Complementary Therapy in Switzerland: Overview
This page provides an overview of the various abbreviations, institutions and degrees in the field of complementary therapy. If anything is unclear or essential content is missing, we would be grateful for any comments. As this page also serves as a glossary, certain contents appear several times.
Basic information about complementary therapy in Switzerland
About the three degrees in complementary therapy
Complementary Therapy Health Insurance Recognition EMR & ASCA
50% federal funding for the degree "Complementary therapist with federal diploma"
OdA KT and OdA AM: Differentiation between body therapy and naturopathy/alternative medicine
Equivalence procedure (training beginning before 1 May 2016)
Basic information about complementary therapy in Switzerland
Switzerland has a unique recognition of complementary therapy in this form. Since the mid-1990s, treatments by therapists with a method diploma can be covered by supplementary insurance. To date, the catalogue of offers has expanded to well over 100 methods.
A distinction must be made between complementary therapy, which includes Shiatsu and craniosacral therapy, and naturopathy or alternative medicine, which includes TCM (see also the section “OdA KT and OdA AM”). The Kientalerhof is exclusively active in the field of complementary therapy.
In common parlance, complementary therapy, body therapy and body work are often used as synonyms. In contrast to physiotherapy, for example, body therapy is not primarily the therapy of the body itself, but rather therapy via the body to support a holistic state of health and balance.
In complementary therapy there are three types of degrees. While in some methods (e.g. in Shiatsu) different, constructive degrees can be acquired, in other methods there is only one type of degree (e.g. in Energetic Massage).
Weitere Informationen zu den drei Arten von Abschlüssen finden sich im nachfolgenden Abschnitt.
About the three degrees in complementary therapy
1. Method diploma without health insurance recognition
Advantage:
Mostly short course duration and therefore inexpensive.
Disadvantage:
No coverage of treatment costs by health insurance companies.
Suitable for:
People who want to practice body therapy for themselves, their family and/or friends to strengthen their health. Also suitable for therapists who already have a recognized degree and want to expand their knowledge or learn an additional method.
At Kientalerhof:
Tibetan Cranial Therapy, Energetic Massage, Spiritual Healing, Systemic Constellations
2. Method diploma with health insurance recognition (EMR/ASCA)*
Advantages:
Mostly moderate course duration until professional competence. Not the whole Tronc Commun, but only the medical basics (MG) are mandatory. The complementary medicine insurance plans bear part of the treatment costs once you have such a diploma. Thus, this kind of diploma already enables you to work professionally as a therapist. In addition, in some methods such a degree can be a basis for finally obtaining a federal degree (see paragraph 3).
Disadvantage:
Course costs have to be completely covered by yourself.
Suitable for:
People who want to be professionally trained in a therapy method to work in their own practice.
At Kientalerhof:
Esalen Massage, Ayurveda Massage, Colon Hydrotherapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Shiatsu (Pro), Trager Therapy (Cranio: only as described in paragraph 3).
3. Methods diploma with health insurance recognition (EMR/ASCA)* and sector certificate KT (body therapy). Possibility of subsequently obtaining a federal qualification as complementary therapist (HFP)
Description:
If you decide on a education accredited by the OdA KT (for complete list of methods see here) and attend the entire Tronc Commun, you will receive a so-called “Branchenzertifikat KT” together with the method diploma. This “Branchenzertifikat KT” is the prerequisite for admission to the Higher Professional Examination (HFP) and the acquisition of the degree as “Complementary Therapist with Federal Diploma”. In contrast to the Method Examination, the Higher Professional Examination is not a practical examination of the learned method, but an examination of competence as a complementary therapist.
Advantages:
After passing the higher Professional examination (HFP), the Federal Government will reimburse you 50% of the education costs (up to CHF 10’500). High acceptance in the population and also expected higher acceptance by health insurance companies in the future. Higher Acceptance also at institutions such as rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes and hospitals. Furthermore, people with a federal diploma can also work in the field of body therapy training as assistants or mentor participants (hospitations, student treatments, mentoring, supervision…).
Disadvantages:
Longer course duration. Initially high costs, but after the Higher Professional Examination (HFP) 50% of the course costs are reimbursed by the Federal Government (up to CHF 10,500). Currently, not all body therapy methods have the opportunity to get a federal degree.
Suitable for:
People who want to be professionally trained with a therapy method as main source of income (more than 50%). People who would like to work in the field of education in body therapy.
At Kientalerhof:
Currently, The Kientalerhof is recognized by the OdA KT for the courses in Shiatsu (KT/Body Therapy) and craniosacral therapy. Also in preparation: Trager Therapy, Ayurveda Therapy.
Further Information:
*The health insurance recognition refers to the supplementary insurances in the field of complementary therapy. Settlement via the basic insurance is never possible. For more information on health insurance recognition, see the corresponding section below.
Complementary Therapy Health Insurance Recognition EMR & ASCA
The recognition as a body therapist by the health insurance and a cost coverage through the insurance is possible if the therapist has a diploma of the categories 2 or 3 above. Billing via basic insurance is never possible with any of the three types of diploma.
Complementary health insurance covers treatment costs if the following requirements are met:
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Firstly, the corresponding method has to be recognized by the insurance company (each insurance company decides which methods are recognized, see the EMR* and ASCA* method lists).
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Secondly, the therapist himself/herself has to be registered at EMR*, at ASCA* or – in case of an own register – at the register of that specific health insurance company*.
*EMR and ASCA are the registries for the health insurance recognition of complementary and alternative therapists. Some health insurance companies rely on the EMR register, others on the ASCA register, and still others maintain their own register.
50% federal funding for the degree "Complementary therapist with federal diploma"
Since 2015, there has been a federally recognised profession in the field of complementary therapy. The official title of this qualification is “Complementary therapist with a federal diploma” (see figure 3 above).
At Kientalerhof, this path is currently available in Shiatsu and Craniosacral Therapy. OdA KT accreditations for the courses in Trager Therapy and Ayurveda Therapy are in preparation. The complete list of all methods in which the qualification as “Complementary Therapist with Federal Diploma” can be obtained you find here.
In all recognized methods, the higher professional examination (HFP) can be completed after obtaining a method diploma and the sector certificate in body therapy (“Branchenzertifikat KT”, awarded at the same time) as well as two to three years of supervised professional practice. By passing this examination, the qualification as “Complementary therapist with federal diploma” is acquired.
In addition to the federal diploma, passing this examination has another positive effect: Since 2017, the federal government has been offering co-financing of the education through official federal recognition. For the courses leading to the above-mentioned diploma, it reimburses 50 percent of the training costs (incl. Tronc Commun and body therapy supervision costs) after attending the higher professional examination (HFP). The maximum reimbursement is CHF 10’500.
Payment: After passing the higher professional examination (HPF), every person living in Switzerland can send payment confirmations of their own body therapy to the responsible authority. The cut-off date is January 1, 2017. All courses required for the HFP starting from this date will be taken into account.
OdA KT and OdA AM: Differentiation between body therapy and naturopathy/alternative medicine
The new profession “Complementary therapist with a federal diploma” is supported and regulated by the “Organisation der Arbeitswelt KomplementärTherapie” (OdA KT for short). Qualifications in this new profession can basically be acquired in the following methods: Acupressure therapy, acupuncture massage therapy, Alexander technique, breathing therapy, Ayurveda therapy, movement and body therapy, biodynamics, craniosacral therapy, eutony, fascia therapy, Feldenkrais therapy, eurythmy therapy, kinesiology, polarity, rebalancing, reflexology, shiatsu, structural integration, yoga therapy.
At the Kientalerhof we currently offer the following body therapy (KT) courses, which prepare for the qualification as “Complementary therapist with federal diploma”:
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Shiatsu KT
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Craniosacral therapy KT
The accreditation of the KT courses in Ayurveda Therapy and Trager Therapy are in progress at Kientalerhof; already now, a method diploma with health insurance recognition can be obtained at Kientalerhof for these two methods, which enables the cost coverage through the insurance company (see above conclusion number 2). In addition, the modules already attended today can later be credited to the KT training via the equivalence procedure (see below).
A distinction must be made between the profession of complementary therapist and the newly created profession of “naturopath with federal diploma”. At the Kientalerhof we currently do not offer a corresponding training. The responsible body for this profession is the “Organisation der Arbeitswelt Alternativmedizin” (short OdA AM). The corresponding methods are:
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Ayurveda medicine
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Homeopathy
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Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM
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Traditional European Naturopathy TEN
Equivalence Procedure (Education that started before 1 May 2016)
Those who have started their training in a body therapy method before its accreditation through the OdA KT must prove in an equivalence procedure that all training parts required for the body therapy method are fulfilled. In the equivalence procedure they receive the so-called “Industry Certificate KT”. This, in turn, is required for admission to the Higher Technical Examination (HFP) and for obtaining the federal diploma.