Finding a therapy and therapist

Finding the right complementary therapist is very important and in doing this there are two important factors to consider.

The first is selecting the best therapy or treatment for the problem that you wish to address.

The second is selecting a good, knowledgeable and qualified therapist within this field.

In both cases some careful consideration and research should be employed before you make your choice and, in each case, there will probably be a number of alternatives to choose from. E.g. Back ache can be treated by many different complimentary therapies and there are many therapists working in each of these different disciplines.

Most therapists will be prepared to have a brief discussion with you about your problem from which they will be able to ascertain if they can treat it. Equally, the staff at complementary therapy clinics will usually be able to direct you to the best alternative therapy options. You can of course get a general idea of what each therapy entails by reading the therapy summaries in this section of the Health and Mobility Store website.

The other factor to consider is which particular therapy appeals to you. If "you" believe that a certain type of therapy is unlikely to work, then the chances of it being effective will be significantly reduced. If, on the other hand, there is a therapy which you find appealing or suited to your beliefs, then this is a therapy worth trying.

There is of course no reason to limit yourself to a single choice. The fact that these therapies are "complementary" means that very few require exclusive use. This means that you can experiment with more than one therapy, or try one and, if you are not comfortable with it, try another. However, the more quickly that you find the best therapy the quicker your health issue can be addressed.

Finding a therapist

Once you have narrowed your therapy choice down you will need to find a practitioner.

Because complimentary therapies are largely unregulated the levels of qualification, knowledge and experience vary greatly between therapists. There will also be significant variations between different countries.

There are a number of ways to select a therapist, e.g. through a complementary therapy clinic, by recommendation, via an advertisement or listing, or through an association or body connected with the therapy. Whichever option you select (and you can use more than one) you should check to ensure that the practitioner has some form of formal training in their discipline.

You should also be aware that, working out of an independent clinic does not guarantee the credentials of a therapist. Many practitioners will rent a treatment room and, although they practice from a particular clinic, they have no other association with it.

Most complementary treatment therapists will have a website, webpage or an information pack about themselves and their therapy. You can use this to ascertain their qualifications and to check out any membership of an appropriate body or association.

Most complementary therapies do have national (or international) self regulating membership associations and these will often set standards of practice and care for their members. Many will also have geographical listings of their membership which can be used to find a local therapist.

As with most professions, there are always a few bogus practitioners, however with a small amount of research into qualifications, association memberships etc, these people are usually quite easy to spot.

Finally, in selecting a therapist, make sure that you feel comfortable with him or her. Some therapies involve a degree of undressing and others may require you to disclose information about your health or lifestyle. If you feel uncomfortable or ill at ease with your therapist, then your treatment will be inhibited by this obstacle.

So, if you would feel awkward undressing in front of someone of the opposite sex, or if you would find it hard to talk about a personal problem with a much younger or older person, take these factors into account when you select your therapist. You can be assured that, for most therapy types, there are many practitioners that you can select from, so “be selective” and choose not just the right practitioner, but also the right person for your therapy treatment.

Also remember that, if at any time you become uncomfortable with something that happens during a therapy session, you can instruct the practitioner to stop or to provide you with an explanation. There should always be a reason for a particular type of treatment or line of questioning and you are entitled to know what it is.

Below is a list of different complementary therapies, most of which are widely available in the majority of countries in Europe, USA and Australasia.