When we are dealing with peoples health they’re putting their trust in what we say and do, like everything there is a range of standards. There are no fixed laws on standards for reflexology so you can do a weekend course and start practicing straight away. That’s why, for me, I want to get the knowledge out there and raise the standards of reflexology but also educate people when they’re looking to try something new.

One bad experience can put you off for life.

Due to no legal requirements currently for becoming a complementary therapist, and again you can do an online or weekend course and begin working on completion. This is why standards are so important to me. When seeking therapies for my own health issues I learned this the hard way, often left in more pain or feeling like it was ‘one in, one out’. It never occurred to me to ask about insurance and had never heard of ‘associations’.

My background is in the care sector where everything has to meet very stringent legal requirements and is checked often.

This is where Professional Reflexology and the Complementary Natural Healthcare Council come in. Professional Reflexology say:

“The Professional Reflexology Association (PR) is a Membership organisation representing only the best-trained Reflexologists in the UK, providing support, information, articles/research and online forums for our Members & Student Members, plus exceptional insurance with our partners Balens. Founded in 2010 by reflexologists with over 100 years’ experience out of a need to raise standards”.

being accepted by PR means there is support available, a recognised insurance broker - specific to this industry and a strict code of ethics and practice to follow. The CNHC are to protect you, the public and they state:

“We were set up by the government to protect the public. We do this by providing an independent UK register of complementary healthcare practitioners. Protection of the public is our sole purpose. We set the standards that practitioners need to meet to get onto and then stay on the register. All CNHC registrants have agreed to be bound by the highest standards of conduct and have registered voluntarily. All of them are professionally trained and fully insured to practise”.

There are many associations available to join that may not request proof of qualification. CNHC also have a list of the associations that they’ll accept, giving you a good idea of where to look when considering becoming a complementary therapist but is also useful if looking to try a new therapy as they all have a ‘find a therapist’ function so you can find a therapist that has met those same high standards.

I am also a member of the AOR (association of reflexologists) to make sure I have access to as much information as possible to keep me up to date as a clinical reflexologist and CMA (Complementary Medical Association). The Complementary Medical Association is all about delivering excellence in complementary therapies. Founder and President Jayney Goddard is an inspiration and is providing an outstanding platform for support and raising the standards through research and an evidence base as well as providing the highest quality courses and knowledge for us as practitioners.

Knowledge is Power!