Shiatsu Society

by Mentors

Why do Shiatsu practitioners become involved in Mentoring?
Many of us would like to see more students qualifying and more graduates going on to MRSS. We have enjoyed working to gain our own qualifications but also know how hard it can be at times, just to keep going, and we would like to help other people along the way. Besides which, it does seem that not nearly enough of the public are aware of Shiatsu, and the more of us get qualified the more we will be able to publicise Shiatsu and get more clients for our services.

Am I suitable to become a Mentor?
If you are a current member of the Shiatsu Society, have passed your MRSS assessment, and are keen to do it, then the answer is probably ‘yes’.   You must be willing to give a minimum of two or three hours a month, free, to meet with, or speak on the phone to (their phone bill, not yours!) one or more mentees, generally looking for advice on studying, dealing with exams, future planning, and often, business skills. You do not have to be a big or small ‘T’ (though we are delighted if any of them want to join us)—just keen to help people a few rungs below you on the ladder. AND you don’t need to have passed all your exams with flying colours—I would say in fact that perhaps the ideal mentor is one who has NOT done that, but has learned how to struggle through and get there in the end (but then I would say that , wouldn’t I?) You must also be willing to complete the Induction Pack.

What sort of things are Mentees likely to want help with?
Basically , anything which has a bearing on their Shiatsu, but particularly perhaps, time management, exam preparation, confidence-building generally. And some, especially the graduates, will want advice and realistic ideas about building up a business in our field. Many Mentees will come to you with some clear ideas about what they want, but others may be much less sure. In every case it will be important to have an exploratory discussion so that you can both be as clear as possible about what the mentee is looking for, whether you can help them, how to plan your contacts.

What sort of things should mentees not expect me to help with?
Athough there is an obvious overlap between teaching and mentoring (as many teachers have commented), by and large your mentee should not expect you to be teaching the theory of Shiatsu; they must look to their schools for that. Nor should you be expected to offer the mentee counselling; this is not your responsibility, beyond discussing with your mentee, if it seems appropriate, whether they should be seeking this kind of help elsewhere. A partnership of equals (you are as keen for them to get on well as they are) and friendly encouragement, is your limited, but nevertheless very important brief.

Is there a mentoring training?
No, we cannot offer a mentoring training, and there is, as far as we are aware, no nationally recognised mentoring training in this country. However, there are plenty of privately run mentoring trainings and many organisations are beginning to run these, mostly as in-house trainings. You may find plenty of references to these on the web. Your most important training is your own Shiatsu training and experience, but we are giving all volunteer mentors the chance to attend one of our induction days, which in fact will be obligatory, where you will be meeting other mentors, helping in the exciting process of starting up this new service, and we will all be contributing our ideas equally about what mentees need. In recognition of your generosity in offering your time, we will not be charging for these days. Travelling expenses, if you have a long way to come, may be a possibility, but we will have to see how the budget works out! I hope too that we may be able to hold some induction days in your local areas—last year during the pilot scheme we had two in London and one in Perth.

Does the Shiatsu Society recommend mentors to mentees?
We can refer mentees to mentors, but not make a recommendation as such. What we are offering is a kind of self-help network but the Society cannot be responsible for any advice or suggestions you make to mentees. As explained to the mentees (see above) we are not offering you a training or expecting you to work to a set of rigid guide-lines, but we hope the induction day will be a useful introduction, and support your enthusiasm and willingness to take part in this scheme.

What are the Induction days like?
Mostly fun—five or six hours meeting with about eight to a dozen like-minded people, who want to see more Shiatsu practitioners out there and spreading their wings. There will be discussions about the qualities of good mentoring, looking at boundaries, listening skills, confidentiality, problem areas, and so on. Plenty of time to share your own ideas and hear from other people, some of whom will have already done some mentoring. We have some role play around mentoring, and we always do at least a short session of Shiatsu, to keep in mind what it’s all about.

How much time should I be spending with my mentees?
No more than you feel happy with. Normally, no more than two to three hours per month, unless you wish to.

How many mentees should I be helping?
That is up to you, but probably not more than one or two at a time unless you want to give up a lot more than two or three hours a month. However, you may find that your first mentee or two are happy with a one-off phone call, in which case you will be able to respond to another request quite quickly.

What if I have not received any contacts yet?
Then let the Office know and they can allocate another mentee to you.