medical model. Grounded in the mission statement of CCNH, teaching students how to teach others to be healthy, requires that the practitioner educate the client, which is the basis of this model.
HT: The Empowerment Model seems to be all about communication style. How does the empowerment model of communication differ from the conventional medical model of communication?
SH: The medical model, or "sick care," emerged from the conventional Western medical system where the "patient" basically turns his or her health over to the system. The individual is passive and allows the medical practitioner to tell him or her what is wrong, what to do about it, how often, in what amounts, etc. This is the diagnosis/prognosis/ prescription scenario with which we are all quite familiar. The empowerment model is structured around education. The practitioner educates the client about the body's own innate healing abilities and makes recommendations about making choices to improve health.
HT: So the role of the practitioner has a different focus and the role of the patient or client shifts also. Is that correct?
SH: Yes. With the EM, the client becomes an active participant in the healing process. Here, the client must take more personal responsibility about approaching his or her health.
HT: What is the goal for the client within this model of care?
SH: Personal empowerment for today and the future. Learning more about the functioning of the body and how to build health from within teaches for today, or the current health issue, and for preventing health problems in the future.
HT: You compare the empowerment model to the old story about teaching the starving person to fish.
SH: Yes, this feeds the person for a lifetime. The medical model is like feeding the starving person a fish—it feeds him or her for today, but what does it teach for the future of the person's health?
HT: Describe how a session within this model would differ from a typical appointment with a conventional medical healthcare provider, or how it may be similar.
SH: Most consumers in our Western culture have visited a dentist or medical doctor. You tell the provider/practitioner what the problem is and most likely give a medical history. Then the provider/practitioner proceeds to diagnose the problem, perhaps perform a procedure or give a prescription, and sends you on your way. As we all know and recognize, this is extremely important in certain situations— such as injuries or medical emergencies. However, as the public has grown more prevention oriented and is much more "health" savvy, the EM fits beautifully for learning ways to stay healthy. Within the EM, the client would give a history, ask questions, and then the practitioner would take the time to explain, answer questions, expand on them and educate about how the body works, nutritional needs of the body—never diagnosing or prescribing, only offering assessments, education and recommendations.
HT: Can you give an example?
SH: Let's say you report that you are feeling tired and would like more energy. The practitioner, within the EM, may educate you about food and nutrition and how the body processes food to create the energy required for daily function. The practitioner may also teach you about nutritional supplements or herbal combinations that work with the body to improve its function and thereby increase your energy. You also may learn some breathing techniques or exercise options that assist the body bio-mechanically to energize the body. From here, you can make choices about changing daily lifestyle habits or adding supplements to your daily regimen. You may begin an exercise program to improve the efficiencies of the body's functions to increase energy level.
HT: You use the term "educational language." Describe this and give an example.
SH: Educational language is verbal and nonverbal communication that always comes from a place of educating and empowering the client. The practitioner would not tell the client what to do (this would be prescribing) or ever attempt to tell the client what the health problem may be (this would be diagnosing). So, the natural health practitioner will assess the client's overall health. This could take many forms, such as an iridology assessment, or it could be a verbal interview. From here, the practitioner will educate the client. For example, a client reports that she has a sore throat. The practitioner may educate the client about the tissues and function of the throat, how to build the immune system, what herbs have been used traditionally to soothe a sore throat, where and what and in what forms these herbs can be found, etc. Then the practitioner may offer a recommendation about increasing vitamin C intake, herbal remedies and their availability, the need for extra rest/sleep as well as water consumption.
HT: Can you expand on the concept of active, educational language and how it compares to diagnostic, passive language?
SH: The client and practitioner join together to form a team whose goal is to improve the client's daily health choices. Educating the client, and inviting the client to become a participant in each session, increases the chances of the client following through with recommendations that the practitioner offers.
HT: Does the empowerment model encourage using sensory language that is compatible with the individual client? For example, if you pick up on cues that someone is a visual learner, would you ask them how things "look" or if they "see" what you mean? Would you ask an auditory learner how an idea "sounds"? Are these verbal cues important in the correct use of the empowerment model?
SH: Yes, on all counts! Respect for the individual learning style of the client is important. Then the language, verbal and nonverbal, of the practitioner should match and reflect that which is familiar and comfortable for the client. Education of the client is foremost, placing emphasis on the avenues through which the practitioner chooses to convey information.
HT: All healthcare providers must adhere to a code of ethics. Natural health is still an unregulated field for the most part. What ethical standards are natural health practitioners expected to uphold?
SH: There are standards of practice that CCNH has developed to assist the practicing professional. These include statements that address the ethical behavior of the professional, respect and maintaining clear boundaries with clients and making appropriate referrals to other practitioners when necessary.
HT: Why is the empowerment model necessary to the current and future growth of the natural health field?
SH: The public is hungry for an alternative to the medical model due mostly to the desire to be in greater personal control of individual health. This model offers this. And of course we know that the field of natural health is exploding with more practitioners. This model provides an excellent structure for the practitioners, ensuring that they practice as consultants, educating clients about healthier approaches to daily life.
HT: Is the EM included in the CCNH curriculum?
SH: Yes. Since its development, the CCNH Curriculum Department is revising practice-focused courses to include education about the EM. The goal is to teach about this model and have natural health practitioners put this model into action within their practice setting.
