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Colour therapist
Hours
Variable
Starting salary
Variable
Colour therapists aim to relieve symptoms and promote healing through exposure to colour. They believe that the colours we absorb affect the nervous system and the release of hormones. This may in turn affect our mental, emotional and physical state and wellbeing. Colour therapy is a part of complementary medicine. If you believe colour influences our lives, colour therapy could be a good choice of career.
To become a colour therapist, you will need good people skills. You will need to be a good listener. You will also need to be able to run a business.
To do this job you will need good communication and listening skills. You will need to be able to work closely with a wide range of clients. You will also need patience and understanding.
You can prepare to work in colour therapy by taking a certificate or diploma from the International Association of Colour or the Vocational Training Charitable Trust.
WorkDesc
The work
As a colour therapist, you may see clients with a range of conditions including depression, eczema, high blood pressure, and menstrual problems. You may also use colour to help people boost their immune system, or increase their creativity and ability to learn.
Once you have discussed your client’s medical history and colour preferences, you would treat their condition by exposing them to an appropriate colour source. You may use a variety of techniques, depending on your training and experience, including:
- using stained glass filters, crystals, lighting gels, or coloured silks to irradiate the whole body, spine, or a localised area (rhythmically or constantly)
- setting up a strikingly lit and vast selection of bottles of coloured essence, and applying the liquid to the skin of the client
- using 'healing hands', meditation or visualisation methods
- demonstrating and teaching breathing exercises.
You might also advise on the use of colour in dress, diet and home decorating, and teach clients how to perform visualisations with colour.
Some colour therapists believe they can read people's auras and 'see' which colours are needed to address an imbalance.
HoursDesc
Hours
You would arrange a schedule of appointments to meet the needs of your clients, which could include working evenings and weekends.
You would usually work from home or in private consultation rooms, although you may also work in clients' homes.
IncomeDesc
Income
You would usually be self-employed and charge an hourly rate, typically between £30 and £60 an hour.
Many therapists supplement their income by doing other work alongside colour therapy.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
You can prepare to work in colour therapy by taking a certificate or diploma, such as those awarded by:
- International Association of Colour (IAC)
- Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT)
Colour therapy diplomas normally take two years to complete. You could start by doing shorter courses, which tend to be useful as an introduction or for general interest.
You may find experience or qualifications in counselling, anatomy and physiology useful, and possibly essential for entry to some courses. It can also be helpful if you have experience of working in a caring profession.
In the second year of a colour therapy diploma course, you will train as a probationary practitioner. This includes a minimum of 30 hours of supervised practice, which you may have to arrange yourself. You will need to complete separate units in anatomy and physiology, and counselling before your diploma is awarded.
See the IAC and VTCT websites for details of courses.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Colour therapy is an unregulated area of complementary medicine. You may increase your career prospects by joining a professional body, such as the International Association of Colour (IAC) or the British Register for Complementary Practitioners. The British Register is administered by the Institute for Complementary and Natural Medicine (ICNM).
Membership of an association will also often provide development and networking opportunities, as well as guidance on professional standards and ethics. Check the organisations' websites to see which would represent you best.
You could increase your skills, knowledge and work opportunities by taking courses in related areas such as reflexology, aromatherapy, massage or crystal therapy. Many practitioners will offer colour therapy alongside other therapies.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a colour therapist, you will need:
- empathy with clients
- good listening skills to determine the best treatment
- a genuine desire to help people
- the ability to recognise when to refer clients to a qualified medical doctor
- commercial skills to help you run a business.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) 
3rd Floor
Eastleigh House
Upper Market Street
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO50 9FD
Tel: 023 8068 4500
www.vtct.org.uk
International Association of Colour (IAC)
www.iac-colour.co.uk
Institute for Complementary and Natural Medicine
Can-Mezzanine
32-36 Loman Street
London
SE1 0EH
Tel: 020 7922 7980
www.incm.org.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
Your main work opportunity will be as a self-employed therapist. To be successful you will need to build up and maintain a sound reputation and client base. You will need to market and promote your business. This can involve working long hours at first until you have established your practice.
With experience, you could move into teaching colour therapy. To meet the standards set by the IAC and teach in a Colour Training Centre, you would need to be qualified as a therapist and have a teaching qualification or proven experience (see the IAC website for details).
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
The health sector is represented by Skills for Health Sector Skills Council, which comprises three sub‐sectors:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Independent Healthcare Sector (such as private and charitable healthcare providers)
- Third Sector (healthcare) (such as small local community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises and co‐operatives)
The health sector is made up of hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, the ambulance service, nursing homes, residential care homes, complementary medicine and a huge range of other health related activities, from sight tests in opticians to research in medical laboratories. Most people in the health sector work in the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), which includes:
- primary care (organisations which the public goes to first) – Doctors/General Practitioners (GPs), NHS Walk in Centres, NHS Direct, Out of Hours Emergency Care
- secondary care (organisations which the public are referred onto) – Ambulance Trusts, NHS Trusts/hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts/hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, Care Trusts (provide joint health and social care activities)
NHS policy in England is directed from the centre by the Department of Health. Local organisations, known as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), are in charge of providing and commissioning services, controlling the majority of the budget. PCTs are overseen by 10 regional organisations called Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).
The independent sector includes companies and charities that offer hospital and specialist services usually after referral from a doctor. Operations and other work are carried out in private hospitals, independent treatment centres, mental health units and hospices.
Key facts:
- The health sector is the largest employer in the UK, representing 5.5% of the working age population of the UK and 7.3% of the working age population that are currently in employment.
- It is estimated that the sector employs over 2 million people, including:
- over 1.5 million people in the NHS (72%)
- over 0.5 million people in the Independent Healthcare sector (26%)
- almost 40,000 in the voluntary sector (2%)
- 56% of the workforce has a higher education qualification (or equivalent).
- The age profile for the sector shows an older than average workforce, which is due in part to the fact that it takes some professions a long time to train and can mean that people enter the sector later.
There is a varied list of jobs in the sector ranging from a diverse number of clinical roles, to support and infrastructure staff, for instance: Allied Health Professionals (AHPs); Ambulance Staff; Dental Staff; Doctors/Medical staff; Nursing staff; Midwifery Staff; Healthcare Scientists; Health Informatics Staff; Management; Wider Healthcare Team; Complementary Therapists.
National and regional data
High proportions of the health sector workforce are located in:
- London
- South East
- North West
East Midlands - The health sector employs 131,515 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East Midlands employs 8% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 29% of all employment across the sector or 41,200 employees.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
East of England - The health sector employs 164,720 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East of England employs 9.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 52,300 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 14% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 103,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
London - The health sector employs over 249,524 people, which accounts for 6% of all the employment in the region.
- London employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 33% of all employment across the sector or 78,500 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 146,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North East - The health sector employs 89,201 people, which accounts for 8.7% of all employment in the region.
- The North East employs 5.3 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 23,800 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be almost 46,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North West - The health sector employs 251,960 people, which accounts for 8% of all employment in the region.
- The North West employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South East - The health sector employs 264,071 people, which accounts for 7.1% of all employment in the region.
- The South East employs 15.7% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 164,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South West - The health sector employs 182,187 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- The South West employs 10.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 60,700 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 105,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
West Midlands - The health sector employs 168,746 people, which accounts for 7.2% of all employment in the region.
- The West Midlands employs 10% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 43,000 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 9% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 108,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Yorkshire and the Humber - The health sector employs 182,848 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- Yorkshire and the Humber employ 10.9 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 24% of the total health care workforce or 42,000 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 97,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Northern Ireland - The health sector employs 61,300 people.
- Northern Ireland employs 3% of the total health sector workforce.
- 81% of the workforce is female.
- 26% of the workforce is aged 35‐44 years.
- 96% of the workforce is white.
- 10% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 48% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Scotland - The health sector employs 201,500 people.
- Scotland employs 10% of the total health sector workforce.
- 78% of the workforce is female.
- 30% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 95% of the workforce is white.
- 14% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 39% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Wales - The health sector employs 114,900 people.
- Wales employs 6% of the total health sector workforce.
- 74% of the workforce is female.
- 34% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 94% of the workforce is white.
- 18% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 40% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 27% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2008‐2009, Annual Business Inquiry, 2007, and Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007]
Career paths
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