Complementary therapist to herbal therapist
A complementary therapist already meets 47% of what the herbal therapist role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.7/ 100
1 How much of what a herbal therapist is expected to do is already part of a complementary therapist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the herbal therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A herbal therapist role treats 12 of its required skills as things a complementary therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- acupuncture methods
- apply a holistic approach in care
- apply aromatherapy
- characteristics of plants
- develop therapeutic relationships
- ensure safety of healthcare users
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A herbal therapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a complementary therapist background worth leading with.
- already held iridology health and welfare
- already held reiki health and welfare
- already held conduct physical examinations information skills
- already held types of aromatherapy treatments health and welfare
- already held energy therapy health and welfare
- already held shiatsu health and welfare
All 25 carried skills, including the 12 the herbal therapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on mental health required
- still to learn apply context specific clinical competences required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn communicate in healthcare required
- still to learn develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn provide health education required
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional
- still to learn collect healthcare user's general data required
- still to learn observe healthcare users required
- still to learn study topics required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- still to learn maintain healthcare user data confidentiality required
- still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
- optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
- optional, not held refer healthcare users optional
- still to learn maintain work area cleanliness required
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a herbal therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on mental health practise this
- 02 apply context specific clinical competences practise this
- 03 collect healthcare user's general data practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held acupuncture methods knowledge
- already held apply a holistic approach in care skill
- already held apply aromatherapy skill
- already held characteristics of plants knowledge
- already held develop therapeutic relationships skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow-up on healthcare users' treatment skill
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held phytotherapy knowledge
- already held promote mental health skill
- already held types of aromatherapy treatments knowledge
- already held apply acupuncture skill
- already held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions skill
- already held complementary and alternative medicine knowledge
- already held conduct physical examinations skill
- already held energy therapy knowledge
- already held etiopathy knowledge
- already held fasciatherapy knowledge
- already held homeopathy knowledge
- already held homeopathy remedies knowledge
- already held iridology knowledge
- already held reiki knowledge
- already held shiatsu knowledge
- already held tai chi knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held refer healthcare users optional
- optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional
48 held skills the herbal therapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
- not needed by the target role acupressure knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on healthy lifestyles skill
- not needed by the target role applied kinesiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply massage therapy skill
- not needed by the target role apply systemic therapy skill
- not needed by the target role attend to sophrology clients skill
- not needed by the target role auriculotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role ayurveda medicine knowledge
- not needed by the target role balneotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role behavioural therapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role breathing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct a homeopathic consultation skill
- not needed by the target role conduct cupping therapy skill
- not needed by the target role deliver sophrology exercises skill
- not needed by the target role dietetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical stimulation in acupuncture knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of exercise environment skill
- not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
- not needed by the target role give massages skill
- not needed by the target role give shiatsu massages skill
- not needed by the target role identify energetic meridians skill
- not needed by the target role inform clients of healthy lifestyle benefits skill
- not needed by the target role kinesiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role kinetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role movement techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role multi-professional cooperation in health care knowledge
- not needed by the target role offer advice on diet-related concerns skill
- not needed by the target role osteopathy knowledge
- not needed by the target role pathologies treated by acupuncture knowledge
- not needed by the target role play therapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare oils skill
- not needed by the target role prepare sophrology session skill
- not needed by the target role prescribe exercises skill
- not needed by the target role prescribe topical therapy skill
- not needed by the target role promote healthy lifestyle skill
- not needed by the target role reflexology knowledge
- not needed by the target role relaxation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role safely instruct about fitness skill
8 further entries not listed here
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
Common questions about this move
Can a complementary therapist become a herbal therapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A complementary therapist already covers 47% of what a herbal therapist is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 12 of which the herbal therapist role treats as required.
What skills does a complementary therapist need to become a herbal therapist?
14 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on mental health.
How hard is the move from complementary therapist to herbal therapist?
Its learning distance is 60.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.