Board Certified Aromatherapist?

Board Certified Aromatherapist? Board Certified Essential Oil Practitioner? Say what?

It sure looks pretty doesn't it? To the unsuspecting public, it truly looks real! However, it's not.

Yep, I have seen this many times over the past few months. Some schools are giving out fancy names like essential oil practitioner, or master aromatherapist, etc. It doesn't mean much when there is no congruence in the industry. I don't care who says that an aromatherapist can be board certified.... it means nothing. Many schools offer "board certified practitioner status" as well. That is a topic for another day. There is no true certifying body in aromatherapy. Essential oils and Aromatherapy are not a regulated industry. Many of us already know that due to the sheer number of bad memes and horrible information out there.

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are it's a duck. Not a "board certified" anything. We can dress up a title to be anything we want it to be. It doesn't mean the industry supports it. Or that it is even legitimate.

Twice now I have seen schools offering "Board Certification" to be an Aromatherapist. Even an Essential Oil Practitioner. One of the schools offers a certificate without even going through the course. You can test out. Doesn't that strike you as odd? It does me. Safety and correct usage information is always warranted. Always.

Why wouldn't you want to be trained? Why wouldn't you want to know everything you could possibly know about something you are offering to others? Just because you are "experienced" or "well versed" does not mean you are correct. You may be telling your friends and family to do very unsafe things that could truly hurt them.

Taken directly from the EO Academy website:

"HOW DOES THIS COURSE COMPARE WITH AROMATHERAPY TRAINING? Great question! Because we are sharing essential oils, the same type of foundational knowledge is needed. But we are not training you to become an aromatherapist, rather a skilled expert at offering knowledgeable consultations, selling, teaching, creating products if you wish, both therapeutic and perfumery ... and doing so with greater empowerment and confidence than ever before. "

Skilled expert? How can anyone be an expert at anything with 126 hours of instruction? According to AIA and NAHA, the 2 associations recognized in this industry, a minimum of 200 hours is needed to be an Aromatherapist. In this "board certification" you are receiving a little over half what is MINIMALLY recommended to practice aromatherapy. They are teaching you how to sell and create products, admittedly not an aromatherapist.

Anytime a school offers a trademarked or copyrighted title, it makes me wonder. Certified Essential Oil Practitioner©, Essential Oil Coach™, why? It is not respected in the industry. Only people you are paying recognize the title.

Essential Oil Practitioner© is a title offered by The Essential Oil Academy™. They say they are accredited by the AADP (The American Association of Drugless Practitioners). This organization is where you receive your "board-certification" from. Remember me talking about this organization before? If not, read my blog Essential Oil Coach™ vs. Certified Aromatherapist blog. It's a papermill. The AADP also is connected to The Essential Oil Institute which offers the Essential Oil Coach certification. Both schools, The EO Academy and EO Institute are approved schools by the AADP.

This story on the Seattle Times website talks about how this association is a paper mill. "Becoming a member of the association AADP (The American Association of Drugless Practitioners) is as easy as faxing in a brief application with a photocopy of a driver’s license and $260. In return, applicants are issued certificates that declare them a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner among other titles. For schools wanting accreditation from this association, the process is just as simple. They are required only to mail a copy of their curriculum, and a fee. No one visits the school or interviews owners, instructors or students, he said." This title is not as prestigious as it seems. Pretty much ANYONE can get it". All you need is $260.

In the United States board-certification applies to medical PHYSICIANS, nurses, dentists, accountants, teachers and a few other professions that don't apply here. Physicians, either naturopathic or allopathic, not "doctors". I use the term doctor loosely. Doctor and physician have been interchangeable in the past. However, many are calling themselves doctors, even board-certified doctors for which they have not truly earned that title. It comes from a certification mill which you will see below. According to wikipedia, "Prior to taking the examination, a physician must graduate with a degree, either MD, DO or DPM and meet all other prerequisites to certification as set out by the certifying agency or "board."

Board certification is usually earned through the state government or a national certifying board. Not just any "board", of which there are many. A physician is generally board certified by the AMA (American Medical Association), ABMS the (American Board of Medical Specialties), or if they are specialized, one of the following: (1)

American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOABOS) American Osteopathic Association

American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS)

American Association of Physician Specialists

A naturopathic physician is certified by the AANP (American Association of Naturopathic Physicians). Not to be confused with the ANMA (American Naturopathic Medical Association) which is a fake certifying board. The ANMA is NOT through a state government or a national certifying board recognized by any entity other than itself. According to Learn.org, "An individual who chooses to become a specialist in a particular field is expected to go through additional residency training in her or his chosen area of expertise. They can then choose to take the specialty board exam to gain board certification. According to the American Medical Association, 24 medical specialty boards exist; these boards cover 37 general medical specialties and 128 subspecialties."

In any of these lists, have you seen anything at all alluding to board certification for aromatherapy? Essential Oil Practitioner? Anything other than physician? Nope, me either.

It is time we as consumers take a stand. We need to hold people accountable for their actions and their titles. Please do your research. Daily I see people with fake PhD's, doctor titles and even fake colleges/universities. Please don't be fooled by the pretty piece of paper. I would love to hear your comments on this, please send an email to melissa@sweetwillowspirit.com. My door is always open. Have a wonderful day!

Love and light,

Melissa

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Medical_Association