professionalisation and regulation

I managed to get to the CAMBRA conference in Birmingham last week, despite the pain in my legs/back thankfully.

It was a really interesting and pleasant event.  What a pleasure to have pleasant accommodation, welcoming people, interesting company, and stimulating talks and discussions through the following day.

Two points that stuck in my mind were:

1. (Professor) Julie Stone is so interesting in her view of professionalisation and regulation.  She reminded us that actually the present situation is not so bad.  And suggested that the recent years of professionalisation and regulation have perhaps led to 'us' losing our original passion and radicalism.  Perhaps we need to revisit and recapture some of this?  It was memorable her talking about leading her first yoga class where she worried one of the participants had died.  Brilliant honesty, and food for thought.

2.  Heather Boon made the observation as we discussed research that we should do research that supports ourselves as practitioners, not just research tactically designed to impress the medics (and which probably inevitably will never be considered 'sufficient').  Right on, Heather.

cheers folks
keep hoping the leg/back will improve - it has, but today I stayed inside all day in a sluggish kind of way.
crossed fingers.
catherine.