Another step toward public protection and assurance in complementary and alternative medicine was unveiled on Monday 19th January with a new register for therapists and practitioners.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) was founded in 2008 with the help and support of the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health, the Department of Health and complementary health practitioners.

The council has been working toward establishing a national register for complementary and natural health as an estimated 1 in 5 of us now use natural health disciplines and some 150,000 therapists work in the industry.

The public will be able to utilise the service to see if a therapist they wish to use is registered therefore providing reassurance that the professional has met minimum standards of training, qualifications and has signed up to a code of conduct. It is also hoped that the register will benefit practitioners through an increase in public confidence.

Practitioners who wish to register with the CNHC and receive their kitemark must have undergone an educational programme that meets the National Occupational Standards for their particular discipline or has achieved similar competency through experience and assessment.

Massage and Nutritional Therapy are the first professions to have registration standards in place and through 2009 the register will open to other disciplines including: Alexander Technique, Aromatherapy, Bowen Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Shiatsu, and Yoga.

For further information about registration, visit www.cnhc.org.uk