A rewarding and fulfilling career helping people with their digestive health and wellbeing.
Colon Hydrotherapy is a rewarding and fulfilling practice. Many of our members have undertaken to train because having benefited from the colonics, they wanted to share the benfits and help other. A Colon Hydrotherapist is not just trained to administer the treatment, but is also qualified to offer dietary advice and treatment protocols for different digestive issues.
As a therapist, you need to be able to listen carefully to your client's situation while you complete a full case history. You also must assess what the body is doing during the treatment to be able to give the relevant health advice based on what is revealed during the session. Many clients are hugely relieved to find someone who will listen to, understand and explain their bowel problems and offer effective solutions. Knowing that they are not alone and that you understand their needs brings a lot of hope to people who may have struggled with digestive issues for many years.
A Colon Hydrotherapy treatment has great benefits in helping someone reconnect with their gut and with how their body feels. Through advice, guidance and education, a Colon Hydrotherapist will also support the process of keeping someone focused on their health and wellbeing rather than take their physiology for granted and suffer as a consequence.
Many Colon Hydrotherapist clients come for regular treatment because they are having problems; many use the therapy preventatively, to keep their bowels healthy and avoid problems in the first place. Just like a personal trainer at the gym, you’ll work with both the fit and the unfit. A Colon Hydrotherapist can play a significant part in someone's self-care regime.
The benefits of working as a Colon Hydrotherapist? Ask a dozen different Colon Hydrotherapists what they love about their job and you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. But one thing is common – they all do love their job.
As a Colon Hydrotherapist you’ll have a career that brings fresh rewards every day. Helping healthy clients to stay healthy and helping clients with problems to feel healthier is immensely satisfying. What’s more the work is so varied that no two days will be the same. One day you’ll be working with someone who is actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle, the next you’ll be helping a stressed and overworked mum to deal with the discomfort of bloating. You’ll meet people of all ages from all walks of life and this variety keeps the job fresh and the work interesting.
Another advantage of becoming a Colon Hydrotherapist is that in most cases you will be your own boss. This means that you can choose where and when you work, fitting your job around your lifestyle or your family commitments. Some therapists work within a clinic premises and some work from home, converting rooms into clinic facilities. It is a fantastic feeling to start your own business and watch it grow as your practice develops and your reputation builds. Once you start helping people with their digestive problems, in a way that no one else has been able to, word will start to spread and new clients will arrive on personal recommendation, boosting both your business and your confidence.
There has been a real resurgence in complementary and alternative therapies in recent years, as people start to realise just how harmful our lifestyles have become. More and more people are starting to look for alternatives to the traditional medical model, and colonics is one of those alternatives, which makes it a great time to start out in the business.
On the practical side, you need to be comfortable with the clinical aspects of this career. Working with rectums and faeces every day, and talking about bowel movements in descriptive detail with complete strangers, is not for everyone. However, if you are qualified as a therapist in another field, then the chances are that you have many of the skills and the approach to succeed.
You also need to enjoy working with people, and have the kind of personality that puts them at their ease. It’s only natural for clients to feel a little unsure prior to their first treatment, so it is important that you can clearly explain each aspect of the treatment procedure and reassure them and make them feel comfortable. You need to be a good listener and be able to empathise with how digestive problems can impact across a person’s life, and similarly understand how the stresses of a person’s life can impact on their digestion.
Most Colon Hydrotherapists are self-employed, and this involves developing business skills such as organisation and record keeping, advertising and marketing. You will be responsible for all aspects of your business, from cleaning the clinic to filing your tax return. If you have been employed so far in your career the transition to self-employment will need to be researched first, but there is lots of help available from local business support organisations as well as from ARCH itself.
To train to be an ARCH registered Colon Hydrotherapist, it is preferred that students have a background in either healthcare or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)1. However ARCH accredited schools will consider training applicants from a non-CAM background and will help guide them to source the initial background training in Anatomy and Physiology (minimum RQF level 3) and a short course in massage, if required, prior to the actual Colon Hydrotherapy training commencing. For those students coming from a healthcare or CAM background recognition of prior learning can be mapped to the core curriculum and study credits applied.
Applicants are also required to hold a current First Aid Certificate2 and will be required to provide a Disclosure & Barring Service check; for further information see:
https://www.gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record
An ARCH set training course requires a commitment from the student to do a minimum 100 hours of pre-reading and complete home study modules containing self assessment homework. This is followed by a minimum 100 hours guided learning in a classroom environment covering all aspects of theory and clinical practice. The course can be taken as an intensive 12 day course with evidenced accredited prior qualifications, or, to allow greater flexibility, can be taken in shorter modules over a maximum twelve month period.
To become an ARCH registered Colon Hydrotherapist, you will need to have either trained with an accredited ARCH school or be able to provide evidence that your training met the NOS and Core Curriculum for Colon Hydrotherapy (CNH26).
ARCH is proud to set the highest standards of any UK Colon Hydrotherapy Association. The National Occupational Standards for Colon Hydrotherapy (CNH26) has recently been introduced which sets out a minimum standard of practice. Whilst most UK associations have agreed to conform to the standards, ARCH insists on stringent levels of training, which must also meet CNH10 – National Occupational Standards for Naturopathy.
ARCH accredits external training schools. All schools are independently audited and inspected, and teach the education syllabus set by ARCH to meet CNH26, CNH10, CNH1 and CNH2. After completing the course students sit a written examination set and marked by an independent examiner and undertake a practical assessment with an independent assessor.
On completion of the course and passing the external theory examination and practical assessment, you will be eligible to apply for membership of ARCH. Applicants with a CAM background will be able to apply for Full membership while those applicants from a non-CAM background will be able to apply for Licentiate membership. Applicants from a non-CAM background will be encouraged to undertake further professional training in a CAM discipline to upgrade their membership status to Full Member.
Upon acceptance all newly qualified members will be appointed a mentor during their first year of practice.
Please note that while ARCH welcomes applications for membership, acceptance of applications is at the sole discretion of ARCH.
For further details of training with an ARCH approved school please visit the Training School page.
Notes:
1Healthcare backgrounds include: doctor, registered nurse, paramedic, midwife, physiotherapist and dietician, as well as some related fields such as radiography or pharmacy. CAM backgrounds include: acupuncture, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy, nutritionist, naturopathy and certain massage therapies. This training would be equivalent to two years full time or three years part time in length; verifiable certification must be produced. If your previous therapy did not include physical contact then a short massage course will be required. In addition, you may need to study additional anatomy and physiology courses to meet the required standard before you commence your training.
2If a First Aid Certificate is not already held first aid training may be completed during the course.
