hi, im new and have a question..

Hi Clare, can't help you with your question - although lots of others probably will! Just wanted to say welcome 🙂

Fx

Hi clare

Welcome to Hp

Think of it this way, would you as a healthcare professional who has rigorous practical & academic training work along side someone who did a correspondence course with a minimal amount of practical training? I know the course you are referring to. It has 2 days of practical training. That can't really be more than 12 hours. In the reflexology industry this is not considered high enough level of practical training. In fact the major professional associations in reflexology and complementary healthcare in general do not recognise correspondance courses of this nature.

Don't be fooled by things like level 4 or easily payment terms or get you a membership of an organisation that no one has heard of. I could set up tomorrow the "Cornwall Association of Reflexologist Specialists International" perfectly legally, but what will it do? Have a half-hearted code of conduct, some insurance deal for practitioners, and a silly newsletter once in a blue moon. Letters after your name are quite meaningless if there is no substance behind it. These 'diploma mills' know how to boost the old ego and ego loves it!

If you are serious about becoming a reflexology practitioner, you need to check out if the course is recognised by the Reflexology Forum (national working group), the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (national self-voluntary regulator), and professional associations like FHT, CThA and the AoR (there are others but it's getting late and brain is getting tired). If a course doesn't hit this criteria, is it worth the paper its written on?

As for levels, look at it this way. If you studied reflexology as a level 4 or 5 module on a foundation or full degree course you would still need to take the level 3 external professional examination usually by organisations like ABC, ITEC or VTCT. At the moment the reflexology industry considers level 3 as the level of completance (sp), and you could be a registered nurse with a PhD but you still have to do that level 3 qualification.

Being a nurse what does your professional body have to say about complementary therapy training courses? Please think twice about correspondance courses. Many people do them, only to discover that they had to go and do the proper course at college costing even more money.

Wishing you the best in finding the best in reflexology.

RP

Welcome to HP, Clare! It's great that you are thinking of learning Reflexology. It's fascinating and rewarding - and I'm sure you'd love it.

With regard to your query about correspondence courses in Reflexology. I trust RP's judgment here, and agree with his basic sentiments. I am quite pro-correspondence courses, and I do think they have their place for general knowledge, and for CPD. However, for practical therapies... there really is no substitute for practicing on real live people... you'll need a lot of practice.

I trained 12 years ago, one weekend a month, for 10 months. The mornings were spent in theory... and the afternoons were practical hands-on. So, that would have been roughly 6 hours/weekend x 10 (60 hours). It's still not an awful lot - however we did an additional 6 case-studies, giving 10 treatments each (another 60 hours). Plus, some of us would meet up in little groups (or pairs) once a week/fortnight - and practise on each other - probably adding up to about at least another 40 hours. Oh, and I practiced on my long-suffering boyfriend whenever I could.

I felt fully capable and confident when I treated my first paying client. I knew what I was doing, having had nearly two hundred hours of practical experience. Trusting that RP knows the course you are thinking of taking, and that it does indeed only have 12 hours of practical... well, my feeling is that you will leave feeling overwhelmed, and under-skilled.

I'd love for you to take a Reflexology correspondence course - however only for you to find out more about it, and to see if it really is what you want to do before you commit to an attendance course.

Ava x

Hi

Here's Clare's course she is thinking about: and its over £700!

Nearest state FE college to me cost: £215 + exam fee. OK it's subsidized big time but at least it's a VTCT course with about 100 hours of contact time training plus home & case studies, and very importantly leads to nationally recognised professional membership.

Just looked up a private training school in Exeter that uses ITEC exam board . Its £518 + exam fee. Not a bad price for a private school. Some are much higher. Still good value for money!

RP

hi there and thanks for the welcome..

now, heres why i came here for help and advice, i was told reflexology was quite a costly course and lots of practical experience required, so felt the course in question was maybe not for me as i want to gain competency and knowledge. and of course the qualification to be recognised and respected.
so thank you for being aware of the course not quite meeting my needs, i did see the stoneybridge one, this is the same course criterea but at the opencollege, still only 2 day practice but a little cheaper.

so guys, now i need your help again, i really want to take this avenue and live in leeds, west yorkshire so i will have to re-look at colleges around here, can you do the course part-time??? anyone have any ideas how much the cost is as i will have to fund it myself? sorry to ask lots of questions, i get quite excited when i enter a new venture, and this one has been a venture ive waited 10 years to do!
thanks again for your help and hope for more advice soon xx:)

fogot to answer your question reiki, i believe there is a place for conventional medicine and alternative therapys, and they can work alongside each other. i have to be honest in my line of work (surgery) it can sometimes be difficult to convince people of this, everyone wants a cure and most think surgery is best, i dont actually agree with this and can be unpopular for my view 😉
i love alternative methods and being spiritual i like a balance of the two practices, my oh is in the vitamin and supplement industry and i agree with most of what he does but we have heated debates occasionally as he feels conventional medicine has taken over, i do like to wind him up a little hehe

my aim in life is to help others, i have nursed many sick people and not all can be 'fixed' with surgery some have other needs, and as my code of conduct states, i treat my patients holisticly as there advocate.

oo i did go on a bit there, sorry 🙂

Hi Clare

People wanting miracle cures from the NHS, unfortunately that's life. One of the problems for complementary therapists is that most of us are private practitioners and that is a cost implication for a treatment programme that the client may not be willing to fork out. You can only help those how wish to be helped and wish to invest in their health. Also work goes up and down, I'm having a quiet period at the mo, towards the end of the week it's going blonkers with work. You may find you have to keep working in nursing, even if it is part-time.

If you really wish to be a reflexologist, the right course at the right time will come up. As for costs, education and the right course is an personal & professional investment. Good education is priceless whether you pay £100 or £1000.

Best Wishes

RP

RP, i agree, i am wanting to do it alongside my nursing. Hoping to get a good balance.

what kind of work do you do?? i have seen a reiki course and would like to do indian head massage but reflexology would be my first love.

i'd like to do some self-healing too, i think to give fully you must first love yourself, and i struggle occasionally with that,so if i can help myself too everyone's winner.

thanks for the chat, i'm just sitting a enjoying a great thunder storm.

kind regards
clare

Hi Clare

I'm a full-time therapist. For many years practised Reiki & Reflexology, and certainly cut my teeth by it. Most of my work now is massage therapy. This wasn't my original intention, but it gradually evolved that way.

Many things attracted me to reflexology originally:
*The concept of the microcosm of the feet representing the macrocosm of the body
*Firmer grounding in A&P
*Increase confidence as my training in Reiki was very short
*Reflexology opened more doors to me, as Reiki wasn't very recognised in the 90's, so reflex gave extra legitimacy as a therapist
*Reflexology gave me a better understanding of body systems from a holistic point of view

If you didn't know there are many micro-systems in the body, not just feet, but also the hands, ears, face, and even the large intestine (but that's a colonic hydrotherapy thing, don't be too concerned about that). So if you have the opportunately to expand foot reflexology to these arenas, you will have additional tools. There is more to reflexology than just the feet!

You have to follow your heart, don't study something because its the latest trend. But I would recommend at least Reiki level 1 for your practitioner development and self-healing, even if you didn't want practice it.

Best Wishes

RP