Naturopath: What does your day-to-day work look like?

Naturopaths are visited by people with health problems and complaints, people who want to support and stimulate their self-healing powers, or people who want to undergo a detoxification and purification treatment, for example. Naturopaths work with alternative medicine and complementary therapies such as medicinal plants, homeopathy, compresses, reflexology, kinesiology, lymph drainage or acupuncture. At the beginning of a treatment, they ask the patient about their life situation and complaints and examine and analyze them using the methods of their specialty. These may include blood tests, palpation and tapping, kinesiology tests, pulse diagnosis, etc. In doing so, they identify, for example, energy and metabolic disorders, energetic blockages or metabolic stress. They apply their remedies with the aim of stimulating and strengthening the body's self-regulation and self-healing powers, thus contributing to recovery or the restoration of balance.

Many naturopaths and alternative practitioners run their own practice and personally take care of administration, correspondence, appointments, advertising and bookkeeping.

Good to know:

The term naturopath is often used to describe practitioners of a wide range of alternative medicine or complementary therapy methods. Many of these methods are recognized by health insurance companies and can be covered by supplementary insurance. The recognized methods are listed and described in the ASCA and/or EMR list of methods.

Some methods have also been combined in joint training concepts that can be completed with a federal diploma as a "naturopath" or "complementary therapist".

In naturopathy, there are the following methods/specialties in which training to become a naturopath with a federal diploma can be completed (as of March 2024):

• Ayurvedic medicine
• Homeopathy
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
• Traditional European Naturopathy (TEN)

Target group and skills: Who is the naturopathic doctor training course and naturopathic practitioner training course suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The target group for naturopathy training depends on the chosen method (e.g. aromatherapy, Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, Schüssler salts, etc.).

In principle, naturopathic training appeals to the following people:

• Healthcare professionals who want to expand their skills
• People who are interested in naturopathy or complementary therapy
• Alternative therapists and complementary therapists who wish to train for a federal qualification

The following qualities are required for a successful career as a naturopath:

• Interest in medical and psychological issues
• Analytical thinking and skillful hands
• Discretion and good reputation
• If you have your own practice: economic skills to run your own business

Prerequisites for admission to naturopathy training:

The admission requirements depend, among other things, on the chosen method in which naturopathic doctor training and naturopathic practitioner training is completed.

As a rule, naturopathy training is open to all interested persons. No specific previous training or professional experience is required.

Some schools require the following points for admission:

• Age of majority
• Apprenticeship qualification with federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) or several years of professional experience
• Good knowledge of German

Good to know:

As there are no protected professional designations or titles (regardless of the naturopathic method chosen), it is important to provide appropriate proof of your own seriousness and professional competence. This is usually done by registering with the ASCA (Swiss Foundation for Complementary Medicine) and/or the EMR (Empirical Medicine Register) and/or by becoming a member of an association.

For inclusion in the ASCA and/or EMR register, a minimum number of hours of basic knowledge (conventional medical knowledge / "medical basics") and specialist training must be demonstrated. This minimum number of hours depends on the chosen naturopathic method and is specified in the respective ASCA and EMR list of methods.

Input: Why is registration in the ASCA and/or EMR registry important?

Many health insurance companies are based on the ASCA and EMR. This means that therapists who are registered with the ASCA and/or EMR can often work in a way that is recognized by health insurance companies (i.e. their costs can be billed via supplementary insurance). But beware! This is not always the case.

More and more health insurance companies are demanding an industry certificate or a federal diploma from professional organizations (OdA AM, OdA KT, OdA MM, ODA ARTECURA, Swiss Association of Osteopaths FSO-SVO) in order to be able to work in a way that is recognized by health insurance companies. This will continue to increase in the future.

Subject matter and content of the training

The subject matter of a naturopathy training course is based on the respective naturopathic method.

Furthermore, the learning content is determined independently by the schools; this can therefore vary.

The following topics are covered:

• Basics of the chosen method or discipline (origin, development, topicality, etc.)
• Anatomy, physiology and diseases
• Principles, concepts, techniques and effects of treatment
• Structure and course of treatment
• Indicators, contraindicators and limits of treatment

The subject matter of some courses also includes the "Medical Basics" (as a prerequisite for admission to the ASCA and/or EMR register), which are usually dealt with in a separate module.

Costs and financing of further training

The costs for naturopathic doctor training and naturopathic practitioner training leading to a "school certificate" depend, among other things, on the naturopathic method chosen as well as the level (introductory, basic or advanced courses) and the duration (from a few days to several months).

In addition, the tuition fees are set independently by the schools, so they can vary (greatly) from provider to provider.

For this reason, it is unfortunately not possible to provide a meaningful list of costs in detail here.

Note: Some providers also charge extra for

• Teaching aids
• Training documents etc.

Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out the actual costs.

Course structure, duration of study, training options, teaching format and learning effort

• Structure:As a rule, naturopathy training is designed to be part-time and has a modular structure. This means that each module is taken and completed individually.
• Duration:The duration of courses in the field of naturopathy varies greatly and depends, among other things, on the provider and level. Introductory and in-depth courses generally last a few days. Basic courses usually last several months. Depending on the course, intensive courses are also offered, which are correspondingly shorter.
• Variants:The schools decide independently when the lessons take place. In principle, the lessons take place on one or two days, or evenings per week and/or Saturdays, depending on the situation.
• Teaching format:Most schools offer naturopathy training in face-to-face classes. Depending on the school, theory lessons can be completed in an online format (e.g. online lessons or hybrid lessons).
• Learning effort:You should allow sufficient time to prepare for and follow up on the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Degree, diploma and title

Those who have successfully completed all modules of the naturopathic doctor training and naturopathic practitioner training are admitted to the final examination.

The final examination is usually divided into a theoretical and a practical part (depending on the method). In the practical part, a treatment in the relevant naturopathic method must be carried out on a client, which is assessed by the experts.

Diploma and title

Successful graduates receive a certificate / diploma from the respective school: "[naturopathic method] therapist [name of school]" or also "qualified naturopath or naturopath (naturopathic method) [name of school]".