Why join us?
Make your markBe part of the UK's most influential organisation for professional homeopathsWhy join The Society of Homeopaths?There are so many reasons for becoming a member of The Society of Homeopaths. Some homeopaths join for the professional status of being an RSHom, others, for the support networks and professional development. Some members want to see their views reflected in the media, others want marketing materials and insurance at prices they couldn't negotiate on their own. |
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The Society offers something for everyone: for students laying the foundations for their careers, and for successful practitioners considering whether one professional organisation can provide more practical, day-to-day support than another. That's why over sixty per cent of the UK's homeopaths are now members. Collectively, they form the single largest register of homeopaths in Europe.
Lifelong learning
As a homeopath, you never stop learning. We help students by recognising homeopathic courses that meet our standards and by working with course providers to create content that's at the forefront of the profession. After you qualify, you can broaden your knowledge through our wide-ranging continuing professional development programme.
Professional register
The letters RSHom after your name tell the world that you are fully qualified, registered and comprehensively insured. Patients who consult you know that they are dealing with a responsible healthcare professional governed by a strict Code of Ethics and Practice.
Business support
Running a successful homeopathy practice requires practical business skills. We run workshops, share knowledge and best practice, and provide equipment, materials, and support services at generous discounts.
Professional and social support
You're unlikely to come across a professional or practical problem that one of our members hasn't faced before. Through meetings, newsletters, and our popular online resource, Firstclass Mail, you can share in the collective knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and resilience of our 2,200 members.
A bigger voice in the world
We'll keep you up to date with developments in homeopathy and the way that the profession is reflected in the news. Since we're the UK's biggest homeopathic organisation, our collective opinion has the weight of authority. By adding your voice to ours, you help promote homeopathy and influence government policy and public opinion.
Help and advice at the end of the phone
We're here to support our members individually and collectively. You can call us at any time during normal office hours on 0845 450 6611 for advice on professional or practical matters. That's also the number to call if you have a query about membership or registration.
You can also use our website at any time of day to book events or order TradCo products.
A society run by its members for the membershipThe Society is the UK's oldest body registering homeopaths. |
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We're also the largest registering body in Europe. Since 1978, we have been providing support for professional homeopaths, raising their profile, and setting the standards that they must uphold. To make sure that we remain representative of our members, we take regular surveys of opinion.
Investment in your profession
The Society of Homeopaths Limited is a company limited by guarantee. It's a not-for-profit organisation in which any surpluses are reinvested for the good of The Society and its membership.
Sound administration
When you join The Society, you become part of a professional organisation with the infrastructure to support you at every stage of your career. A team of around 17 full- and part-time staff led by a Chief Executive manage day-to-day affairs, while policies are set by the Board of Directors. The Chief Executive and staff are salaried employees; the Board is elected by membership vote. As a registered member, you can vote for directors or stand for election yourself.
We have a central office in Northampton and an education department in Totnes, Devon. A few staff and consultants work from home.
Wide range of skills
All employees are experts in their fields. Some are practising homeopaths involved in professional standards, others are marketing, finance, or IT professionals responsible for specific aspects of The Society management.
Through two subsidiary companies, HETRA and TradCo, we provide education and training, and offer materials and merchandise at discount prices.
In 2004, we became the first homeopathic organisation to achieve the Investors in People standard. Three years later we achieved the standard for a second time.
Student training
Eighty-five per cent of students at recognised courses are members of The Society. Our education department works with their course providers to develop standards of education that enhance our collective professionalism. Roughly two thirds of UK homeopathy courses are recognised by The Society.
If you study at a recognised course, you can expect a modern education leading to a qualification you will be proud of. During your clinical years, we can put you in touch with practising homeopaths who are willing to support your learning.
You'll find a list of recognised courses on our website. www.homeopathy-soh.org
Continuing professional development
Through our subsidiary HETRA Ltd (The Homeopathic Education, Training & Research Agency), we run a wide range of courses, conferences, workshops, and seminars related to homeopathy. HETRA's CPD programme keeps professional homeopaths up to speed with the latest developments. It offers the most comprehensive range of post-qualification homeopathic education in the UK – and it's available at locations across the country.
Latest research
Our research department keeps tabs on all the latest research from around the world. By drawing all these strands together, we increase the body of homeopathic knowledge, keep you up to date with the latest findings, and feed relevant data to the media.
Newsletter and journal
We publish our journal, The Homeopath, and our newsletter four times a year. The newsletter is packed with information on day-to-day practice including ethics, the law, and practice management. The Homeopath concentrates on the latest developments in case management, research, provings, and materia medica.
The two periodicals give you a complete picture of homeopathy as it stands today.
Membership of The Society puts you in touch with 2,400 students and practitioners who share your vision and your enthusiasm as well as the joys and the frustrations of running a business.
For many members, keeping in regular touch with their peers is the primary reason for joining. The constant flow of information and ideas is an antidote to the isolation of working for yourself.
Networking events
Nothing beats meeting fellow homeopaths face-toface. As a Society, we come together several times a year – for Continuing Professional Development events, for our Annual Conference and AGM, and for our autumn seminar. Between the lectures and seminars there are numerous opportunities for networking and for swapping stories and techniques.
Practice workshops
Part of our CPD programme involves practical workshops on running a homeopathy practice. You'll pick up numerous tips on marketing your business and managing your practice and patients.
Firstclass Mail
You don't have to leave home to make contact with other homeopaths. Our Firstclass Mail intranet keeps you in touch 24 hours a day. Firstclass Mail is a mixture of online messaging, notice boards, archive, and helpline.
For just £15 a year, you can check the daily news, read what your colleagues are up to, ask questions about difficult cases, resolve practical business issues, or swap the odd joke. You can dip in and out whenever you like, as often as you like.
Marketing and Homeopathy Awareness Week
Through TradCo, you can buy ready-made leaflets on different aspects of homeopathy, as well as posters and leaflet dispensers. There are balloons and stickers for children, as well as lapel pins and polo shirts for you and your colleagues. Everything can be ordered online.
Our up-to-date register of homeopaths is also available online. Potential patients type in their postcode to bring up a list of practitioners arranged in order of distance.
Homeopathy Awareness Week is an annual event organised by The Society in conjunction with remedy manufacturers and health food shops. Each year we provide a complete media kit to help you generate awareness in your home town.
There's also plenty of information on our website that you can incorporate into your local publicity campaigns. It's the sort of background information that you can use to add weight to press releases and interviews.
Our talks package helps you make polished presentations to local organisations.
Comprehensive insurance
Your membership fee includes an annual premium for a bespoke insurance package put together for practising homeopaths. The scope of the cover and the benefits plus costs are specifically designed for you as a homeopath and in our opinion it is the most comprehensive package of cover and expert services available in the market.
It represents peace of mind for you and for your patients.
Take payments by credit card
Accepting patient payments by credit or debit card doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. For members who want to take cards, we've negotiated an attractive set of terms and a straightforward set of procedures.
There are no set-up costs, no minimum monthly processing charges, and (for those who can key in card details securely online) no terminal rental costs.
Practise as a registered homeopathThe public rightly expects high standards from its healthcare providers. |
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Our register of homeopaths gives the public a list of practitioners that they can trust. We are the largest organisation in Europe that registers homeopaths. Our 1,500 registered members represent over 60 percent of the UK's practising homeopaths.
RSHom – the sign of a professional homeopath
As a registered homeopath, you can put the letters RSHom (registered with The Society of Homeopaths) after your name. Those letters tell potential clients that you are properly educated and insured and that you are governed by a Code of Ethics and Practice. When your clients see the letters RSHom, they knowthey're dealing with standards they can trust.
Registration is good for you and the profession
Registration with The Society puts members on a sound professional footing. Our long-term goal is to create a single independent registering and regulatory body for homeopaths. Until that time, we continue to register according to our own exacting standards.
If you're going into homeopathy via a Society recognised course, registration is straightforward and direct. If you came into the profession by a different route, we will need to be sure that you practise to the standards we expect. Our individual route to registration lets you demonstrate your professionalism in ways that give credit to your knowledge and experience.
If you're not sure about the status of your qualifications, call us on 0845 450 6611 for an informal chat about your route to registration.
Practise according to a Code of Ethics and Practice
A key aspect of membership of The Society of Homeopaths is the Code of Ethics and Practice. The Code sets the standards by which you run your practice and manage your patients. It's an exhaustive set of rules that underpin the bond of trust between homeopath and patient.
The Code of Ethics would be worthless if we didn't enforce it with vigour and in a way that's open to public scrutiny. We do this in several ways. We employ a Professional Conduct Officer, we have separate processes for investigating and adjudicating complaints, we publicise our complaints process, we publish complaints statistics and outcomes, and we have clearly defined sanctions for those who violate the Code.
As the UK's largest homeopathic organisation, we're the media's first point of contact for facts and figures and comments on the day's news.
By joining with us, you become part of the single most authoritative organisation within homeopathy.
At the same time, you get to express your own views through the collective voice of The Society. The more active a part you play in Society affairs, the stronger our collective voice becomes.
Through regular updates on Firstclass Mail and timely email alerts, we keep you up to date with the way that homeopathy and related subjects are being reported in the media. You stay one step ahead by knowing what the media are saying about homeopaths – and what we're saying in response.
Group membership of ECCH
The Society is a member of the European Council for Classical Homeopathy (ECCH). ECCH is building a common platform for the profession in Europe and is the representative voice at EU level for its 27 member associations.
comprehensive insurance
a public register of practitioners
a Code of Ethics and Practice
lifelong learning
marketing support
practice-management software
24-hour-a-day networking
free legal and counselling
telephone helplines
the voice of authority
strength in numbers
Student: for students undertaking homeopathic education
Student Clinical: for students at recognised colleges who are undertaking supervised clinical cases requiring insurance cover
Registered: for practising homeopaths who meet our standards
Alternatively you could become a subscriber to receive our quarterly journal and newsletter.
Whatever stage of your career you're at, the first step towards Society of Homeopaths professionalism is to contact us on 0845 450 6611. We'll send you a membership application pack and answer any questions you may have.
To spread the cost of membership you can pay in monthly or quarterly instalments by direct debit.
Why wait? Your career as a professional homeopath goes so much further with The Society of Homeopaths. Call us today on 0845 450 6611.
Make your mark - provides information of the benefits of membership with The Society.
Find out about the different Levels of Membership we have on offer.
See Insurance for further details on How Insurance Works with Your Membership.