Good Morning Tracey,

My name is C!@#$%, my Aunt, S%^&*( (a client), introduced us. I'm currently taking a Career Management course at Seneca College and I have been assigned to interview someone in a field that interest me. I'll be attending Centennial in September for their Massage Therapy program and immediately thought of you.

1) Describe your work day from the time you arrive until you leave.

I get up at 7 am to help my children get ready for school and give then a hot breakfast - home cooked oat meal, home baked bread, or egg in a basket are favourites. My teenager goes to her high school and I take my youngest to her daycare.

When I return home, I ready my clinic for the day - refilling essential oil bottles, sweeping the rug, folding and placing the clean laundry. I fill the water jug with fresh, filtered water, boil water and put it in a thermal carafe for tea, and refill my snack tray for clients.

I check my emails, answer client questions, book appointments, remind people of their appointments. I take in orders from my suppliers, place orders, bring the items that have been delivered into inventory, price them, and make any adjustments to my online store listing for the item.

I respond to orders for clients and retailers, preparing, pricing and packaging orders. some are posted, some picked up, some I deliver by bicycle.

Every day, I do at least one load of laundry - washing, hanging out on the outdoor clothes line to dry in good weather, indoors if not, folding etc. I also do at least one load of "Clinic" dishes a day - beakers, flasks, measuring spoons, droppers, bottles, jars, mugs and cups for client's water and tea. Once dried, I sterilize most of these items with medical grade grain alcohol.

I take care of my clients, and tidy up in between each. After a client leaves, I record my work and findings on their chart and when needed, write a report to them by email. I print out our correspondence for their chart.

I also create workshops and related materials, prepare products, prepare for events, administer my business, prepare for taxes and PST and GST returns, cultivate relationships with stores and practitioners who wholesale, and do bike deliveries!

And I promote my work on my website, by email, though newsletters, Facebook, postcards and in person every day.

Last but not least, I grow a garden with food, flowers and herbs that I use in my practice. I check it to see what's going on and what the plants need first thing in the morning, in the afternoon and before I go to bed.

2) How is technology used at your work?

I use the telephone with voice mail.
I use a Mac laptop with Open Source software and spreadsheets I've created for my work.
I use a multi purpose printer, scanner, copier and fax machine. I have a laser printer now for making labels.
In the clinic, I use when needed a FAR infrared sauna, an ozone facial steamer, a space heater that looks like a fireplace, an enlarging lamp.
I have a body length massage pad on my visitor's chair, too!

3) Why did you enter this field of work?

I needed to be close to home because I had a young child and my previous job had me away from home 12 hours a day.
I have always done healing work, so doing this full time was more like becoming what I already was.

4) Are you satisfied with your job? Why or Why not?

I love the work, but it is a lot of work for very little pay. I take in about $2,500 a month in business, but expenses run as high as $1500 a month, so I keep only $1000 of what I take in. I work every day - 7 days a week. I like the fact that I have free time during the day to do banking, to get outside, and to do exchanges with other practitioners so that I am able to refer clients to them, but also take care of myself at the same time.

5) What level of general education is required to enter this field?

I believe that you can go to a school to become a Certified Natural Heath Practitioner with a high school education, but you'd be much better off training for this field with a college or undergraduate degree.

6) Where did you get your training?

I took three correspondence diplomas from Stratford Career Institute while I was still working as a senior manager in social services: Natural Health Consulting, Relaxation Therapy and Fitness and Nutrition. When I was between jobs, I studied at The School of Holistic Studies, Institute of Aromatherapy here in Toronto. When I was laid off by the Red Cross two weeks before the end of my maternity leave, I decided to "go for it", finish my Certified Natural Health Practitioner program and start my own clinic.

7) What school or programs would you recommend? Why?

I highly recommend the Stratford Career Institute's health related programs to help you understand your interests and aptitudes. Their correspondence programs come with great textbooks, the programs are inexpensive, and if you challenge yourself to get 100% on their open book exams, you'll learn the material well.

I recommend The Institute of Aromatherapy to anyone who would like to learn from a Master aromatherapist. One goes to this school to learn from Jan Benham, founder of aromatherapy in Canada. Jan Benham was taught by Shirley Price, who was taught by the founder of Wholistic Aromatherapy, Austrian biochemist Marguerite Maury.

The schedule can be brutal - 17 days in a row - or chaotic - classes getting rescheduled to accommodate the flow of students. The CNHP program here, however, is well balanced between science, body work and energy work.

8) Does your work require a license or certificate? What is the name of the license or certificate? Where can one get the necessary qualifications for your job?

I am a Certified Natural Health Practitioner - a federal designation from the Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners. To practice in Toronto, one needs to buy a Holistic Health Practitioner's License. For this license, you need a police clearance, malpractice insurance, membership in a professional organization and one's designation certificate. So you go through a series of steps:

1. Graduate from a school with a designation (Institute of Aromatherapy, or Transformational Arts College etc)
2. Join a professional association (Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners or Preventative Health Services Group)
3. Obtain malpractice, liability and comprehensive insurance through the professional association.
4. Obtain a police check for working with the general public.
5. Obtain a Holistic Health Practitioner's License for your city - basically an offensive, expensive procedure to prove you are not offering sexual services. They charge erotic massage parlours 100 times more money to operate - so much that parlour operators no longer pay the women who work there 12 hours a day, who work only for tips. I see the licensing procedure as a cash grab from practitioners that serves the public in NO way. The general public does not confuse sexual and therapeutic massage services, ever!
6. Obtain a certain number of hours of continuing education every year to uphold your membership in the professional association and everything that follows...

Here's what I say on my website:

I am recognized by the Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners as a Certified Natural Health Practitioner,
Registered Aromatherapy Health Practitioner and Certified Reflexology Health Practitioner through The School of Holistic Studies, Institute of Aromatherapy, where I studied Lymphatic Drainage and Advanced Massage, Aromatherapy, Thai Reflexology and Foot Massage, Reflexology, Anatomy and Physiology, Basic and Advanced Aromatology (Phytotherapy), soap, shampoo, conditioner and cosmetic making, Massage Chair Bodywork, Business Studies, Orientation and Practicum, Thai Yoga Massage, First Aid, Basic and Advanced Aroma Cosmetology (Holistic Skin Care), Nutritional Symptomology / Clinical Nutrition, and supervised clinical experience with seniors and at the SHS Student Clinic.

I hold diplomas with highest honours from Stratford Career Institute in Fitness and Nutrition, Relaxation Therapy, and Natural Health Consulting. I am also certified through the India-based Institute of Holistic Health Sciences in Chakras and Integrated Healing.

9) Who do you interact with on a daily basis and how?

I interact with my family, my clients and with delivery people. If I hold a workshop, or attend a fair selling my products or giving massages, I meet many more people!

10) When do you start your work day? When does it end? Are you hours flexible? Explain.

My official Clinic hours are 9 am to 9 pm Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and 9 am to 6 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. I work whenever I am free, however. I do a lot of the administration before and after these clinic hours. I only see clients on weekends if they are coming in from out of town and can only come on the weekend.

11) What "fringe benefits" are attached to your occupation? (Pension, medical insurance, holidays, compensation, status, personal freedom, etc.)

I have no pension, medical insurance, sick time, or holidays, very little compensation (I'd be wealthier on Family Benefits), or status (I am not a Registered Massage Therapist or RMT). I DO have personal freedom. As a workaholic, I don't use this freedom much, but it's there if I need it!

12) What is the most difficult part of the job? Why?

There are a lot of different tasks to keep doing and to keep in mind all of the time.
I also hate it when clients don't show up and don't pay for their missed session.

13) What is the most rewarding part of your job? Why?

I enjoy learning every day, and helping people - giving them a service they can't get elsewhere.
I don't have to deal with the nerve wracking politics of social services management, and I am more protected from vicarious trauma than when I worked with chronically homeless people and in disaster operations.

14) What personality qualities do you feel are the most important to be successful at this type of work? Why?

You need to be a caring, self motivated person, with physical awareness and fitness.
You need to be organized, kind, authoritative and interested in continually learning formally and informally.

15) Are your leisure-time activities job-related? Explain.

Yes, I drag my family out to all sorts of festivals and events as part of my work. My three year old enjoys it, and my fourteen year old is hard to get out there, but an awesome sales person. We have a family interest in cycling, civil rights and environmentalism, so I attend lots of related events with my family as both "myself" and as a "business owner" promoting my work.

I also make a point of attending Green Enterprise Toronto events regularly. It helps me to socialize and network with like minded people who are "out there on their own" operating a small business.

16) What advice would you give a student who is interested in your occupation?

Check with practitioners in many different settings: how long their hours are and how much money they earn. When I checked around, I learned that massage therapists working full time in Canada earn an average of $23,000 a year. Many massage therapists work 12 hours a day.

If you need to earn a proper salary in a humane workplace, you should become a physiotherapist or kinesiologist and work in a medical facility.

17) How long have you work for this company?

I started Anarres Natural Heath officially in July 2006.

18) What is your official job title?

I am sole proprietor of Anarres Natural Health, and a Certified Natural Health Practitioner,
Registered Aromatherapy Health Practitioner and Certified Reflexology Health Practitioner.

19) What is your favourite technique? (ie. Reflexology, Aromatherapy)

I am continually surprised by how enjoyable and effective reflexology is. If someone walked into my clinic right now and said "do anything with me for an hour and I'll pay you!", I'd give them a dead sea salt foot whirlpool followed by a reflexology massage! I always tell people "Worst case scenario, you get a relaxing foot massage. Best case scenario, you heal what nothing else has!"

My favourite energy work technique lately is Chakra Balancing and Workout - I've developed a breathing meditation for the client while I do it. I am very excited to offer something practical my clients can take home with them to keep them well and balanced. I finish with a dressed eagle feather that one of my clients made for me as a gift - I am always honoured to hold it and share its gifts.

20) What do you think of the job market for you line of work?

I believe that the market is flooded with massage therapists of all sorts - RMTs, uncertified masseuses and CNHPs.
Only a certain number can stay in business.
There are no jobs per se, or a very very few who might work as RMTs in hospitals.

Some massage therapists work on cruise ships. This work is brutal - 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week. It sounds like working on an oil rig - the advantage being that you can't spend money while you are at sea, so you do get home with savings if you survive!

All of the other "jobs" are either unpaid and working for tips, as independent contractors getting half of what the client pays at a practice, or running their own clinic like I am.

Hope that answers your questions.

Please ask for clarification if you need it.

Take care, Tracey