Therapy professionals n.e.c.

You'll need to complete a postgraduate master's qualification approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Full-time postgraduate courses normally take 2 years to complete. Part-time courses can take 3 to 4 years.

You'll need a related first degree to apply for a postgraduate course. Subjects include:

• visual arts
• creative therapeutic arts
• psychology
• nursing
• social work
• education

Most institutions will also ask that you have at least 1 year's work experience in your chosen field, for example in community arts or working with vulnerable people.

You may be able to apply to do an Arts Therapist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship with an organisation like a healthcare trust.

This normally takes around 2 years to complete and is at postgraduate level. You should talk to your employer about potential apprenticeship opportunities.

You can get paid or volunteering experience with:

• community arts projects
• youth work charities
• disabled people
• people with mental health issues

Volunteering in the NHS is also a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

You'll need to do an approved postgraduate course in music therapy and then register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

To get on a postgraduate course in music therapy, you'll usually need a degree in music.

However, you might be accepted if you have an education or psychology degree and you have a high level of music skill.

To apply for a postgraduate course, you'll need 1 or 2 years of paid or voluntary work experience in a health, education or social care setting.

You could do an Arts Therapists Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

You'll usually need a qualification and experience in art, drama or music to apply.

You'll find it useful to have volunteering experience in health, education or social care.

You can also find volunteering opportunities through the The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do IT.

You'll improve your employment prospects if you get a qualification that is recognised by one of the professional organisations for nutritional therapy.

The Nutritional Therapy Education Commission accredits courses in nutritional therapy at undergraduate degree, postgraduate diploma and master's level.

When choosing a course, make sure that you:

• understand if the course is online, face-to-face or a mix of the two
• find out how much clinical experience you’ll get on the course
• check your course has a good reputation

You'll need to complete a degree followed by a postgraduate qualification approved by the British Association of Play Therapists or Play Therapy UK.

Your undergraduate degree should be in a related subject like:

• psychology
• early childhood studies
• mental health nursing
• social work
• education

You'll also need experience of working with children in professions like teaching, nursing, counselling, therapy or social work.

You could do a Play Therapist Level 7 Higher Apprenticeship.

This typically takes 3 years to complete.

You'll need to get a qualification that is recognised by a professional body like the:

• British Acupuncture Council
• Acupuncture Society
• Acupuncture Regulatory Authority
• Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

You can do different courses, with some going up to degree level. Check with the professional bodies for course entry requirements.

You'll need to do a degree or postgraduate master's course recognised by the General Chiropractic Council.

This involves 3 to 4 years of full-time study and 1 year working under supervision.

You might be able to take an Access to Science course if you do not have the academic entry requirements for a degree.

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You'll need to complete a postgraduate course in dramatherapy accredited by the British Association of Dramatherapists.

To apply for a postgraduate course, you'll need a degree in a related subject, such as:

• drama
• performing arts
• psychology
• theatre performance

You may also be able to apply if you have a degree in a subject like occupational therapy, nursing or social work.

You'll be expected to have around 12 months' practical experience of working or volunteering in a support role, for example:

• counselling
• teaching
• caring
• family support
• community arts

You might be able to apply for an Arts Therapist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship, which includes dramatherapy.

You'll usually need a qualification and experience in art, drama or music to apply, along with the support of your employer.

You'll find it useful to have paid or voluntary experience, which can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can find opportunities with:

• community drama projects
• youth schemes
• organisations who work with disabled people and people with mental health issues

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience.

You can also find openings through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

To prepare for work as a medical herbalist, you can complete a degree level course in herbal medicine approved by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.

Courses last 3 years full time or 4 to 6 years part time and include at least 500 hours of supervised clinical practice with patients.

If you're a trained medical practitioner like a doctor or nurse, you could take a postgraduate degree in herbal medicine.

You'll find it useful to arrange some work shadowing with a practising medical herbalist before you begin your studies.

You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification approved by the Association for Nutrition.

Approved courses include:

• food and nutrition
• biochemistry
• physiology
• public health
• health promotion

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You could also look for work and volunteering opportunities in:

• food safety
• food charity
• sport and fitness
• food manufacturing
• university research

You can study for a degree in orthoptics, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Some courses offer a foundation year. This is for students returning to education who may not have the standard entry requirements.

You could apply to an NHS trust to do an Orthoptist Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

This takes 3 years to complete and is a mix of training on the job and academic study at an approved university.

To become an osteopath, you'll need to complete a degree or postgraduate master's award approved by the General Osteopathic Council.

Full time courses usually take between 3 and 4 years and include:

• anatomy
• physiology
• biomechanics
• pharmacology
• nutrition

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

If you're already medically qualified, for example as a doctor or physiotherapist, you might be able to do a shortened postgraduate training programme to become an osteopath.

You could do a degree in psychology or health and social care subjects then apply for a place on a postgraduate training course.

After your degree, you'll need to get a job in healthcare while you complete Improving Access to Psychological Therapy training approved by the British Psychological Society.

This 12 month course is made up of a day of academic study and 4 days of supervised practice each week.

You could do a psychological wellbeing practitioner degree apprenticeship.

You may need a degree in a relevant subject like psychology or nursing or experience of working in mental health to do this apprenticeship.

To get into this role you'll usually need a lot of experience of working with people who have mental health issues. This can be from paid work or volunteering.

You can:

• get work experience in the NHS
• search for roles on NHS jobs, like community support worker
• find opportunities with Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Turning point

You could take a degree that includes the study of animal behaviour, though it is not essential. Relevant courses include:

• animal behaviour and welfare
• animal management
• zoology with animal behaviour

If you want to become a member of a recognised professional or industry body you should check their preferred degree subject requirements.

As well as your degree, you will also need knowledge of different types of animals and animal breeds, and some experience of animal handling and training.

Postgraduate qualifications in subjects like animal welfare and behaviour, or applied animal behaviour and welfare, are also available.

You could take a course at college that would give you some of the skills and knowledge you need to start in an animal care role. From there, you could work towards further qualifications in animal behaviour.

Courses include:

• animal care
• companion animal behaviour and training
• practical animal care skills
• canine welfare, training and behaviour

You could apply to do an Animal Training Instructor Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.

This takes around 2 years to complete.