Herbal therapist to aromatherapist
A herbal therapist already meets 53% of what the aromatherapist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.7/ 100
1 How much of what an aromatherapist is expected to do is already part of a herbal 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 aromatherapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aromatherapist role treats 16 of its required skills as things a herbal therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- acupuncture methods
- advise on mental health
- apply aromatherapy
- apply context specific clinical competences
- develop therapeutic relationships
- empathise with the healthcare user
What stands in the way is 13 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 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aromatherapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a herbal therapist background worth leading with.
- already held types of aromatherapy treatments health and welfare
- already held energy therapy health and welfare
- already held shiatsu health and welfare
- already held tai chi health and welfare
- already held etiopathy health and welfare
- already held fasciatherapy health and welfare
All 32 carried skills, including the 16 the aromatherapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 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 apply massage oil required
- still to learn comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice required
- still to learn apply massage therapy required
- still to learn develop personalised massage plan required
- optional, not held prescribe topical therapy optional
- optional, not held follow clinical guidelines optional
- still to learn types of essential oils required
- still to learn massage theory required
- still to learn therapeutic massage required
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
- still to learn provide health psychological advice required
- still to learn discuss the medical history of the healthcare user required
- optional, not held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields optional
- optional, not held sell products optional
- optional, not held sell services optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn record healthcare users' progress related to treatment required
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held oversee spa maintenance optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
- still to learn prepare oils required
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
- still to learn consultation required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aromatherapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply massage oil practise this
- 02 comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice practise this
- 03 prepare oils 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 32 skills that carry over
- already held acupuncture methods knowledge
- already held advise on mental health skill
- already held apply aromatherapy skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held develop therapeutic relationships skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow-up on healthcare users' treatment skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain work area cleanliness skill
- already held observe healthcare users skill
- already held phytotherapy knowledge
- already held promote mental health skill
- already held provide health education skill
- already held types of aromatherapy treatments knowledge
- already held address side effects of menopause skill
- already held apply a holistic approach in care skill
- already held apply acupuncture skill
- already held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions skill
- already held complementary and alternative medicine knowledge
- already held energy therapy knowledge
- already held etiopathy knowledge
- already held fasciatherapy knowledge
- already held general medicine knowledge
- already held homeopathy knowledge
- already held homeopathy remedies knowledge
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held shiatsu knowledge
- already held tai chi knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn relaxation techniques required
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held oversee spa maintenance optional
- optional, not held prescribe topical therapy optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields optional
- optional, not held follow clinical guidelines optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
- optional, not held sell products optional
- optional, not held sell services optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
20 held skills the aromatherapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role characteristics of plants knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect healthcare user's general data skill
- not needed by the target role communicate in healthcare skill
- not needed by the target role conduct physical examinations skill
- not needed by the target role develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- not needed by the target role develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system skill
- not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role iridology knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain healthcare user data confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role refer healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role reiki knowledge
- not needed by the target role study topics skill
- not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- not needed by the target role use foreign languages in patient care skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn types of essential oils required
- still to learn consultation required
- still to learn massage theory required
- still to learn relaxation techniques required
- still to learn therapeutic massage required
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a herbal therapist become an aromatherapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A herbal therapist already covers 53% of what an aromatherapist is expected to do: 32 skills carry over, 16 of which the aromatherapist role treats as required.
What skills does a herbal therapist need to become an aromatherapist?
13 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is apply massage oil.
How hard is the move from herbal therapist to aromatherapist?
Its learning distance is 57.7 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.