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 Spring Study Day - 27th April 2024
The guest speaker is Mary Bolingbroke DO, BSc.
Topic: Working with Ancestral and Collective Trauma
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.
Click here for more information
Book this event online as:
Member Non-Member
About Mary
I came to osteopathy when my Granny's arthritic knee flared up bringing her life of independence to a standstill. At a local Education Advice Centre I asked about massage courses, thinking that may help Granny's knee. An insightful woman there said, 'Learn osteopathy, if you don't like it, after a term you will have learned enough to be a masseur, but if you do like it you will have a career for life', off I went to the British School of Osteopathy and sure enough she was right, before the year was out, I was hooked, graduating as an osteopath in 1992.
My post graduate training began when I started work at the Osteopathic Centre for Children in London and it was there that I experienced first hand how incredibly effective craniosacral osteopathy can be. Inspired, I went on to study with the Sutherland Society and later with Dr Jim Jealous in the UK and USA.
In 1997 I began teaching osteopathy in the U.K and in Ireland at the Daisy Clinic Trust, an osteopathic paediatric training centre. Since then, I have also continued to deepen my understanding of this fascinating subject by studying with leading teachers in Europe and the USA and working with animals.
I love osteopathy because every patient has a different story and every story is as interesting and intriguing as the last. Being a part of the healing journey that is woven into that story is quite a privilege.
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
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