How to Become a Reflexologist

When most people have a headache, they reach for the aspirin, but what did people do before aspirin was invented? Centuries ago, the ancient Chinese, Egyptian and Japanese people used reflexology, which is still practiced today. You can learn to be a reflexologist by following some easy steps.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Career Books
• Nutrition Books
• Health Magazines Or Books
• Career Counseling
• Reflexologists

1. Learn the difference between reflexology, acupuncture, acupressure, massage therapy and other natural healing methods. Reflexology relieves stress and muscle tension and encourages the body to heal itself by applying pressure to areas on the hands and feet called reflex points. The other disciplines have similarities, but they use different techniques.

2. Begin training for a career in reflexology with high school and college classes in health, nutrition, biology and chemistry. First aid training is also useful.

3. Volunteer in nursing homes, hospitals, shelters or other places where you can get experience working directly with people in a health care situation. Part-time work in a gym or spa also provides exposure to basic therapy techniques.

4. Research reflexology programs in your area. Though typically not offered by colleges and universities, such programs are widely available at private institutions and through some public post-secondary schools.

5. Visit a reflexologist and get a treatment to find out exactly what is involved in the profession. If you are comfortable talking to the reflexologist, ask some questions; he or she may even offer training classes.

6. Read a couple of the many books available on reflexology to get an overview of the profession and even learn a couple of techniques. Try them out just to see if you have a knack for touch therapy.

7. Commit yourself to six months to one year of classes and some practical work (during and after graduation) before you can be called a reflexologist. Graduates are usually certified by the school from which they graduate; the American Reflexology Certification Board also gives optional certifications. At present, the United States and Canada don't have mandatory licensing processes.

8. Practice makes perfect. Study hand and foot charts, learn terms and techniques, and, of course, read up; but nothing beats practice, so use your family and friends as your first clients.

9. Make sure any program you enter includes instruction on anatomy, physiology, ethics, professionalism and business practices, in addition to teaching reflexology techniques.

10. Study ethics, professionalism and business. Reflexologists must inspire trust and comfort in their clients for the treatments to be effective; since reflexologists are often self-employed, these clients will be vital once graduates go into practice for themselves.

11. Be comfortable touching people's hands and feet. A basic treatment involves working on the client's hands and feet for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, so you need to feel comfortable with this close contact.

12. Listen to the client and try to put him or her at ease. A client may be able to give the reflexologist clues to help start the healing process.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact one of many professional reflexology organizations for more information on getting started in a reflexology career.

• Taking nutrition and massage therapy classes and studying other forms of holistic medicine will help make you more marketable once you graduate.

• Learn to talk to your clients. You must establish good relationships with clients and set them at ease before the treatments can begin to relieve stress and tension.

• Don't confuse a reflexologist with a medical doctor. A reflexologist is usually not a licensed massage therapist, a doctor or a chiropractor; they cannot prescribe medicine or offer medical diagnoses.

• Learn to deal with reflexology's bad rap. Since professional reflexologists are not legally licensed or certified, many people consider this to be a quack profession, even though many reflexologists are associated with chiropractor, doctor or podiatrist's offices.

• Be prepared to turn down clients you feel are not clean or who have some type of skin disease (fungus, eczema, etc.). You cannot risk passing any type of disease from one client to another.