Welcome to ICrA
ICrA is a not-for-profit special interest group for health professionals who include cranial therapy in their practice.
ICrA exists to provide CPD and to support, maintain and develop the practice of cranial therapy.
ICrA members include osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists and other health care professionals. We welcome all practitioners and students with an interest in cranial, cranio-sacral therapy or cranial osteopathy.
ICrA is international with contacts in Belgium, Greece and France. We have links to several colleges in the UK, including College of Osteopaths and European School of Osteopathy.
Latest News [view archive]
ICrA Autumn Study Day - 5th October 2024
The guest speaker is Lin Bridgeford DO FSCCO ICAK(UK) MSc..
Topic: Learn the basics of Applied Kinesiology (AK) muscle testing and how to apply it to cranial treatment for more accuracy.
Registration 09:30 for 10.00 to 17.00. Venue is BCOM, 6 Netherhall Gardens, London NW3 5RR. Attendance Certificates will be issued: 6 hours CPD.
Course fee: £85 for ICRA members; £120 for non-members
Lunch is provided. Please let us know about any dietary requirements when you complete the online booking form.
Book this event online as:
Member Non-Member
About Lin
AK is a diagnostic tool that can be applied to many forms of treatment and assessment, as well as checking the efficacy of the treatment applied. It is an excellent way of having a dialogue with the body. It is an art and a science and needs to be performed accurately for accurate results. Patients often experience it as a kind of magic!
Lin's teaching method is interactive, hands on, empowering and with an element of fun. You will come away with tools to apply to your practice on day 1, with an understanding of how to apply AK muscle testing to your cranial treatments. Lin is passionate about finding the cause of the cause of the cause of problems with her patients and AK is an integral part of this, together with her understanding and experience of the cranial mechanism, visceral manipulation, osteopathy, and a lifetime of dealing with bodies.
Lin has been working with Applied Kinesiology since Dr. Sheldon Deal first taught in Holland in 1982. She continues to study various aspects of Kinesiology and focuses mostly on its application to physical treatment and for functional biochemistry testing. She was accredited as a member of the International College of Applied Kinesiology ICAK (UK) in 2000. Lin qualified as an Osteopath in 1986, completing her Masters in 2007. She completed all the cranial and visceral courses with the Upledger Institute circa 2001 and all the courses with Sutherland Cranial College to become a Fellow of the SCCO circa 2007. She was accredited as a full member of ICRA when giving a talk on fascial listening at the Conference in Germany circa 2000.
Lin teaches Yoga and Pranayama breathing, and works with Sound Therapy (Gongs, Tuning Forks, and Healing with the Voice) as well as NLP, Hypnotherapy, Coaching, with qualifications to teach these modalities. In a previous life she taught dance and worked in IT. She lives in Saltdean, Brighton with 2 cats and has a home clinic with a wonderful sea view to inspire her practice. Once a week she practices in Horam, East Sussex.
ICrA Health Talk Series
Patients expect practitioners, no matter their discipline, to be conversant with chronic health conditions, medical controversies and different therapeutic approaches. When receiving referrals from or making referrals to other healthcare professionals, it is important to be conversant with biomedical and a wide range of therapeutic models. For this reason, the ICrA is offering seven series of monthly talks on themes including: health priorities, medical controversies, chronic health conditions, different therapeutic approaches and environmental aspects of health.
The fourth series of Health talks began in January 2024. The cost to ICrA members of attending a whole of Series of monthly talks is £100 or £25 for each talk. Attendance certificates will be issued. Talks will be recorded for those that may be unable to attend. Please let Brian know on brianeisbell@gmail.com if you are interested in attending any of the talks. Details of Series 4 and 5 are provided below.
Series 4: Therapeutic approaches (January to June 2024)
- 20.01.24 Traditional medical systems – are there lessons for today?
- 17.02.24 Herbal Medicine – what are the medical and holistic approaches?
- 16.03.24 Homeopathy – how can so little be effective?
- 20.04.24 Vibrational medicine - what is it and how could it contribute to health?
- 18.05.24 Physical and mental exercise - why are they vital for health?
- 15.06.24 Self-help methods - how can they strengthen health?
Series 5: Environmental aspects of health (July to December 2024)
- 20.07.24 Healing homes – how can we keep them this way?
- 17.08.24 Food additives – what are they and how to avoid risks?
- 14.09.24 Light – how does it contribute to health?
- 19.10.24 Lyme disease - what are the challenges of this epidemic?
- 16.11.24 Sunshine – more harm than good?
- 14.12.24 Meditation – how does it contribute to health?
Series 6: Managing Chronic Conditions (January to June 2025)
- Hearing and Balance, Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Heart Health and Vision
Series 7: Chronic nutritional problems (July to December 2025)
- Oral health, Minerals and Trace elements, Ultra-processed foods, Sweeteners, Obesity and Food allergies
ICrA is working with CNHC
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
CNHC is the UK voluntary regulator for complementary healthcare practitioners that was set up with government support to protect the public by providing a UK voluntary register of complementary therapists. CNHC's register has been approved as an Accredited Register by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. This means CNHC has met the Professional Standards Authority's demanding standards. All CNHC registered practitioners are entitled to use CNHC's quality mark which demonstrates a commitment to professionalism and high standards. The public and those who commission the services of complementary healthcare practitioners can choose with confidence, by looking for the CNHC quality mark.
CNHC Registration
The CNHC has agreed that the ICrA may continue to verify applications for CNHC registration until 31st August 2024 and we encourage any members, who have not done so already, to register in order to gain the CNHC quality mark. The criteria for entry to the register can be downloaded from CNHC web site. Members wishing to register should download a Request to Register Form, to be completed and returned to ICrA by post or email. We will then request further details from you in order to check your eligibility for registration.
To find out more about the CNHC, you may email info@cnhc.org.uk, call 020 3668 0406, or visit www.cnhc.org.uk.
Don't forget to check your advertising complies with ASA guidance
You are strongly advised to ensure that your practice advertising complies with ASA/CAP guidance. For useful advice see the guidance sheet which can be downloaded from the CNHC web site.
ICrA Facebook Page
Our Facebook page is now live. If you have a Facebook account, please 'Like' us to see news and events information in your news feed.