Training as a respiratory therapist: Tamara Mächler's experience - I was looking for a job as a complementary therapist and now want to help people with respiratory therapy

Please tell us about your role and your career.

My name is Tamara Mächler. I did an apprenticeship as a carpenter. Today I work as a boarding school teacher. I'm currently training in respiratory therapy to become a respiratory therapist.

What further training are you attending at the Ateminstitut?

I am attending the Middendorf breathing therapy course at the Swiss Breathing Institute in Bern.

How did you find out about respiratory therapy?

I am an active yodeler. I want to develop personally in order to get to know myself better. At the same time, I would also like to work on my voice. And later I would like to work with people as a complementary therapist. For these reasons, I decided to train in respiratory therapy.

Why did you choose the Ateminstitut for your training?

In my opinion, the Swiss Breath Institute offered the best training because you can also obtain the industry certificate at the same time as your diploma. This OdA KT certificate (from the Organization of the Working World of Complementary Therapy) enables me to complete the federal qualification as a complementary therapist following the respiratory therapy training.

How does the breathing therapy training affect your life or profession?

The training in breathing therapy has enabled me to develop my personality in my private life. This is because the training consists of many individual processes. You generally work on your own issues. This allows everyone to develop further.

What do you like best about the respiratory therapy course?

I particularly appreciate the treatment demos in the respiratory therapy course. We are taught very well in the area of treatment. We receive a lot of specialist knowledge from our lecturers. As a former carpenter, it is particularly important for me to be able to continue working with my hands. We are also taught this on a one-to-one basis.

Were there any challenges for you on the course?

What was challenging for me during the breathing therapy course was getting involved in my own process. Dealing with my own beautiful issues, but also sometimes with the less beautiful issues and coming to terms with them. However, this also enabled me to discover new things about myself time and again.

Has the training in respiratory therapy influenced your satisfaction?

Above all, I got to know myself very well during my breathing therapy training. I now know how to regulate myself when I'm not feeling so well with breathing exercises and movements. This helps me a lot in everyday life.

Which learning content helped you extremely well?

The learning therapy during the breathing therapy training helped me the most. We are very well supported. Every topic that concerns you also has a place in the lessons and the right to be looked at. Everyone can take from this what helps them personally.

Did you have a special experience?

During my breathing therapy training at the Swiss Breathing Institute, I was able to work a lot on my voice. This also included my personal expression. This has also helped me with my feelings in singing and the correct use of vocal direction. I also learned to use my voice correctly to avoid hoarseness. I have noticed a great deal of development for myself.

When do you enjoy your breathing therapy lessons the most?

What I like best about teaching breathing therapy is the treatment. As soon as I can actively practise together with other students. I can actively apply the new progress I've made straight away.

 

 

Who would you recommend respiratory therapy to?

Breath therapy is very suitable for people who primarily want to come to terms with themselves. People who want to take a closer look at their own story through their own experiences. People who want to support others therapeutically with things that happen in life.

 

 

Did you have a flash of inspiration during your training?

I had an experience during my breathing therapy training that woke me up. I realized that I don't have to do anything for anyone or be perfect for others. The only important thing is that I am genuine. I was able to achieve this through my chosen training path and the support of my lecturers. Today, I do it the way that is right for me.

What was the atmosphere like during the breathing therapy training?

The atmosphere during the breathing therapy training was very mixed. During the lessons, there were always people who were doing better and others who were doing less well. It is simply a group process. But it was also a very benevolent way of dealing with each other. There was room and space for every topic. It was also addressed and dealt with accordingly by the group.

Where do you see the advantages of the Ateminstitut?

The Swiss Breath Institute in Bern has particularly beautiful therapy rooms. The same goes for the empathetic way we interact with each other. Through my dealings with our head teacher Agathe, I experience again and again how authentic you are through breathing therapy. When you are in your power and how you can express that. It can also infect the people around you. This power becomes a matter of course through breathing therapy.

Overview of respiratory therapy schools for training as a respiratory therapist