According to Department of Health estimates, there are more than 2,000 complementary therapists practising in Ireland.
This figure includes more than 60 different therapy groups with membership ranging from 12 to 750 members.
The estimate is drawn from a database of practitioners compiled for the Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapies.
The largest therapy group is the Irish Massage Therapists Association (IMTA) which has 750 members. This figure also includes aromotherapists. The IMTA is also one of the oldest associations in Ireland with well-established codes of ethics and good practice.
Another large organisation is the Irish Reflexology Institute with 1,300 members.
Some therapists practice reflexology alongside other therapies and may be a member of more than one association.
Other therapies such as Shiatsu are represented by the Shiatsu Society of Ireland which has 33 professional members. Approximately 100 naturopaths are represented by the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners. Mind therapies such as hypnotherapy are also included.
This database also includes therapy groups representing herbalists, acupuncturists, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and homeopaths. It does not include osteopaths and chiropractors who are seeking regulation via the Health and Social Care Professions Act.
An estimated 140 osteopaths are practising in Ireland, 100 of whom are registered with the Irish Osteopathic Association. There are approximately 160 chiropractors working in Ireland, 150 members of whom are members of the Chiropractic Association of Ireland.
Most complementary therapists are self-employed private practitioners who work from a home-based clinic or from a complementary therapy centre.
A small number of complementary therapists work in GP practices or give treatments at support centres attached to acute hospitals or within the hospitals themselves.
