Should I study to become a cranial osteopath?

September 16, 2014 8:09 AM

I am not sure if I should spend 4 or 5 years training to be an osteopath in London, which is where I live, or if I should give up this idea completely. I've been thinking about becoming an osteopath for a while now, but I am 23 which means I will be at least 27 by the time I finish, which is quite late, plus will be significantly poorer. There are other things to take into consideration, explained more in detail inside.

When I was 18 I wanted to study this, and my dad convinced me not to, but now I've been thinking a lot about it again and don't want to regret not doing it later on in my life, but also don't want to regret studying all those years and then realising it's not what i expected.
I would not be able to get funding from the government, so would need to ask family for help which I could then repay them, plus a loan from the bank, and a living maintenance grant.
I've been told that because I am a slender female, it will be difficult for me because I may get very large people and that can be very harmful to my body, especially as I have a bad back. I was thinking of cranial osteopathy for babies, but I've heard that it is very difficult to get into this field and I wouldn't get many clients. Is this true? Is it that much of a niche that I would struggle to get work?
The other option was offered recently by my grandmother. Her best friend has a successful business assessing children and helping them get into good schools. She earns quite a lot of money from this business, but now wants to retire and is looking for somebody to train and eventually take over the company. My grandmother has recommended me, as this is the field of work that I am currently in, and have the right set of qualities that would fit this role. Her friend trusts and likes me, and wants to start training me soon.
So am I crazy for wanting to spend several years studying to become a cranial osteopath for babies? Should I be safe and stick to the friend's business, assuming I would get this job?

posted by akita to Work & Money (14 answers total)

You are not too old, but your are proposing a course of study in fraudulent quakery and that makes it a bad idea.

The other option was offered recently by my grandmother. Her best friend has a successful business assessing children and helping them get into good schools. She earns quite a lot of money from this business, but now wants to retire and is looking for somebody to train and eventually take over the company. My grandmother has recommended me, as this is the field of work that I am currently in, and have the right set of qualities that would fit this role. Her friend trusts and likes me, and wants to start training me soon.

That sounds like a great opportunity, jump at it.
posted by Jahaza at 8:26 AM on September 16, 2014 [20 favorites]

So am I crazy for wanting to spend several years studying to become a cranial osteopath for babies?

Umm, at least a little? The age thing is a non-starter; it's not late, at all. But aside from the question of whether you're looking to invest 4 years of your life in a bunch of woo, you don't seem to know anything about this field from a financial POV. You're thinking of borrowing money and taking out loans you are assuming you can pay back while also supporting yourself, but "have heard" that work will be hard to find. You don't seem to be connecting those two dots at all. You don't know anything about employment prospects in this field, and I assume know nothing about running a solo practice either. (I would also similarly wonder if you've investigated the legitimacy of this profession, but that's not what you asked.)

In other words, I don't think you have the knowledge or tools to do this with the outcome you're dreaming of. My suggestion would be to go learn the fundamentals of building, marketing and running a business from your friend. Do it for 10 years and if being a cranial osteopath is still something you want to do, use your savings to put yourself through school.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:34 AM on September 16, 2014 [10 favorites]

I might be biased, because I'm an allopathic doctor, but since you're asking my opinion - yeah, spending that many years and taking out loans to become a cranial osteopath will be a huge waste of time and money. Why not just train to become a massage therapist? That's got to be a lot cheaper and faster, there's definitely demand on the market for the services, and you wouldn't be billing yourself as doing something for people's health that's not actually proven to work, since generally folks know what massage is and what it can and can't do for a person. I spent 4 years in med school starting when I was 22, but I knew there would be plenty of job opportunities and a high income to pay off loans with when I finished. It definitely wouldn't have been worthwhile for very questionable prospects.

The other opportunity sounds like a great one, if you have some interest in doing it, think really hard before you let that pass you by!
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:01 AM on September 16, 2014 [5 favorites]

I share treehorn+bunny's biases and closing advice, but not her/his assessment of job prospects.

Osteopathy is hot. That said, past performance doesn't guarantee future results, etc etc.

The problem with massage therapy is that almost all the work is in making rich, uptight, high-strung people feel relaxed. It's possible, if you're talented, to do quite a bit of healing in that line of work, but you will have trouble being recognized/respected for it, because, as treehorn+bunny points out, "generally folks know what massage is and what it can and can't do for a person". There's a lot of preconception to get past, and I know two people who are supremely talented - they could put Humpty Dumpty back together again - but, biz-wise, they just can't seem to transcend public preconceptions. So they both mostly soothe rich neurotics.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:49 AM on September 16, 2014

This may well justifiably being the total least of your interests but I was a patient/customer at what I think would be the exact place you'd train at. Every time I visited (over a few years on and off) I was stunned and amazed at how incredibly attractive and lovely most of the young-ish male trainees seemed to be ;) - teachers seemed very supportive/involved too on a sensible note.

As an aside one told me you get such a well developed sense of touch you know where in the book a hair is. So there's a nifty party trick.
posted by tanktop at 10:03 AM on September 16, 2014

I share treehorn+bunny's biases and closing advice, but not her/his assessment of job prospects.

Osteopathy is hot. That said, past performance doesn't guarantee future results, etc etc.

That kind of osteopathy is an alternative kind of medical school in the United States. Graduates of accredited American osteopathic medical schools get regular medical residencies and sit boards and get licenses as physicians. This is not at all the same thing as what the OP is suggesting doing.
posted by Jahaza at 10:25 AM on September 16, 2014 [5 favorites]

In the US osteopaths are medical doctors. Is that also the case in the UK?
posted by fshgrl at 10:26 AM on September 16, 2014

Quisp -- Cranial Osteopathy (psuedoscience) is not equivalent to U.S. Osteopathy (full doctors but for a general limitation to primary care)
posted by MattD at 10:48 AM on September 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

Fshgrl, no it's more like being a Reiki master or aura aligner. Which can be lucrative, if you are good at marketing yourself (soothing rich neurotics pays the bills Quisp!) but it is definitely not remotely related to mainstream medicine.

Akita it reflects well on you that you want to do a rigorous course, but I worry they are exploiting you. You don't need to do a 4 year course, or any course at all, to call yourself an osteopath. You can set up shop today with zero training, it is completely unregulated. I am not suggesting that you ought to so that, but since one can I am not sure that this 4year course is worth the time and money you'll be spending on it (if you mean the BSO course it is £9000 PER YEAR - you could go to actual med school for cheaper than that). Clients will not differentiate between you and the person with no qualifications, they will judge you based on your patter, appearance, premises and website. If you want to do this I would find a quicker cheaper way that doesn't send you into crazy amounts of debt.
posted by tinkletown at 1:58 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ok, but of googling shows osteopaths are now regulated in the UK - they didn't use to be! And I know unregistered ones who did indeed set themselves up one day with no training (I went to school with one). But apologies for the misinformation.

I still think you can find a cheaper shorter course, and your clients won't know or care about the difference because that isn't what osteopaths are judged on.
posted by tinkletown at 2:05 PM on September 16, 2014

i'm an osteopath, I studied in Canada, which is a very similar program to the one you are looking at.

There are some pretty seriously biased viewpoints above about how osteopathy is no good; I suspect that most of these respondents come from the US and have never actually been to an osteopath who has been trained as you would be. I didn't come here to defend osteopathy as a science, and I don't think I should have to; it seems that you understand it. I do think it is wise to be aware of potentially fraudulent practices and practitioners, but osteopathy, as taught at the British School of Osteopathy, is not that thing.

So, on to your questions.

I started training when I was 28, and I finished last year, at 34, after 6 years of full-time study. It was long, but it took that long to learn all the anatomy and techniques, and how everything works together. I also thought I was going to be too old, but my practice (in Quebec) has been going very strongly since I finished; I would say it took about 4 months and my referrals have all been by word-of-mouth by patients, nurses and doctors, so it appears that the people who come to see me are very satisfied with their treatments.

I am also a small woman. At the beginning, I saw a lot of everyone - some athletic huge dudes, some tiny babies, but now that I'm busier I will often refer the huge people to someone else - this works well for everyone - I can work on people my own size, which leaves space in my schedule for more of these kind of people, and the giants can get a treatment by someone who will be better able to work with their bodies.

Sometimes my body hurts if I work for too long, but not often - I have figured out how to work safely, and I know my limits. Especially when I see babies and young kids, the body thing is not a problem at all.

I love working with babies, and osteopathy in general is incredibly effective for young infants. It's really fast-working - you can often fix a baby torticolis or digestive issues in 1 or 2 treatments. These results are why it's a very common thing (at least in Quebec) to bring babies in for treatment after birth if there are any problems. If potential plagiocephaly is found early enough, we can avoid helmets for the babies, etc.

I don't really know where you are or what the market is like for osteopathy there, but do you know anyone who already does this kind of work? Could you find them? You could talk to them about market-specific questions you have, how they got their training, etc.

In Montreal, there are A LOT of osteopaths. Like, thousands. I would say the market is saturating, but that there is still room for good osteopaths, especially for babies. I know a lot of people who graduated from the BSO who come to Canada (and probably go elsewhere) to work after graduation. You might want to look into that.

You are totally not too old. Osteopaths tend to work for a long time - you'll be friends with other osteopaths - and it's a job that just gets more and more interesting as you get better at it. Also, you can make your own hours and work as much or as little as you want - something that could come in handy if you want a family (or, just a life). I absolutely love my job. I love it. Every day I help people whose doctors told them that they had to live with their back pain or their migraines. A lot of the time (I'd say 7 out of 10 times) the pain goes away completely (like, forever) after 2 treatments. The body is so awesome. It is a joy to learn more and more about it every day.

Are there any introductory classes for cranio-sacral in your area? You could decide if it's something you would want to pursue after getting a taste for it. As far as I know, the BSO doesn't do a lot of cranial or visceral work - WAY less than we do in Quebec - so that is something to consider.

But don't go the unregulated route. Bodies are complicated - you don't want to do aura aligning, as tinkletown says, you want to do osteopathy. Get the appropriate training and you can go far. I'm not sure if in the UK you could call yourself an osteopath unless you went to an accredited school. But why would you want to go that route? Just do it correctly and you can be proud of your profession and your knowledge.

Also, it sounds like something you have wanted to do for a long time! That's amazing. So many of us wish we could find something we truly wanted to do. You can do this! It sounds like it would be some sacrificing but osteopathy is a growing field and you will love what you learn every day.

I'll be glad to talk to you about this on memail if you want.
posted by andreapandrea at 3:13 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think there's a big difference between osteopathy and cranial osteopathy, which it seems that a lot of people have missed. The OP has said that she is very small and has back problems, so general osteopathy probably wouldn't be the best fit, hence her thinking about doing cranial osteopathy.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:54 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

For what my anecdotal evidence is worth (I almost attended osteopathic medical school, and my fiancée is an osteopathic medical student in the USA who "learned" cranial a couple weeks ago in class over the span of a couple of hours), cranial is highly regarded as the most nonsensical of all the osteopathic techniques, which in itself is saying something. Its premise is based on a flawed understanding of anatomy and whatnot.

Feels like a nice massage when she practices on me, however.
posted by Eggbix at 6:09 PM on September 16, 2014

Cranial osteopathy, when taught correctly, isn't something that can be learned over a few hours. I am not sure what course Eggbix's fiancée took, but learning cranial osteopathy for a few hours and then calling it nonsensical is like taking a 15 minute course on reading braille and declaring that braille is ridiculous, or attempting to sculpt a marble statue in an afternoon, and then deciding that it can't be done. I learned many techniques over a 6 year period, and I'd say I'm still a beginner.

I write this not to try to convince those who have decided that cranial osteopathy is useless, only to help the OP (who has obviously had experienced practitioners shape her experiences) understand that there is a wide range of experiences, and that if you want to learn cranial osteopathy (and osteopathy in general) it is first, nothing like the US, and second, takes a long time.
posted by andreapandrea at 7:12 AM on September 17, 2014