What Does a Complementary Therapist Do?

This is a question you may have asked yourself and probably know the answer to already, but let’s delve a bit deeper and ask ourselves again and perhaps be surprised by the answer we find!

Alternative medicine is sadly misunderstood and suffers from bad press from people who have never benefitted from any of the holistic therapies offered around the UK.

Some commentators will claim they tried some form of holistic therapy, but it had no effect on them at all so they were right all along. If you go into it with a closed mind, then how will you ever find positive outcomes?

It has been the victim of comedians looking for cheap laughs about a subject they are ignorant of. If they were to only do a bit of research and try a form of complementary therapy, then perhaps they might think twice before making fun – although that would be in the realm of miracles and no therapist promises those!

If you have doubts or questions about the benefits of the many different forms of complementary medicine then speak to people who have been helped, better still visit the Guild directory and find a holistic practitioner in your area, enjoy one of the holistic treatments they offer and judge for yourself.

What are some holistic careers?

When we had our national lockdown across the UK, many complementary medicine practices suffered as a result because they couldn’t treat their clients in person. Ironically though, the holistic therapy industry that has bounced strongly for the following reasons:

1. People have been couped up at home and couldn’t wait to get back on the couch in the therapist’s practice and enjoy the relaxation, stress relief, or relief from whatever ails them that the holistic therapist provides.
2. People have become aware of the importance of wellness during those difficult times and are looking for a way of boosting their overall health through complementary therapies.
3. Many jobs have been lost as industries are put under pressure and organisations have either laid people off or closed their doors forever. As a result, people are looking for a new career and see alternative medicine as a way of starting their own business and enjoying the benefits of being their own boss while helping others at the same time.

We’ve seen in a previous article on this website the many different forms of complementary medicine that you can benefit from, here is the same (very short) list of examples:

• Reiki
• Angelic Reiki
• Reflexology
• Massage therapy
• Osteopathy
• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Aromatherapy
• Colour therapy
• Meditation
• Chakra clearing
• Herbal medicine
• Homeopathy
• …and many, many more

There are literally dozens of different career paths to choose from. Some may take months to complete the training, others are much shorter courses to enable you to learn the basics; all of them, no matter which you choose to follow, take a great deal of time, effort and practice to perfect.

You can attend a course for a day, collect your certificate and think that’s it I’ve made it. No, you have not! It takes so much more to become a successful holistic therapist than just knowing the basics. More on that later.

The best advice I can give is to take a look at the IGCT directory and find a holistic therapist in your area and experience it for yourself, then if you are interested in learning that skill, find a holistic course provider on our directory in that discipline and learn the skills you need.

How Do Holistic Therapists Contribute to Health and Wellbeing?

It is called “complementary medicine” or “alternative medicine” because it is meant to complement or be an alternative to the pharmaceutical-based medicine provided on the NHS. You only have to look at the problems with addiction to prescription opioids in the United States to see what dangers lie in over-reliance on pharmaceuticals.

Traditionally doctors have been scornful of these practices, yet more and more doctors are recognising the benefits offered by holistic therapies and actually advising their patients to try various forms of alternative medicine to treat their ills. This is quite a turnaround in the last few years.

The benefits you can gain by visiting any type of holistic therapist can be manifold, for example:

• They can provide a way of boosting your overall health; for example, a nutritionist will help you improve your diet and get rid of all the bad stuff we regularly eat and drink. What we replace it with will make us feel much better, much healthier, full of energy and will keep illness and dis-ease at bay.
• They can help with pain relief, for example with acupuncture or reiki, and perhaps find a way to take it away completely by helping you find better posture like an osteopath or chiropractor.
• The major benefit I would point to is de-stressing. Stress is a killer, if you don’t find a way of shrugging off that weight it will grow and it will bring you down. Many different forms of treatment in holistic medicine will help relieve your stress. Even something like a visit to a beauty therapist will help take away your stress and boost your ego; that’s why we welcome beauty therapists who join us and who are valued members of the International Guild of Complementary Therapists.

Can Holistic Doctors Write Prescriptions?

Your holistic practitioner is not generally a doctor and, as such, cannot write an actual prescription for you to take to the pharmacy. What they can do though is give you advice on what you should be doing to maintain the benefits bestowed by the complementary treatments you have been receiving.

For example:

• They may give you a set of exercises to do at home in between sessions.
• They may set you mental or physical tasks you have to perform to get over a phobia.
• They may give you a list of fresh ingredients to buy to maintain your health.
• They may ask you to meditate every day or practice mindfulness on a walk.

Very often with complementary medicine your treatment doesn’t end when the session ends!

What Makes a Good Holistic Therapist?

As mentioned above, it takes more than a certificate to make a good holistic therapist. This just shows you have learnt the basic skills you need to perform the therapy; it doesn’t mean any more or any less than that.

If you are considering taking up a career in complementary medicine, there are a number of other skills you need to learn before you head out on your chosen path.

The number one attribute you need is the ability to listen. This can’t be stressed highly enough. You need to listen, understand, and act upon the needs of your client. Even if they are just unloading the general problems, moans and groans that they have been carrying then you are there for them, even if you don’t feel qualified to comment – and in many cases nor should you! – at the very least they feel better knowing there is someone who listens to them.

You must keep sensitive information confidential. At no point should you ever act upon the urge to discuss one client with another.

Be friendly and approachable. Don’t be moody no matter what is going on outside that therapy setting, never bring your problems to work with you.

Be prepared to be firm. Your client must respect whatever boundaries you have set out, turn up for appointments on time and behave appropriately towards you. Those boundaries are there for both of you and you should never cross them either!

For more information about setting up a therapy business then check out the IGCT Therapy as a Business course and find a treasure trove of information and tips for everyone taking up holistic therapies as a business.