How to become an alternative healer

August 31, 2008 4:44 PM

How does one become an alternative health practitioner?

A friend is interested in pursuing alternative energy-based healing, and needs guidance on issues like:

figuring out how to evaluate what modalities, e.g., polarity versus or in addition to reiki, etc., make sense to pursue;

what certifications or training credentials will be most advantageous to building a career;

ideas about pursuing a more traditional approach, eg., MSW, as a way to offer services that can be covered by insurance;

any specific training programs that are particularly excellent;

any recommended web resources for gaining knowledge of the field.


Thanks for your ideas!

posted by tonci to health & fitness (10 comments total)

This poster did NOT ask for links that debunk alternative healing modalities. Save your skeptic links for questions that ask for them.

The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco offers education in multiple modalities and turns out excellent practicioners.
posted by liketitanic at 5:13 PM on August 31, 2008

[a few comments removed - stop being jerks and answer the question or go to jerktown and make your jokes there, thanks.]
posted by jessamyn at 5:27 PM on August 31, 2008

Assuming your friend is based in New York too, the Swedish Institute for Massage Therapy offers courses in modalities such as polarity and craniosacral as part of the course for massage therapy. The school hosts open houses and offers continuing-ed style courses for non-professionals. The school also has an acupuncture department. There's also the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:42 PM on August 31, 2008

Seconding the Swedish Institute. I attended another excellent massage school in NY state but the Swedish Institute is quite highly regarded. For what it's worth, there is a real debate going on in the massage therapy community about whether to push for insurance coverage for services. Where it is covered (e.g., no-fault auto accident insurance, workman's comp) the insurer dictates the therapy/time/bodypart/etc. which can make it difficult to provide a service intended to benefit the whole person. Some of the less mainstream services you may be considering will be even less likely to be covered by insurance, but that's probably not altogether a bad thing.
posted by headnsouth at 7:51 PM on August 31, 2008

I feel like at least one response giving the level-headed, skeptical, truthful, "its all nonsense" point of view should be left.

The original poster made no indication that they, nor their friend, had any idea that there is a large body of evidence debunking so-called "alternative" health modalities.

So, for fear of deletion, I merely say, tell your friend to do some skeptical research in to the field.
posted by aleahey at 8:50 PM on August 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

Haunt message boards in each field for a long while to see how people independently suggest various institutions.

The place that I think of is Bastyr, in Seattle.
posted by Riverine at 9:25 PM on August 31, 2008

Definitely look into the courses, programs, and training at Bastyr University. AFAIK, it is the most respected non-traditional medicine educational institute.
posted by davidmsc at 10:15 PM on August 31, 2008

I don't want to seem like a jerk, but I'm seconding aleahey. I realise that the OP didn't ask for skepticism, but it seems to me it would be a shame if the OP's friend started a career in something that is clinically demonstrated to be ineffective. People come to this site for advice; I think that by saying this I'm being as helpful as I can.
posted by PTCHFRKR at 4:16 AM on September 1, 2008

I doubt that any insurance companies reimburse energy practictioners. At least not directly for the energy work itself. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Energy work is on the fringe even by alternative health standards. Most people seeking energy work are willing to pay cash for it. Keep in mind that it's a niche market and in some areas is already saturated with practitioners.

Another thing to keep in mind, rules vary from state to state so your friend should figure out where they want to practice and see what type of credential is required in that state.

I'm not clear if your friend is just looking to take a weekend seminar(s) or is interested in pursuing a degree (Naturopathic, Chiropractic, etc) at an accredited school. These are very different goals. Both N.D programs and Chiropractic programs are difficult and expensive. Not to mention they take 3 or 4 years of your time. So, unless your friend is already rich, he will be deep in debt by the time he finishes. And the stigma associated with alternative health doesn't help when you're out looking for loans to start your business.

Less pessimistically, I see two other options. First, massage therapy requires less investment and shorter education track and is often packaged together with energy work. This might be a reasonable career path. Massage might even be reimbursed by insurance although I believe it has to be referred by a Doctor or Physical Therapist. (Anyone fact check me on that?) Second, if energy work is literally the only thing your friend wants to do, consider an apprenticeship. Less debt and more practical experience.
posted by aperture_priority at 7:24 AM on September 1, 2008

If your friend has an interest in a healing art, pick what seems most intriguing and run with it. Alternative health practitioners are better equipped than traditional docs for a whole lotta stuff. See, most of what really bothers people would be better solved by a different childhood, or a few hours of exercise a week, or a different spouse/job/kids/gender/mattress. But people, now and forever, I suspect, as we seem to be getting worse as a whole in terms of doing the hard work of maintaining wellness, will always be willing to pay someone for their advice instead of doing the hard work on their own. Better still, advice plus laying on of hands. The world needs all kinds of healers because we keep creating broken people at such a record pace.

My best advice, though: tell your friend not to touch any field that he doesn't believe to his core is valuable and useful to the patient. He'll just wind up hating himself and his life.
posted by docpops at 8:52 PM on September 1, 2008 [1 favorite]