What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a safe, effective, scientific system of healing, based on the principle of "like cures like," which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself.

The principles of homeopathy were formalised by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician who lived in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (1755-1843).

The word homeopathy comes from the Greek omeos, meaning "similar," and pathos, meaning "suffering." Thus homeopathy means to treat with something that can produce an effect similar to the suffering.

Homeopathic treatment is directed at the whole person; mental, emotional and physical aspects. The medicines are made from many different substances — plants, animal products, elements and minerals.

Homeopathic medicines are usually given in a highly diluted form, after going through a process known as "potentisation" which is a serial dilution with vigorous shaking. Being in such a dilute form, homeopathic medicines are non-toxic. The medicines are made by specialised pharmacies who manufacture them according to international standards.

Each homeopathic medicine is tested on healthy humans in what is known as a "proving." The symptoms produced in provings form the basis of the homeopathic Materia Medica — the information about the medicines. It is these symptom pictures that enable the homeopath to choose the most similar medicinal substance matched to the individual patient's symptoms.

Homeopathy in New Zealand

Although it is likely that immigrants from England brought homeopathy with them, the first homeopath of record in New Zealand was William Purdie, MD, (left) a graduate of Glasgow, who arrived in December, 1849, and settled in Dunedin. Shortly after, Dr. Charles F. Fischer, (right) a medical graduate from Berlin settled in Auckland. He published the first New Zealand homeopathic journal, The Homeopathic Echo, from 1855 to 1856. Fischer established the "Homeopathic Association" in 1857, and a homeopathic hospital in 1858. The hospital saw 1047 patients from the time it opened until it closed in 1862. During the time it was open, the mortality rate at the hospital was 2.2%. Fischer left New Zealand for Australia in 1869.

The Echo was published with the support of John Bell's Homeopathic Pharmacy in Auckland. Another pharmacy, J. A. Pond was eventually taken over by Marriage's Pharmacy in 1880. In 1931, Marriage's reported that they "have a great trade, entirely with families."

The New Zealand Homeopathic Society was founded in 1951 by Alfred G. Grove, a lay practitioner. Grove died in 1974. The Society is still in existence and has its meeting rooms and library in Mt. Eden, in Auckland.
The practice of homeopathy in New Zealand falls under "common law" as it does in Great Britain. One can practice homeopathy without having a medical licence.

There are, in 2006, about 150 professional homeopaths on the register of the NZ Council of Homeopaths.

There are four manufacturing homeopathic pharmacies in New Zealand and a number of chemist shops that offer a full range of homeopathic products and potencies.

New Zealand supports three part-time colleges that offer training in homeopathy.

The College

To fulfil the vision, the College was founded by Gwyneth Evans in 1991 in response to the growing interest in and demand for homeopathy as a form of medical treatment and the need for more homeopaths. The Wellington College of Homeopathy has trained many of the professional homeopaths in the Wellington region.

Mission Statement

Offering education in homeopathy as a tool for personal, community, and global well-being.

Aims and Objectives

• Training qualified practitioners of homeopathy to national and international professional standards.
• Supporting and encouraging the personal and professional growth and empowerment of students and graduates.
• Promoting public awareness of the benefits of homeopathy as a health choice.
• Developing and monitoring the curriculum, teaching and assessment skills to maintain a high standard in all areas of homeopathic education.
• Maintaining moderation procedures to meet the NZQA requirements for assessing to the National Diploma standard.

Standards of Training

The College provides for an international standard of teaching in homeopathy. This is achieved by:

• Providing a well-balanced curriculum, based upon the European Council of Classical Homeopathy (ECCH) standard.
• Laying a sound foundation of homeopathic principles.
• Expanding the understanding of the underlying philosophy of homeopathy.
• Preparing the student to take on the responsibilities of a homeopathic practice.
• Drawing on the experience of a wide range of tutors from throughout New Zealand and Australia.
• Providing access to the largest private homeopathic library in the Southern Hemisphere.

Ethics

The College provides a Student Code of Ethics in order to prepare students for the responsibilities and legal requirements of professional ethics in homeopathic practice. Students must conduct themselves in a way which does not bring disrepute to the College or the profession.
At the beginning of each academic year students are required to sign their agreement to the Student Code of Ethics.
Should any flagrant or willful breach of the Code of Ethics come to the attention of the college faculty, disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including, expulsion from the College.

Other Activities

The College has a wider responsibility in homeopathic education and that is to encourage greater understanding of homeopathy and its use within the community. To further this aim, the College provides:
• Introductory Courses
• Seminars
• Guest Speakers

NZ Qualifications Authority

The College is registered as a Private Training Establishment with the NZQA. The College is accredited to assess the Homeopathy and Core Health Unit Standards for the National Diploma in Homeopathy.

Courses

Four Year Professional Course

This Course is the main focus of the training programme offered by the College. It consists of four years of study including attendance for lectures one weekend per month for 10 months of each year, plus home study and clinical training. The four year course includes as its first year the Foundation Course.
The Course includes all aspects of homeopathic philosophy, practical theory, and homeopathic treatment of chronic disease, plus anatomy, physiology, and pathology. Its aim is to graduate students of professional standard. The Course teaches and assesses all the Unit Standards required for the Diploma in Homeopathy. except for Unit Standards 6401 and 6402 (first aid and life support) which must be undertaken by the student outside the College.

Foundation Course

Students may enrol for a one year foundation course, which may be regarded as a complete year in itself, giving instruction in all aspects of first aid and simple acute prescribing. It is designed to give a sound understanding of homeopathic principles and philosophy and the use of the Repertory. It gives an introduction to case-taking, case evaluation and acute and chronic prescribing.
This is a pre-requisite to the Professional Course and forms the first year of that course. This year covers Unit Standard 14766, and 12 of the required Anatomy and Physiology Unit Standards.

Post-Graduate Support

Each year the College arranges a seminar or post-graduate day for on-going education and professional development of graduates.
The College library and computer repertory are available for use by students and graduates.

Course Structure

Homeopathy consists of a body of theoretical knowledge upon which to build the skills for use in practice. The course is structured in such a way as to begin with the foundation blocks of Materia Medica, Philosophy, Repertory and simple acute case examples. As the year courses progress, this basic knowledge is expanded and covered in more depth, with the practical application of the theoretical knowledge being studied. From the latter half of the second year through the third and fourth years, students undertake clinical training as well as the on-going study of materia medica, homeopathic philosophy, chronic case and case management, and anatomy, physiology, and pathology.

The course consists of lecture/in-class time, home-study, assignments and practical clinical training.

Attendance at college weekends comprises 580 hours of tutor contact time over the duration of the course, of which Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology comprises 120 tutor contact hours.

Self-directed home study including assignments/ assessments comprises an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 hours, of which Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology comprises 1,000 to 2,000 hours.

Clinical tutoring requirement is approximately 100 hours. Clinical observation hours begin in year two. Clinical hours are outside of college weekends. The majority of clinical training is provided at the College Clinic. Details of the clinical training policy are available upon enrolment.

The College maintains a student clinic at 210 Main Road, Tawa.

Topics

Philosophy (Unit Standard 14761)

This includes study of health and disease as it is related to homeopathic thought. Emphasis is on the principles as laid down by Samuel Hahnemann in the Organon and in the later teachings of other great homeopaths e.g., Hering, Kent, Close, Roberts, Vithoulkas, Sankaran, etc.

Materia Medica (Unit Standard 14763)

A study of a minimum of 225 homeopathic medicines including all the major polychrests in depth. This subject includes remedy differentiation.

The Repertory (Unit Standard 14764)

A comprehensive study of Kent's Repertory including a sound working knowledge of repertory use. The use of other repertories is also studied, including computer repertories.

Case Taking (Unit Standards 14760 + 14762)

All aspects of gathering the information about the patient in order to choose the simillimum (the most similar remedy) This includes interviewing skills, observation skills, recording the case.

Case Evaluation (Unit Standards 14760 + 14762)

The ability to form an overview of the case, taking into account aspects such as centre of the disturbance, what is to be healed, underlying weaknesses and susceptibilities, exciting and maintaining causes, prognosis.

Case Management (Unit Standards 14760 + 14762)

Case management, along with case-taking and case assessment, form the basis of the professional homeopath's skills. This subject includes assessment of the progress of a case after administration of the homeopathic remedy. It involves a sound knowledge of reactions to remedies, the direction of cure, and the ability to evaluate changes as they occur in the patient.

Pharmacy (Unit Standard 14765)

The manufacture, handling, storage, selection and administration of homeopathic medicines.

Applied Materia Medica (Unit Standard 14763)

The study of homeopathic medicines as they relate to clinical diseases and the individualising features of those remedies.

Medical Sciences

Instruction is given in:

• Anatomy and Physiology: The body in its healthy state‹ its normal structure and functioning.
• Pathology: The body in disease.
• Examination techniques/Diagnosis: Simple physical examination techniques, with a working knowledge of conventional medical testing procedures.
• Terminology: The language used in conventional medicine.
• Pharmacology: Conventional medicines, their uses, dosage, possible side effects, and withdrawal periods.

Clinical Training

This is undertaken initially through observation of a professional homeopath in practice. Once the required hours of observation are completed, students undertake case-taking and case-management under full supervision of a clinical tutor who must be a practising homeopath.
The majority of the clinical training is done at the College Clinic.

Venue 2008

The College leases rooms at:

Whitireia Community Polytechnic
Wineera Drive
Porirua

This is situated close to Porirua City Centre, just fifteen to twenty minutes' drive or train ride from Wellington, and adjacent to Porirua Harbour. There is ample free parking.

Attendance

The course consists of lectures one weekend per month for ten weekends per year. A minimum attendance at 80% of College weekends per year is required.
Home study time is estimated to require a minimum of 15 hours per week.

Assessment

The College has a system of continuous assessment in all areas of the course. This includes written assignments, tests, class participation and clinical assessment.
Assessment procedures are designed to meet the requirements of assessing Unit Standards.
Assessments are moderated according to NZQA requirements.

Qualifications

Professional Course

The National Diploma of Homeopathy will be issued to those students who meet all of the required competencies of the National Diploma of Homeopathy Unit Standards.

Foundation Course

No certificate or diploma is available at the end of this course. Those who pass this year's requirements will be presented with a letter of invitation to continue at the College with the second year of the Professional Course.

Admission and Applications

Each applicant is interviewed before acceptance onto the course.
While the qualification achieved after the four years of study is that of the National Diploma of Homeopathy, the level (some Unit Standards at Level 7) may be compared to that of a degree. From experience, we have found that students who do not have a background in biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, or related subjects (to sixth form level at secondary school) find some aspects of the course very challenging. While we do not exclude students who have no science background, we do like to point out the difficulties which may be experienced.
The study of homeopathy requires a high degree of commitment from a student.

Application should be made to the College at:
PO Box 51-156
Tawa, Wellington

Books

A booklist is available on enrolment. Sources for ordering and purchasing books will be given at that time.
Suggested introductory reading:

Homeopathy, Medicine of the New Man
George Vithoulkas

Magic of the Minimum Dose
Dr. Dorothy Shepherd

Homeopathy, Medicine for the 21st Century
Dana Ullman, MPH

Homeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine
Timothy Dooley, MD, ND
the book can be viewed on-line at:
http://www.beyondflatearth.com

Introductory books may be available at the public library and are available through the College library.

Tutorials/ Study Groups

The College encourages a "buddy system" of pairing first and second year students with third and fourth year students. This arrangement provides peer group support.

Students are encouraged to set up their own study groups to meet between College and weekends.

Time is scheduled at some College weekends to allow open discussion of subjects outside the time constraints of lectures.

Fees and Refunds

Foundation Year/Year 1:

Tuition fees: $2550 (Includes NZQA credit reporting fee: $45)
NZQA hook-on fee: $25 (This is a once only fee)

Year 2

Tuition fee: $2750 (Includes Clinical Training fee and NZQA credit reporting fee: $84)

Year 3

Tuition fee: $2750 (Includes Clinical Training fee and NZQA credit reporting fee: $65)

Year 4

Tuition fee: $2850 (Includes NZQA credit reporting fee: $231 and National Diploma: $15) Photocopying and course handouts, Subscription to Homeopathy NewZ -- The national journal for Homeopaths in NZ.

All fees include GST.
Fees include costs of meeting NZQA Moderation and Credit Reporting requirements.

Tuition fees do not include costs of books or personal practice equipment

Payment of Fees and Refunds

Initial payment by 11 February 2008

If a student withdraws from the course within seven days following the first day of the course, any fees already paid will be refunded, less 10% of the fees paid to date.
If a student withdraws from the course at any time after the initial seven days following the first day of the course, there will be no refund made.

If the student is paying by installments, the remaining installment/s must be paid by the due date/s.

Payment of fees may be made in 3 installments or 10 monthly installments, however, these options incur an additional administration fee.
Full details on fee payment will be arranged upon enrolment.
 

Clinical Training fees:
These are included in the tuition fees.

Cost of Books:
$750 per year (estimated)

Cost of books can vary greatly. Some texts are published in India and are inexpensive. Others published in USA or UK are more expensive. The cost of $750 is an estimated one only.
The required texts in each year form the basis of the hom¦opath's reference library for his/her future practice.

The College reserves the right to adjust or alter fees at any time over the course. However, such fee adjustments will, at all times, be kept to a minimum.

WCOH is not eligible for funding by Ministry of Education. Therefore students are not eligible for Student Loans.

Inter-provider Link

This College maintains a close liaison with the Bay of Plenty College of Hom¦opathy, & Auckland College of Classical Homeopathy including some inter-provider moderation.

The Faculty

Gwyneth Evans, Principal
RCHom., Reflexology Cert., Aura-Soma Pract.

Gwyneth Evans studied homeopathy at the London College of Homeopathy, and has been working as a professional homeopath in her practice in Tawa since 1987.
She is a registered member of the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths having previously served as their inagural President for two years. She is Chairperson of the Homeopathy Advisory Board which liaises with NZQA to monitor the Homeopathy Unit Standards.
Gwyneth has been vice-chairperson of the International Council of Classical Homeopathy (ICCH). She has had a long involvment with the writing of homeopathic unit standards and with the development of professional organisation in New Zealand.
She has taught in Malaysia, and has presented papers at conferences in Tasmania, Brisbane, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC, as well as in NZ.
Gwyneth has also taught at the Bay of Plenty College, in both their regular and Post-Graduate Courses.

Lecturers

Each year, the College invites lecturers from around New Zealand. All NZ lecturers in clinical subjects are registered members of the NZ Council of Homeopaths. In 2006 lecturers have included:

	Tracey Bonnington Dip Hom., RCHom. Tracey has a Diploma in Education, and before becoming interested in homeopathy, worked as a kindergarten teacher. Tracey is a graduate of the Wellington College of Homeopathy and maintains a practice in Raumati Beach.
	Michael Dong MPS, RCHom. Trained as a pharmacist in New Zealand, Mike studied homeopathy in London with post-graduate studies at the Dynamis School. From 1991 to 1996 he worked at Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy in Tunbridge Wells. He currently has a homeopathic practice in Wellington and is a partner at Simillimum Homeopathic Pharmacy in Wellington.
	Helen Henderson R.N; A.D.N; Dip Hom. Cert. Soc. St;. Aura-Soma Practitioner. Helen is a Registered General and Obstetric Nurse with a special interest in the nursing of children with high and complex medical needs. She completed an Advanced Diploma in Nursing. Helen shares her home (KaraHandD's) with two other Registered Nurses, providing shared care to children and young people who are differently abled in order for them and their families to have much needed 'timeout'. She utilises her multiple complementary skills in a professional and personal capacity and enjoys sharing her experiences and skills with others.
	Alastair Gray DSH (Devon), PCH (London), RSHom (UK), AHA (Aust.), BA Hons (Otago) Alastair trained as a homeopath at The School of Homeopathy in Devon with Misha Norland. He also attended the Dynamis School of Advanced Homeopathic Studies in London with Jeremy Sherr. Alastair currently practices homeopathy in Sydney, Australia. He teaches at the Sydney College of Homeopathic Medicine. He has lectured world wide and is a regular presenter for the Homeopathic Academic Council in Malaysia. He has done a number of homeopathic "provings" including Box Jellyfish, Mosquito (Culex), and Cactus.
	Carole Willson DC (Toronto), BSc., MSc (Toronto) Dr. Carole Willson graduated with a doctor of chiropractic with clinic honours from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Prior to this she obtained a B.Sc. & an M.Sc. from the University of Toronto. She is currently completing a certificate of adult education. Since moving to NZ in 1998 Carole has established a private practice in Kelburn. Carole is a member of the NZCA and the examination committee of the NZ Chiropractic Board.
	Susanna Shelton BA (USA), MDiv. (UK), ADH, RCHom Susanna completed undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Economics. She undertook post-graduate studies at the Harvard Divinity School and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, graduating with a Masters degree in Practical and Systemic Theology. She trained in homeopathy at the London College of Homeopathy. She is Principal of the Bay of Plenty College of Homeopathy.
	Nicki Walker BSoc.Sci., RCHom. Nicki Walker graduated with the Wellington College of Homeopathy, and practices from 2 multi-disciplinary clinics in Wellington and Lowe Hutt. Nicki has training in physiotherapy and a degree in psychology. Prior to studying homeopathy Nicki spent 8 years with the former Housing Corporation as Branch Manager and earlier as a Customer Services/ Research Unit Manager. Nicki is also an Executive Board member for the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths.
	Pauline Wilson BA, LCH (London), RCHom. Pauline started her homoeopathic training at the London College of Homoeopathy in 1980, completing the Licentiate in 1984. Ongoing postgraduate studies have been in India, Greece, England and New Zealand. Pauline maintains practices in Wellington and Paekakariki and brings 20 years of clinical experience to her teaching role.
	Leila Joffee In 1998 Leila gained her homeopathy Diploma in the Netherlands, with a Post-Graduate Diploma from The Hahnemann Institute for Classical Homeopathy in The Hague in 1999. With Diplomas in both Marriage and Family Counselling and a BSc in Psychology, she brings this experience and knowledge to her homeopathic teaching. She is a passionate and enthusiastic tutor.