This article was written as a guide to help complementary therapists understand why taking a break is essential for their physical and mental wellbeing and how to plan a break when you are self-employed.

This is an overview answering common questions about complementary therapies, dispels common myths and clarifies the role of a complementary therapist. It also gives advice on standards and training.

Being a self-employed complementary therapist is hard, especially as you build your practice, but that does not mean you have to accept every client. This article gives helpful advice on how to handle clients that do not align with you.

In a world where everything is becoming AI driven, it is even more important that we check facts before giving advice to our clients or making claims on our advertising and websites. There are many "trending" videos and social media posts and knowing what to believe is becoming more and more difficult, and not just within our profession! What you need to consistently do is question what you are seeing and reading and ask yourself if it makes logical sense. As complementary th

As part of the celebrations for National Complementary Therapy Week 2026, this article celebrates complementary therapies and how they can help with people who are victims and survivors. Around 80% of individuals who engage with complementary therapies, through VSS and our community partners, report an improvement in their health and wellbeing. Complementary therapies, traditionally offered in conjunction with conventional healthcare, help people manage symptoms, reduce str

by Emma Vincent MSc Adult Nursing, MCHP Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a nurse, and after twenty-seven years of practice, I still cannot imagine doing anything else. As a group of professionals nurses often look to enhance their practice in a different way. Nurses are all individuals, working in their own specialist fields, and so the array of additional qualifications that are pursued are arguably vast. For me, my curiosity of nursing history, healing, and a l

By Carole Preen FCHP, FANM, HonMIFA One of the key areas of being a complementary therapist is the consultation process. It is fundamental to everything we do from ensuring the treatment is safe and effective to recording observations and treatment planning. We also record aftercare advice and how we will evaluate that the treatments we are given have been effective. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, we have seen that therapists are now sending out the consultation fo

Why is it a good idea for anyone to learn first aid? How can being proficient in first aid benefit our mental health? First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition and situation from worsening, and to promote recovery. Courses give us the skills and guidance in knowing what to do in an emergency and deciding what sort of help is needed i.e. 999

"Oncology massage is neither light, fluffy or insubstantial, it addresses the needs of the client and how the tissue responds...."

This week, we are celebrating National Complementary Therapy Week for the first time and we could not have picked a worst week. But who...