Our philosophy
At Canterbury Osteopathic Clinic we believe in giving the best possible treatment, which is why our appointments are scheduled to take a little longer than most: one hour on your first appointment to get to know you, find out what kind of treatment to give and then to have a full treatment all in the same visit; 40 minutes is allocated for subsequent appointments to reassess your situation and monitor any changes. You will have time to relax during the treatment, which helps with your self-healing process. As children usually have less history, a first appointment for a child under sixteen is scheduled for 40 minutes.

Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a form of primary healthcare using the hands for diagnosis and treatment: osteopathy is a protected title and regulated by law in the UK.

Although practitioners at Canterbury Osteopathic Clinic are fully trained in 'conventional' osteopathic manipulation, we believe that in most cases osteopathic treatment in the cranial field is a more appropriate form of treatment. We have found through experience that most treatments using 'cranial osteopathy' tend to be more effective and give longer lasting benefit than 'structural osteopathy'. It is not just about treating your head: osteopathy in the cranial field can be applied to any part of the body, and affects the whole. We have both trained extensively in the biodynamic approach to osteopathy in the cranial field, according to the syllabus of James Jealous DO, which is based on the original cranial concept by William Sutherland DO. Every patient is treated as an individual, and the type of treatment will be chosen according to the presenting complaint, medical history and findings on examination.

First Visit
New clients are asked to arrive a few minutes before the appointed time to fill in a simple registration form (if not sent by post beforehand). An extensive case history will be taken on the first visit to determine a diagnosis, prognosis and the most appropriate treatment method. Please bring details of any current medication and/or supplements taken. X-ray and imaging slides or reports may be useful if available.

Clothing
For osteopathy treatment clients may be asked to undress to underwear for examination and treatment. For craniosacral therapy treatment it is not usually necessary to undress, but please wear light comfortable clothing. Babies may be undressed for examination, but treatment is usually given through clothing.

Complaints
We offer a professional service and hope your experience will be a good one, but if you are not satisfied in any way please direct your issues to one of the osteopaths at the clinic in the first instance either verbally or in writing. Should you not wish to contact one particular osteopath for any reason, you can always speak to the other, and your issue will be dealt with appropriately. If you are not satisfied with the outcome you can contact the General Osteopathic Council, 176 Tower Bridge Road, London, SE1 3LU.