Naturopathy

Training

You will need to complete a Diploma in naturopathy, or one of the fields within naturopathy such as nutrition, acupuncture, or homeopathy. The General Naturopathic Council (GNC) sets the curriculum for UK courses, so you should seek out training from a GNC accredited provider. The GNC has a list of accredited courses, which includes courses in naturopathy, herbal medicine and naturopathic nutritional therapy from the College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Some naturopathy courses are available online, however you should check to make sure that any course includes supervised clinical practice. Courses that are based entirely on distance learning do not meet regulatory standards, so you should check that the course includes the core element of clinical practice training.

Regulation

‘Naturopath’ is not currently a protected title in the UK, but qualified naturopaths should register with the General Naturopathic Council (GNC), the regulator for Naturopathy and Naturopathic Therapies in the UK. The GNC, together with the Skills for Health developed the National Occupational Standards for naturopathy in the UK.

A GNC Registered Naturopath will be qualified in at least one of the major disciplines represented by the following professional associations:

• Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP)
• Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists (ARCH)
• British Society of Ecological Medicine (BSEM)
• Guild of Naturopathic Iridologists (GNI)
• Incorporated Society of Registered Naturopaths (ISRN)
• Institute of Clinically Applied Holistic Therapy (ICAHT)
• Naturopathic Nutrition Association (NNA)

Professional bodies

Naturopaths are also eligible to join the accredited register of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) or the Federation for Holistic Therapies (FHT). 

You may also consider one of the following membership organisations:

• General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN) 
• Society of Naturopaths
• World Naturopathic Federation