How to Reduce Risk and Improve Productivity: A Crash Course

What comes to mind when you think of risk? There’s a likelihood that your first thought might dwell on the risk you took launching your own energy medicine practice!

We tend to think of a job as a secure, stable way to make a living, yet we’ve learned that is not the case. However, taking the plunge and becoming an entrepreneur comes with its own unique risks.

When considering the pros and cons of business ownership, you might have written down your checklist when making plans for your venture. While jotting down your notes and research, did you ever think of the options available to you to minimize the risk of starting something new?

What do you know about risk management and its impact on your business? Did it occur to you that along with minimizing risk, these steps could also help to improve your productivity?

When it concerns risk management, you could approach your business from three different channels with each channel having its own set of professional considerations and risk reducing measures:

• Type of practice – This channel addresses your professional qualifications and steps to minimize risk.
• Physical space – From furniture to fixtures and layout, a practice’s physical space reflects a healer’s persona and brings its own set of risk control.
• Client considerations – It’s not just about acquiring and servicing clients, you must also ensure the privacy of your clients, along with documentation.

Segmenting your business into these three channels allows you to categorize, manage and protect your practice in an organized and efficient manner.

Clarifying What You Do (And Don’t Do)

There’s a reason why you chose your practice specialties. In fact, perhaps you didn’t choose your specialty – it chose you!

Regardless of how you got to that decision or the extent of intuitiveness that brought you to where you are, you’re more likely to achieve success with your practice by getting trained or taking coursework in your preferred energy medicine modality.

People have more confidence in a practitioner when there is a certificate, credential, or diploma along with a name.

However, it’s more than just having professional training that needs to be considered in this area. Possessing formal training in your profession legitimizes you. Most importantly, it helps you to define your scope of practice which is useful for two reasons:

1. Clients can be informed about the type of work they can expect from you
2. Scope of practice sets the boundaries for the type of services you can offer to your clients (and what you can’t, which is equally important)

You need to formalize the scope of service you can provide to your clients. Clear boundaries help protect you both. When people understand exactly what your work includes—and just as importantly, what it doesn’t—they’re less likely to come in with unrealistic expectations or misunderstandings.

Your scope of practice should be written down, reflected in your intake process, and communicated in plain language. This kind of transparency builds a connection and ensures that clients are making fully informed decisions about working with you.

Having your clients read and sign a scope of services leaves no doubt how you will support your client.

Make Safety Part of the Environment

As you organize your practice to reflect your style and services, you will set up your physical space with the furniture, equipment, and resources that fit your modality. When setting up or maintaining your space, you think about the range of services that you provide as you need the right tools to carry out your work.

When you think about physical space, you might limit your thoughts to furniture; however, in this context, physical space includes everything done within the physical confines of your space.

Think about the mood of the waiting and session rooms. These areas are understandably the “front line” of your practice. Consider the type of mood you want to create and the physical elements you can add that reflect you as a healer.

Maybe there is a color you want to dominate the space or you choose to accent the rooms with a certain scent. You want to use these elements to project your healer persona.

As you go about generating an image and vibe for your space, also think how these touches can affect your clients’ safety or well-being. This is the risk management side of this business channel. A way to manage the risk associated with these issues is to apply safety precautions.

Consider taping down rugs onto the floor so you don’t have slip and fall accidents. Look around your space and ask yourself if the area is easy to navigate for any clients who have physical restrictions.

If you require clients to get up onto a table, you want to make sure the height isn’t too high, and if it is, you have a step ladder or footstool to help.

Check that electrical cords are not in anyone’s path and public areas are well-lighted. Ensuring these precautions are in place gives you and your clients peace of mind.

You can conduct your day worry-free and without being bothered with delays from rearranging furniture or special preparation which can affect your productivity.

Confidentiality and Communication Protocols

While energy professionals aren’t physicians, they might be looked upon as a well-being professional by their clients. As a result, energy healers can be privy to confidential and private information often only disclosed to physicians or psychologists.

Therefore, client confidentiality and protection of client records are essential.

Your code of ethics should include protocols for the handling and maintenance of client records and communication. Be aware that not all healers are required to follow federal laws on document management; this can be dictated by the state in which business is conducted and the type of modality.

Regardless, it is a best practice to have diligent protocols in place on the handling of confidential information. Not only would you be maintaining professional standards, but you earn your client’s trust.

So, from client intake paperwork to session notes and verbal communications, document and safely store all records in the client’s personal file. Do not leave confidential files on top of desks or accessible to anyone, keep them out of sight and securely stored.

It might even be beneficial to familiarize yourself with HIPAA guidelines, as this is the gold standard of document and personal information management.

EMPA members have access to a HIPAA Decision Flow Chart as part of our Safe Practice Certification Course (SPCC), designed to help you determine when and how HIPAA may apply to your work.

In doing this, you would learn about the kind of information that you are allowed to collect and keep in your records. So, if you develop your own client questionnaire and intake forms, you will know the kind of personal documentation you can collect.

As well, HIPAA regulations explain how to store files safely and who has access. Share your recordkeeping standards with your clients as they would learn the extent of caution you take on their behalf.

What’s Next: Small Changes, Big Impact

Risk management is about running a practice that feels stable, professional, and aligned with how you want to show up. When you define your services clearly, create a safe and welcoming physical space, and protect client information, you’re making your daily work smoother and more efficient.

Take a moment to look at your current systems. Do your intake forms reflect your actual scope of practice? Is your treatment space comfortable and safe for all clients? Are your records secure and organized?

If you’re ready to strengthen your practice, EMPA can help. As a member, you get access to tools, templates, and guidance to help you reduce risk, protect your clients, and stay focused on the work you love.

With all this in place, you are then able to run your business effectively and productively all while sustaining an effective risk management strategy.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not provide legal, financial, or medical advice. The examples are general, and coverage may vary by policy. Always refer to your insurance provider or policy language for specific details, as the policy terms take precedence. For legal concerns related to your practice, consult an attorney.