holistic therapy - online/college

awaywiththefaires

HELP....

I want to become a holistic therapist and was looking at a full time college course but now have come across online course - naturaltherapystudios / naturalhealthcourses (few of many)

I just wanted to find people who have qualified as a holistic therapist and have mainly done the online courses

Is it ligit?

My aim is to when qualified work self employed and with people with mental health/and all disabilities. as already have worked 9yrs in care.

The online courses would suit me more as have a child who is only 3 so would save all the hassel of finding childminders full time, and would mean i can still work.

I just dont know where to start or which route to go down, really hope someone will be able to give me guidance.

Thanks

Sam xx

Person_one

awaywiththefaires wrote: »

Is it ligit?

Probably not.

jobbingmusician

Most complementary therapy 'qualifications' are not worth the paper they are written on - you are right to be sceptical. The way I would go about researching this is to find an organisation where you DO trust the accreditation (I know the University of Westminster do degrees in complementary medicine, for example) and then see who accredits their courses ('Our courses are accredited by the European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA) and the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board.')

Then I would go to the EHTPA and BAA websites to see if they accredit any online courses, or maybe run their own................

paddyrg

There are a lot of crackpot and spurious qualifications in this field, so be VERY cautious! 'Dr' Paul McKenna bought his PhD from an American degree-mill, 'Dr' Gillian McKeith similarly - where degree credits were awarded for 'life experience', not supported, directed research with academic rigour.

If you want to work in the Mental Health sector, perhaps Mind can point you in the right direction for some credible courses? http://www.mind.org.uk/ You may also want to do conventional medical training then supplement it with complimentary techniques - then people know you are not just full of woo and delusion, but have a credible/real underpinning.

I must say, when I see people using strings of initials after their names, I am immediately wary and want to check out what the initials mean. People who wave their qualifications around (eg McKeith) are often not as much the real deal they claim.

kingfisherblue

I know a couple of holistic therapists and they have had to attend colleges and universities to gain their qualifications. A large part of each course is practical work - after all, how can you learnt he correct techniques of massage without putting your hands on someone, and how can a tutor inform you online whether you are using the correct technique?

ETA: few people make a decent living solely from being a therapist. There just aren't enough customers if you are a private therapist, and whether you work for yourself or someone else, you need quite a few strings to your bow. The ladies that I know offer aromatherapy and sports massages, massage with hot stones, massage with a herb thingummy (can't remember the name), Indian head massage, reflexology, lymphatic massage, facial massage, Reiki, Hopi ear candles, and several more that I can't remember. Both have been training for several years and attend courses for treatments that they don't currently offer. One makes a living from it, but she offers a wider range and has good connections, and the other has a part time job as well as being a therapist. Both also have a dedicated room in their own homes to carry out treatments, although both can travel as well. Insurance costs need to be paid both for public liability and business use of home and car.