Nutritional therapist : Training

The Nutritional Therapy Council (NTC) has an official national register of all individuals qualified to practise nutritional therapy. In January 2009 the NTC register was transferred to the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) . This is an independent voluntary regulator set up by the Department of Health.

In order to join the register, therapists must have completed training that conforms to the standards set in the NTC core curriculum. Therapists are not legally required to be registered but the NTC say that registration shows a willingness to be accountable.

Membership of other professional bodies is still a matter of individual choice rather than an obligation. Each body has its own aims and objectives; some operate as businesses while others have charitable status. Membership fees vary. One of the main professional bodies in the UK is the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) .

They offer a structure for professional development which includes lectures, seminars and other events. Other relevant bodies include:

• Wholistic Nutritional Medicine Society (WNMS)
• British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA)
• Institute for Complementary and Natural Medicine (ICNM)
• The Institute for Optimum Nutrition

Therapists are commonly expected to continue with their study and learning to enhance their professional status as therapists, and the profession as a whole.