Something Else

Reflexology in Wales

Training Courses


Interested in Studying for the BSc(Hons) in Complementary Therapies? - scroll down for further information

Reflexology Training Courses

What is Reflexology? ( see research page for further info)

It's a method of pressing and deeply massaging the feet (or sometimes hands) in order to bring about a change in another part of the body. Whilst deeply relaxing, it is also profoundly healing, working on a number of different levels to bring about positive change. For example, it boosts circulation, warms up muscles, relaxes nerves, aids breathing, and gives instant pain relief.

It is a fascinating way to help your body re-balance and heal. Ever thought of Training in Reflexology? or other complementary therapies? - See below for training courses and one day workshops.

Reflexology Practitioner’s Course - (Level 3 Diploma)

If you are looking for a career change, then this could be the course for you. It is called a ‘Practitioner’ course because it is aimed at those wishing to make a career out of reflexology. Many of our students are now part time or full time reflexologists.
There are also further opportunities to develop your practitioner skills after you have graduated with your Diploma. The Academy offers mentoring at a therapy clinic, advanced reflexology courses and business and marketing workshops.

The Academy of Combined Reflexology is so named because we believe that a holistic approach is the fastest way for Reflexology to work. To this end, the method seeks to improve the lifestyle of the client through rebalancing the body but also through positive dietary change, and pursuing fulfilment in every aspect of life.

Reflexology qualifications have now been standardised countrywide, and can be studied at mainly two levels - Level 2 and Level 3. Several awarding bodies offer both these levels. The higher level allows membership of the Association of Reflexologists which is generally considered the best professional body for reflexologists in the UK today.

The Academy of Combined Reflexology taught the Level 3 qualification up until this year (2010). However,as the new qualification comes into effect in 2011, the main practitioner qualification will be taught only at UWIC in Cardiff. This means that the weekend practitioner's course will not be running in 2011.However, the main course tutor will still be teaching this qualification - but only at UWIC.

This will allow the Academy of Combined Reflexology to concentrate on delivering high quality CPD courses, workshops and seminars to develop reflexologists into better qualified practitioners.

The timetable of CPD events is as follows:

1.Introduction to Research

Sunday 17th April 2011

This one day workshop is designed to introduce research to complementary therapists. It is targeted at therapists and practitioners who are interested in understanding research or conducting their own small research projects. The timetable for the day will run as follows:
•Your research ideas
o What do you want to know?
•Reading research papers
o Cutting through the jargon
•Research methods
o Which methods for your research
•Finding research literature
o Where to look, how to look, references
•Outcome measures
o Tracking progress
•Running your own research project

2.Reflexology in Palliative care

Saturday 2nd July 2011

This one day workshop is targeted at those practitioners and therapists who want to work in hospices, the NHS and the community in palliative care settings. Reflexology is one of the most commonly used therapies in hospices, and in cancer related community settings. Therefore it is more and more important that complementary therapists are trained in safe and effective techniques for working in these settings.
The timetable for the day will be as follows:
•Communication skills
•Dying well - Stages
•Cautions
•Specialist Techniques for Reflexology Lymphatic drainage

3.Spinal Advanced Reflexology

Saturday 9th April 2011

Back by popular demand - this one day workshop looks at the spine through the feet in a whole new depth. Assessing the alignment of the spine and skeletal frame through the way the feet position themselves on the couch, and how to treat different types of back problem.

The timetable for the day will be as follows:
•Spinal misalignments
•Nerve points on the spinal reflex
•How to treat different back problems
•Helpful acupuncture meridians on the feet
•Skin dermatomes and the spinal nerves

4.Potential Practitioner – An Introduction to Reflexology

Saturday 18th June 2011

Not sure whether you want to study for a qualification, but interested in knowing more about reflexology? This one day workshop could be for you. It will tell you a little about the therapy and its origins, and it will give you some tips about treating yourself and your family.
The timetable for the day will be as follows:
•History and ancient origins
•How to relax – deep relaxation through the feet.
•First aid via the foot reflexes– how to use the feet to relieve common ailments
•The future – research and the way forward

5.Flying Start – Marketing your practice
Saturday 9th July 2011

This one day workshop will pay for itself in new clients, beating a path to your door. Targeted at newly qualified therapists and practitioners, it teaches you how to build your practice up with new clients, and keep them coming, or bringing you more.
The timetable for the day will be as follows:

•Building your client base
•Bringing in the money
•Goal setting
•The principles of success

6.Multiple methods reflexology

Sunday 19th June 2011

This one day workshop will introduce the reflexologist to a range of techniques which can be incorporated into the standard reflexology routine. Methods covered are: Auricular points (ear reflexology), Precision linking, Vertical techniques, Light touch techniques and chakra balancing routines.

For more details on any of the above one day workshops, or for an application form, please speak to the School Principal via email (info@somethingelse.org.uk) or telephone 078 118 96 419. All workshops are priced at £70, and require a £30 deposit to secure your place.


If you are interested in joining the mailing list for any of these seminars and workshops, please email to register your interest.

The School Principal is also the Reflexology Module Leader for the BSc(Hons) Degree in Complementary therapies at UWIC (University of Wales, Institute, Cardiff) and is also involved in research into the therapy so is very much a hands-on practitioner of reflexology.

Reflexology at UWIC

There are many types of Reflexology training available, from short introductory weekends to longer courses. A longer course prepares the student more thoroughly for setting up in practice, and because it is accredited, the student can be assured that standards of tuition, assessment and examination are being maintained . In addition to Reflexology techniques and practice, there are modules on business, practice management, taxation, the law, finance, and marketing. There is also a large Anatomy & Physiology component which is sometimes missing from shorter courses, but which is essential for the proper understanding of the body’s mechanisms of health, disease and healing. In addition to this there is of course the practical element of the course. All Level 3 courses insist on a minimum of 100 hours of case study work which can be up to three times as much as other courses. This gives the student more experience of a range of conditions and how to treat them before going into practice. The UWIC course contains more contact tuition hours than is required by any level 3 program currently available.

The student is encouraged to study food and its role in health and disease, there is recommended reading and set piece work specifically on nutrition and disease.

This course is designed for those who wish to attain Practitioner status. Many shorter courses will equip the student to practice at Therapist level, which still requires input and guidance from others, such as the GP, or senior members of staff. Practitioner level courses such as this will equip the student to run their own practice, making their own clinical decisions with much less input from others.It is also the minimum requirement for working alongside medical professionals in the NHS.

BSc(Hons) Complementary Therapies.

This three or four year degree course (three years full time, four years part time) is held at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) and incorporates three main professional therapeutic qualifications as well as the Honours Degree. You will study Massage gaining an MTI massage qualification , followed by the Reflexology course shown above, and followed by the IFPA Aromatherapy qualification. In the final year you will study advanced massage skills with an Osteopath, and will complete a placement project and a dissertation. There are also modules on Anatomy and Physiology, Business, Integrated Pathology and the sociological perspectives.

Many medical and medi-Spa employers are now looking for therapists qualified to degree level.

You may study a single therapeutic area like reflexology or holistic massage at the University of Wales, and if you decide you'd like to continue your studies you can continue on to the full degree.
Alternatively you can study for a Diploma in Holistic Massage or if you already have an MTI level massage qualification, you can study for the IFPA Diploma in Aromatherapy

For further information, please visit the UWIC website www.UWIC.ac.uk

Advanced Courses for Qualified Therapists and Practitioners
Please see CPD courses above

NB Please note, all workshops can be run locally to you, if a minimum of 6 students can be gathered. Our tuition team will come to you. Please ask for details.

History & Origins of Reflexology

The origins & History of Reflexology begin in ancient times. What we know today as Reflexology is thought to go back many thousands of years, and similar techniques seem to occur in different cultures. Ancient Egyptians practised a form of Reflexology, using a series of pressure points to bring about changes in the health of the individual. The Native Americans also used variations of Reflexology on hands, feet and other parts of the body to heal.

The ancient Chinese are also thought to have used a variation of Reflexology as part of their energy healing practices, and meridian theory, acupuncture, shiatsu and other therapies have similar pressure points in and around the feet and hands.

The scientific basis to modern Reflexology begins in the Nineteenth century, when in the 1890's Sir Henry Head demonstrated the neurological relationship that exists between the skin and the internal organs.

Later, Nobel prize winner Sir Charles Sherrington, proved that the whole nervous system and body adjusts to a stimulus when it is applied to certain parts of the body.

Meanwhile in Germany, Dr. Alfons Cornelius observed that pressure applied to certain spots triggered muscle contractions, changes in pressure, variation in warmth and moisture in the body as well as directly affecting the physical processes, or mental state of the patient.

The Ingham Method

The Ingham method forms the basis for the way most reflexology is practised around the Western world today. It was pioneered and developed in America in the early 1930's by the late Eunice Ingham who is considered by most reflexologists to be the "Mother" of reflexology. After closely following the pioneering work carried out by eminent Ear,Nose and Throat Doctor William Fitzgerald who discovered new methods of anaesthetising pain through applying pressure,she developed a method of working these pressure points to encourage the body to heal up to 6 times faster than normal.

With this method, pressure is applied by "thumbwalking" in which the thumb (or finger) bends and straightens whilst maintaining a constant pressure across the area of the foot being worked.

She believed that the focus should be on the relaxation and stimulation of the nervous system ,and through rebalancing the body's systems. The therapist works within the pain tolerance level of the client. The session is always holistic - that is all reflexes are worked with some reflexes being emphasised a little more than others.

Research and New developments in Reflexology

New research is being carried out all the time into Reflexology, (see research page link) as the stories of successful treatments gather pace. Scandinavia has been instrumental in gathering together empirical, clinical research to prove the existence of a positive effect.

Nerve Reflexology and Vertical Reflexology are two of the new variations of the therapy which have been extremely successful in treating illness and imbalance in the body.

Exciting new research which has implications for the practice of Reflexology is being carried out all the time. Most recently, research scientists have shown how a pressure point on the foot can cause the Visual cortex of the brain to be stimulated. This was measured in an MRI scanner, showing that this method of stimulation caused the same brain effect as the subject being shown a visual stimulus. The pressure point used on the foot is where Reflexologists have known 'the eye reflex' to be for many centuries. It seems that finally, there are measurement methods which can help the therapy to gain more credibilty in medical and scientific circles.

What Conditions Might it Help?

Anything which causes pain; Arthritis; Migraines; Period & Hormonal problems; Digestive problems such as constipation,IBS, Acid Reflux; Stress related conditions; Muscle tension of all kinds; Insomnia; Asthma; Fertility problems; Back pain; Frozen shoulder; Neck pain; Knee Pain; Panic Attacks;

Please note: Reflexology is NOT a substitute for proper medical care. Any reflexology treatment should be used as a complement to your Doctor's treatment, not a replacement. Reflexology is NOT a diagnostic therapy. It is your doctor's job to diagnose illness. Your reflexologist can help to support you systematically in order to help you heal, or encourage your body to perform its usual functions more effectively. It may also help where your doctor has been unable to diagnose any specific condition.

Reflexology does not treat a specific condition or disorder, but it can treat the whole person, and bring about improved functioning. This can bring about a series of good effects, such as improved circulation, deep relaxation, imrpoved sleep and normalised functioning.

For more information, please contact the Clinic Director on 01685 383939