Depending on which qualification you are aiming for, your training will be structured differently. Basically, to obtain the branch certificate of the OdA KT (Organization of the Working World Complementary Therapy), you complete training in your chosen method, for example in Shiatsu, a Tronc Commun KT training course, an internship and, building on this, a competence-oriented final examination (equivalence procedure is possible). The KT industry certificate is a prerequisite for admission to the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE), for which you also need two years of supervised professional experience in complementary therapy. For the AFPE, you prepare a case study and are then examined in a specialist discussion, prepare an analysis of a complex work situation and a reflection on specific specialist topics.

Since 2015, it has been possible to take an Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) in complementary therapy and obtain a federal diploma in "Complementary Therapist".

Not everyone needs to attend a full training course, which is why one-day seminars and workshops are also offered in the field of Asian medicine, including Shiatsu. In such courses, all those who want to get to grips with this interesting subject can gain a first impression of this practice and take away knowledge for everyday use. If you are interested, you can build on this by attending further courses.

Training in Shiatsu here in Switzerland generally goes back to Tenpeki Tamai, Takujiro Namikoshi and Shizuto Masunaga, all three of whom are among the most important representatives of this method. Tamai gave his name to this manual technique in 1919, while Namikoshi developed his own style based on the Western medical principles of chiropractic and the Far Eastern knowledge of energies. Masunaga added psychological aspects to the traditional health teachings and manual techniques and expanded the meridian teachings. This resulted in new Shiatsu techniques, which are still the most commonly used in Europe today.