• We have no formal exams. Instead, we have a student-friendly self-assessment programme.
  
• We encourage you to practice what you learn, while you learn. We believe you learn best through experience, not just through the accumulation of knowledge.
• We acknowledge previous learning and individuals life-skills and experience.

• We balance 'inner' development with 'outer' learning, as the process of becoming a healer is just as important as learning the material.
  
• We help you to develop an understanding and awareness of the human energy system in place of the biomedical model.

• We have open feedback channels and we encourage regular student feedback on how we can improve our training.
  
• We encourage an open-minded, non-dogmatic approach to homœopathy and healing, recognising that each student has individual interests and skills.
  
• We recognise the importance of the practitioner-patient relationship, and help students to develop good practitioner and interpersonal skills.

We have found that our students benefit enormously from having regular contact with their own personal tutor, so we have developed a personal tutor network of practitioners. A small group of students are allocated to each practitioner, with whom they meet monthly for case support and guidance. Our tutors encourage each student to put into practice what they have learned, and to develop trust in their own individual way of working. This invaluable part of the training is included in the course fee.

Formal examinations will not be carried out as our desire is for you to enjoy learning by experience without the pressure of having to perform academically. We will, however, expect you to maintain a comprehensive learning journal to record your learning, your own developing interests and to reflect your own progress by means of ongoing self-assessment, and we will support you in  this  process  by giving encouragement, and where needed, ideas. Twice a year your personal tutor and one other staff member will give you individual feedback after sharing these journals. There will also be space on the timetable to help you develop your learning journal. At the end of each year, all students will take part in a three-way process involving self-assessment, peer-group assessment and tutor assessment in order to gain a balanced overview of the level of progress made. A further requirement of you during the course is that you will experience receiving homeopathic treatment. Students are required to submit five cases for graduation that demonstrate sound homeopathic practice. Coaching is provided throughout this process. Personal tutors and clinicians report student progress on a regular basis to the regional coordinators and provide an annual assessment report for every student.

Our student training clinics are held regularly in various locations, providing opportunities for students to learn and practice clinical skills in a supervised environment. They also provide the added benefit of low-cost treatment to the general public. Students may join the training clinics from the second year of the training course onwards, for which a fee to cover costs will be charged. Students must complete a minimum of 150 hours clinical training.

Upon successful completion of the three year training, you will be awarded a certificate of completion, and we expect you to have gained the following:

• A greater understanding and awareness of yourself

• A holistic understanding of the processes of health and disease

• Confidence in your abilities to help others to heal themselves

• Knowledge and experience of using homeopathy, herbs, flower essences and other gentle means to restore and maintain health both for yourself and others

• Some close friendships

• A supportive network to help and encourage you to put what you have learned into practice

Our full practitioner qualification, Member of the Lakeland College (M.L.C. Hom) will be awarded to those students who, in addition to completing the third year of the course, also satisfy all of the following criteria:

• Maintenance of a comprehensive learning journal

• Regular attendance (minimum 80%) at both college and at tutor group, and obtaining a positive recommendation from a personal and clinical tutor

• Attainment of at least one hundred and fifty supervised clinical hours, and receipt of a satisfactory clinical supervisor’s report

• Submission of five detailed case histories of patients treated, with at least two follow-up reports. (These are submitted one at a time with constructive feedback given at each stage of the process.)

Students part way to membership, but without all components in place at the end of three years, may be awarded Licienciate of The Lakeland College (L.L.C.Hom). This is an interim award for students who choose to pace their qualification over an extended period of time.

Registration Our priority is to produce the best training we can, based on our own experience and the feedback we receive from our students. We do not, therefore, claim affiliation with any of the homeopathic registering organisations. This enables us to continue to develop an innovative, student-centred training that is unencumbered by the constraints of an imposed curriculum. Nonetheless, our training is currently recognised by two of the three main registering bodies, and we have been actively involved in the process of creating National Occupational Standards for homeopathy, which are reflected in our curriculum.

Is this training for you?

Our training course will most likely be suitable for you:

N.B. Attendance at one of our introductory grassroots classes, induction weekends or an equivalent beginner's class is necessary for those who have no previous experience of homeopathy. It is possible to complete this during the first year. However it is more beneficial to you to do this prior to commencing. See entry requirements for further details.

“All the money, schools and degrees of the outer world cannot provide inner certainty. It comes only from a true calling, dutifully followed through many storms and problems. Along the way an inner sense of competence develops. When a certain level of genuine assuredness is reached the healer is entitled to receive what I call the 'inner medical license'.”
Matthew Wood
Seven Herbs: Plants as Teachers

Some components of the syllabus may vary slightly to reflect the changing needs of each student group and the evolution of the course as a whole. To help reinforce your learning we will make use of live case sessions and/or video recordings at intervals throughout the course. You will also be encouraged to practice the techniques and prescribe the remedies you have learnt, and to share your experiences in a supportive environment.

"My estimate is that conventional medicine is appropriate for maybe fifteen to twenty per cent of cases for which it is now being used. If we restricted it to those instances in which it was appropriate, we wouldn't have the health-care crisis that we do today." Andrew Weil, M.D.

Entry Requirements
In order to join the Homœopathy Training Course, an understanding of the basic principles, first-aid remedies and terminology of homœopathy is recommended. As a minimum, we advise attendance on one of our Grassroots Classes, or an equivalent beginners' class which provides a thorough introduction to the subject. If you are unable to attend such a class, we offer an intensive Induction Weekend which will take place several weeks before the course commences. The other main requirement is an open mind and a willingness to explore and expand yourself beyond any current limitations. Whilst an ability to study is, of course, necessary, no formal academic qualifications are required. Please see our Events Diary for details of Homeopathy Grassroots Classes or call the office.

Recommended Books
There are literally thousands of homeopathic and holistic health books available and we recommend the following titles as being those that will most assist you in your training. A wide range of titles, including those listed below, are available from The Lakeland College office, and many of them with a discount off the full retail price. We also carry a range of audiotapes and practitioner supplies which you will find on our full price list, available from the office.

Pre-course reading

Gemmell	Everyday Homeopathy
Lakeland College	Grassroots Homeopathy Handbook
Page	Frontiers of Health
Brewster-Reilly	Organon of Healing by Samuel Hahnemann
If you have no prior knowledge of anatomy, physiology & pathology, we recommend:
Ross & Wilson	Anatomy & Physiology
Gascoigne	Manual of Convential Medicine for Alternative Practitioners

Two essential reference books you will need are a homeopathic repertory and a comprehensive materia medica - these are expensive but should be seen as investments that will last for many years. We recommend:

	Murphy	Homeopathic Medical Repertory
and either	Vermeulen	Concordant Materia Medica
or	Murphy	Homeopathic Remedy Guide