Large Seminar room and classroom
Here at the ICTCM in Dublin 3, we thought you would be interested in our recent Coronavirus update about our TCM Acupuncture Training programme.
We are looking forward to seeing our new first year students on the weekend of 10th and 11th October for the start of the new Lic.TCM group. A few places are still available for this programme and we are still accepting applications and arranging Zoom interview for suitable candidates.
I wanted to let you know about the location of the teaching sessions in 2020. As some of our staff and students normally travel to the college in Dublin by air, and the quarantining regulations are changing day by day in some parts of Europe, we have decided that the first few sessions of this academic year will be held as Zoom meetings.
As the winter progresses, and we see how well the Covid-19 situation is under control, we will review this. We are also arranging to be able to have mixed groups of distanced learning students and face-to-face taught students. So, when the situation is right and it is safe to do so, we will introduce some face to face teaching sessions in the College and, if a student or member of staff is not able to attend college due to quarantine restrictions, there will be a facility available to enable that/those students to join the group via Zoom.
Large classroom with Herbal students
When we do resume some face-to-face teaching, the College is very suitable to ensure social distancing can be maintained. We have 2 large classrooms and can easily arrange a one way system and good cleaning protocols around the college areas. We have small groups and each student will have his/her own desk at a good distance from other students.
Having run last year’s first and second year groups from March to July 2020 via Zoom we are all used to this method of teaching at a distance, and it has worked well. So, no matter whether we are meeting in College of via Zoom we are sure our students’ learning experience will be productive and enjoyable.
Acupuncture Department staff profile of Titta Laattala
How did a Finnish woman end up being a teacher and Clinical Supervisor at the ICTCM in Dublin?
Titta Laattala graduating in 2009
I have always been drawn to teaching – my younger sister knows this well. When I first went to Primary School, after coming home in the afternoon I would sit her down and try to teach her everything I’d learned that day. She may not have appreciated this much – I do hope that my current TCM students are able to make better use of my efforts of imparting knowledge!
Originally, I started out in General Linguistics at Helsinki University. Language and grammar were my first love. I had hoped to arrive at some kind of deeper, more profound understanding of human cognition, perhaps even human nature, through the languages that we use as the interface with the world and with each other. But as I progressed with my studies, I begun to realise how theoretical and book-bound a career as a linguist would be, and that seemed daunting. So I took a break and went traveling, left for an adventure.
I had always been into theatre and literature and there were a great many Irish authors and playwrights that I was fascinated by, James Joyce of course, Oscar Wilde, John Millington Synge, and others. That is what brought me to Ireland and to Dublin. I wanted to know more about this place that had produced such incredible writing.
What attracted you to the Acupuncture TCM profession in the first place?
While in Dublin I had acupuncture treatment with Professor Tom Shanahan. I had never even heard of acupuncture before, but it worked so well that I really wanted to understand what it was, and not just understand at a theoretical level but I wanted to be able to do it myself. He pointed me to this great little book called ‘The Web that has no Weaver’ by Ted Kaptchuk. I read it and it gave me the first little glimpse into the medical system that is TCM and soon after I enrolled into the Acupuncture Training Lic.TCM course at the ICTCM.
As I learned TCM I could see that, compared to General Linguistics, it had one huge advantage. When I studied linguistics, my very accomplished professor said to us students:
“Listen, don’t think you will ever make a difference by being a linguist. If you want to bring about a political change, if you want to bring about a social or individual change, you need to do it elsewhere, you will not do it through linguistics. This is a theoretical endeavour, this has no practical relevance”.
Well, Acupuncture TCM is hugely relevant. It can make a difference. It can make a difference at an individual level, and through the individual it can change the family, the neighbourhood, perhaps even the society. TCM is not just an elegant, pretty theory – it works, and it can be applied directly to help people. And there is no better feeling in the world than to be able to help somebody, especially when other things they’ve tried have failed.
Also the medical tradition that is TCM is so old and vast, that you never really run out of things to learn. Your patients prompt the search for a better understanding and you go back to the medical theory to be able to better help them. Then you go back to your patient and back to practice and apply what you found in your research. It never becomes stagnant, or boring.
Editorial Note: Titta is one of the Acupuncture TCM Teachers and one of the Acupuncture Clinical Supervisors working with third year students in the Teaching Clinic.
What’s it like being a Clinical Supervisor?
Clinical Supervisor Titta Laattala with two of the 2020 graduates
Being a Clinical Supervisor in the ICTCM’s Teaching Clinic is incredibly demanding but also incredibly rewarding. You have to keep track of everything, be on top of multiple things all at once, and be able to diagnose and devise a treatment strategy and points selection on the spot, all the while overseeing the running of a busy student clinic. However, it is doubly rewarding in a way. Not only do you get to see patients getting better, but you also get to see students transitioning from a TCM student to a TCM practitioner, learning how to put the theory into use. It can be very exciting and the Clinical Supervisor himself or herself also learns a lot from each clinic.
Do you run a clinic of your own?
I run three clinics in London, in three different locations although one of them is now closed until the Autumn due to the Covid-19 lockdown. I also work with vulnerable women through a charity in London’s Kings Cross. Practising in different clinics is interesting because different sorts of people with different kinds of problems find their way to you depending on the location and type of clinic you’re in.
Editorial Note: Titta is a fully qualified and insured Acupuncture TCM practitioner and also has a Diploma in Chinese Herbal Medicine. She is also qualified as a Medical Qigong practitioner.
What do you do for enjoyment?
I am a passionate swimmer. There is no such thing as a bad day that a few lengths of butterfly-stroke could not wash away! This year because of the lockdown, I set up a little pool in the back garden where I could swim with the use of a “tether”. That means being tied to a pole with a bungee and swimming stationary. I’ve also been traveling out of London to lakes and the sea because the pools have not been open, and that is actually great. Less chlorine, more fresh air and much better scenery.
Acupuncture Training – now is a great time to change career
Acupuncture point illustration
Have you thought about Acupuncture as a career? During the lockdown imposed by Covid-19 restrictions many adults are reviewing their life choices and thinking of training for a new career. Here at the ICTCM we train adults in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We have adapted our training methods during Covid-19 so that our current students have had the opportunity to progress on the path to becoming a fully qualified and fully insured practitioner. We have not had to interrupt our training schedule, though, of course, we have had to adapt our teaching methods to encompass all necessary health and safety requirements. As our Director and Registrar are fully trained Cambridge University educated teachers, and our staff are flexible and committed, this has not been difficult to achieve.
We are currently interviewing suitable applicants for places on our next training programme which begins in October 2020, so, if you are thinking of changing career we would like to hear from you. Our Prospectus can be reached here and includes an Application form, Fee information and a summary of the Licentiate in TCM Acupuncture Training.
Our part time 3 year course provides full professional training in Acupuncture TCM. The Lic.TCM qualification provides entry to the oldest TCM professional body in Ireland, and full professional insurance for practice in both Ireland and the UK. We pride ourselves on setting and maintaining high standards for ourselves and our students. We accept applicants who wish to achieve a high level of both under-pinning knowledge of TCM and confidence and competence as a Chinese Medical Acupuncturist. This does, of course, require commitment and hard work. However, the programme is organised in such a way that it can be successfully studied by busy adults who are wishing to change career – provided they have the interest and determination to succeed. The link here gives detailed information about the differences between various types of Acupuncture and Training.
“As a fully trained, professional and insured practitioner of Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Medical Qigong, and teacher at the ICTCM for more than 30 years, I feel privileged to be in a field in which my work contributes to people’s health and well-being. I also value being part of an ongoing transmission of a more than two thousand year old medical tradition. The whole study of TCM is fascinating and encompassing and I look forward to welcoming you to join us.” (Mary, Registrar).
From time to time we provide profiles of our Staff and graduates. In our next post we will be telling the story of one of our Senior Clinical Supervisors from Finland, who was a Linguistics specialist before training with us in TCM.
Acupuncture Training 2020 at the ICTCM – Coronavirus update
Update 2021
In spite of the current pandemic of Coronavirus, the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine are happy to report that we are continuing to provide teaching to the students on our Acupuncture and TCM programmes.
Of course, Covid-19 has meant that we have to do some things differently.
For more than 35 years we have run our successful 3 year part time Professional Acupuncture TCM Training face-to-face. So, it has been an interesting challenge to enable our current students to continue uninterrupted with their studies during these difficult times of social distancing. We have introduced much more online and video conferencing learning. And our staff and students have risen to the challenge.
Since the 2020 intake began in early October, the Teaching weekends have all been via Zoom. Regarding later in 2021, much will obviously depend on whether the spread of the Coronavirus is under control and whether it is allowed to meet in groups. When it is safe, the students will meet face-to-face with staff for practical training in the College in Dublin.
Given the success of our current teaching methods, once the pandemic is over, we will introduce more Distanced Learning sessions into our normal teaching schedule. This will mean that students, who normally come into the college for 2 full days every 4 weeks (approximately), will not have to come to Dublin in person so often.
Information about this will be updated at interview for applicants for October 2021.
For an Online Prospectus pack please click here.
Acupuncture Training – schedule changes due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
The Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has suspended face-to-face teaching at our College for the foreseeable future, but we will be running all the remaining teaching sessions via video-conferencing and will be providing other online support, as required.
Happy New Year of the Rat
Happy New Year of the Rat
New Year’s greetings from the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Chinese year starts today, on 25 January 2020, and ends on 11 February 2021, when the Year of the Ox begins.
Each Chinese New Year is characterised by one of 12 animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac – this year, is the Year of the Rat. It is the first animal in the zodiac cycle and is, thus seen to be a great time for new beginnings. New ventures should flourish.
So, if you are thinking about changing career and moving into Chinese Medicine as a trainee practitioner why not consider making the change this year and joining the 3 year part time Professional Acupuncture TCM training programme which begins in October each year?
If you would like us to send you a paper-based prospectus pack please send us your postal address, via our Contact page. Alternatively you can find the recently updated pack online. If you are already a practitioner perhaps this is a good year to set up a new clinic in another town. Or, you might want to consider extending your range of therapeutic options with a post-graduate course.
Whatever your plans for the year ahead we wish all our students, staff, colleagues, practitioners and friends every success and hope you will be blessed with good health and happiness.
Tom Shanahan and Mary Plunkett
Season’s Greetings from ICTCM
Deep and crisp and even.
Happy Christmas and a joyful New Year
Wishing all our friends, colleagues, students and staff a wonderful time during the festive season.
From all at the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
New Acupuncture students in Dublin, Ireland
Some of the 2018-2019 students outside the College in Dublin 3
The Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine is very happy to welcome our new Acupuncture TCM students to study with us in our College and Acupuncture Clinic in Dublin 3.
We wish all our students a successful and stimulating year.
The 2019 Academic Year commenced in October and the next intake of students will be in October 2020.
Acupuncture – What does an Acupuncturist do?
A fine needle in an Acupuncture Point
If you are thinking of changing career and are considering training to become an Acupuncturist, it is import to realise that many different people call themselves Acupuncturists. So, first you need to decide what type of Acupuncturist you want to be, and then you need to find a suitable College that will provide the training you need.
What does an Acupuncturist do?
By definition, Acupuncture involves the piercing of the skin by a needle. So, the simplest answer to the question “What does an Acupuncturist do?” is, “they insert needles into a person (or animal)”.
Why is this done?
As the word “Acupuncturist” comes from the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the objective is to treat a medical condition.Thus, a Chinese Medical Doctor, whose main treatment specialism involves the use of fine needles to treat a patient, is called an Acupuncturist and the title would only be used to refer to a fully qualified Chinese Medical practitioner of Acupuncture. The doctor would make a diagnosis of the patient using all the specialist methods of TCM and would then select the appropriate Acupuncture points to needle in order to treat the patient.
In China, if the patient is a human being they will be treated in a Chinese Medical Hospital or Clinic. Animals would be treated by Veterinary Acupuncturists.
So are all Acupuncturists in Ireland, the UK, and other parts of Europe, fully trained practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Pulse Diagnosis in the ICTCM Clinic
No. Those who have trained at an established and reputable college, such as the Irish College of TCM (ICTCM), will have studied intensively for 3 years to learn all the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills of Chinese Medicine that are required to safely and effectively treat patients with real medical conditions. They are fully trained practitioners of TCM and may refer to themselves as Chinese Medical Acupuncturists or Practitioners of Acupuncture TCM.
Is this the same as a Western Medical Acupuncturist?
No. Some Western Medicine (WM) professionals, have trained at the Irish College of TCM and are Chinese Medical Acupuncturists as well as being WM Doctors or nurses, but most Western Medical Doctors, nurses and Physiotherapists who say they do Acupuncture have only completed a short introductory course in Chinese Medicine and use the insertion of needles as an adjunct to their Western Medicine treatment. They make a diagnosis according the principles and theories of Western Medicine.
Are Acupuncturists in Alternative medicine or Complementary Medicine clinics all trained in TCM?
Not all of them. Some have studied at the ICTCM and are fully trained and will be members of a Professional Body such as the Professional Register of TCM. However, some therapists in such clinics have learned how to insert needles but have not learned how to make a TCM, or indeed any, medical diagnosis.
What about Cosmetic Acupuncture?
Most people offering cosmetic acupuncture are not fully trained and insured in TCM, and do not treat medical conditions.
Acupuncture Treatment in the Teaching Clinic of the Irish College of TCM
Where can I train to become a Chinese Medical Acupuncturist able to use Traditional Chinese Medicine to make a diagnosis, determine a treatment plan and provide the correct Acupuncture treatment?
The Acupuncture Department, at the Irish College of TCM which was set up in 1983, has been training people to become wholly safe, competent, confident, professional practitioners of Acupuncture TCM since that early date.
Our Professional Acupuncture Training programme begins in October each year and anyone wishing to apply for this year’s intake should contact us straight away as we have almost finished recruitment for this coming academic year.
Health and the Seasons – Late Summer
Harvest in Late Summer
When does Autumn begin? Is it still summer at the moment, or is there a touch of autumn in the air? Are we at the cusp of a change of season?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the change of seasons is a period when aspects of our health can change and can either get better or worse. TCM theory would say that we are now entering the “Late Summer” season. It is sometimes called “Indian Summer” in English.
In nature it is a time of Harvest, when we gather in the fruits of our labour. It is said that that “we reap what we sow”. This means that if we have sown bad seeds these will not produce a healthy and bountiful crop. Or, if we have not tended to the needs of our seedlings when they are growing, or the weather has been inclement, the yield will be poor.
Harvest
So too in our everyday lives. If we have not “sown good seeds” or paid due care and attention to our new projects, this can affect our health and wellbeing. If we have had a stressful Spring, setting up new ventures, striving to get ahead and be successful without taking necessary care of ourselves and others around us, our plans may not come to fruition. We may then feel worse in the Late Summer.
In terms of our own health, this season is traditionally associated, with the physiological system, referred to in Chinese, as Pi (and Wei). The notion of Pi in TCM covers a wide variety of human functions, ranging over a wide expanse of human activities. Among other things Pi is responsible for the body’s ability to adequately transform food and drink into Qi – the vital energy necessary for life. It is also responsible for separating out and getting rid of the waste products in daily living. Its widest function is that of transporting the Qi throughout the entire person. Typically, a variety of “digestive” disorders may have their roots in Pi dysfunction and can get worse (or better) in Late Summer.
On a more mental level, Pi is responsible for transforming and transporting ideas. Failure in respect of this function can manifest as overthinking and repetitive or even obsessive thinking. Ideas can stick in the mind and clarity of mind will suffer. The person will not be able to separate good ideas or thoughts from bad ones.
Humidity or Dampness also “Distresses” Pi, so if the weather in Late Summer is Damp, clarity of Mind and efficiency of “Digestion” on all levels can be impaired. Other Damp-related symptoms like certain types of pain in the joints can also become worse during this season.
An Acupuncturist who is fully trained in the field of TCM, would be able to offer specifically tailored treatment and Chinese Medical advice to a patient who was susceptible to illnesses arising from, or getting worse, during the Late Summer.
Are you the sort of person who would be interested in learning, according to millennia of ancient venerable traditions, how different seasons influence and deeply affect yourself, other people and the entire environment around you? In more immediately practical terms, relating here to a self-employed profession, are you the sort of individual who would be interested in becoming a TCM practitioner, a fully trained, competent and confident health-care professional who would be able to offer such advice and treatment and thereby improve the health and wellbeing of clients?
If so, it is still not too late to apply for a place on our long-established, tried and tested, Professional Acupuncture Training programme, the Licentiate in TCM. The three year part-time course, run by the Irish College of TCM, begins in October each year and is held in our College in Dublin 3.
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