Practitioners of natural healing provide alternative health care to patients using traditional Chinese medicine techniques and other forms of treatment including acupuncture, herbology or reflexology to promote, maintain and restore the holistic health of patients. They usually work in private practice, including group or team practices, or are employed by clinics, health clubs and spas.

• certified rolfer
• herbalist
• holistic practitioner
• homeopath
• homeopathic physician
• hypnotherapist
• reflexology therapist
• registered acupuncture practicioner
• shiatsu therapist
• traditional Chinese medicine practitioner

Compassion, sensitivity, and a desire to help people are important. Workers in these jobs need to have an interest in working with people on a one-to-one basis and a willingness to make direct physical contact with clients. You should be able to communicate with clients and inspire trust, put people at ease, be observant, and notice a client's symptoms and response to treatment. Maturity and good judgement are essential. It is important to understand and practice professional ethics.

• Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners usually require completion of a three- to four-year diploma program in traditional Chinese medicine from a private institute or completion of a program in traditional Chinese medicine from recognized medical schools abroad.
• Acupuncturists usually require completion of a three-year diploma program in acupuncture from a private institute or completion of some university undergraduate studies in science and training in a related health care discipline or work experience under the supervision of a registered acupuncturist.
• Reflexology Therapists must be registered with a recognized professional association for their clients to be reimbursed for the cost of reflexology services through their health care benefit plans.
• Other jobs in this group usually require completion of training programs specific to their type of practice and some supervised practical training.

Hours of work vary depending on the therapist’s practice, but generally include evenings and weekends. Those who are self-employed may need to have business licenses, police security clearance, and CPR and First Aid training. Advancement in these jobs usually takes the form of building a larger client base.

This is not a large occupation in Nova Scotia so job opportunities may not be that frequent. With a large percent of workers being 55 years of age and older, retirements are expected to be a key contributor to employment opportunities over the coming years. Practitioners of Natural Healing may either be working full-time or part-time hours. Furthermore, the jobs may either be permanent or temporary positions, as both are common.

The median employment income for 29% of Practitioners of Natural Healing who worked full-time, year-round in 2015 was $25,584. Across all occupations in Nova Scotia, 59% of those who worked full-time year round had a median employment income of $43,600.
(Source: 2016 Census)

Hourly earnings data are from the Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada. Data are not available for all occupations. Hourly earnings are calculated based on usual hours worked per week. This is how an annual salary, for instance, gets converted to an hourly rate. The data include full and part-time workers along with new and experienced workers. Self-employed workers are excluded.

Annual employment income data reported in the Work Prospects section, are from the 2011 National Household Survey by Statistics Canada. Much of the data (around 70%) came directly from tax records. The data relates to the year 2010 and includes total wages and salaries and net income from self-employment.

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