Licensing and Professional Resources
There are two professional organizations for aromatherapists in the United States.
The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) requires professional members to have 200 hours of education or 4 years experience or to pass an examination. The NAHA has a code of ethics. The association does not say how many members it has.
The Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC) requires one year of education and a 4 hour examination. Registrants must complete continuing education. There is reference to a Disciplinary Policy which may be the equivalent of a code of ethics but the text is apparently not on their web site. The Council does not state how many aromatherapists have been registered. A check of the ARC Online Registry shows 21 registrants in California, 19 in Pennsylvania and 12 in New York so it is probable the overall number is small.
In France, some of the essential oils are available by prescription only. Aromatherapy practiced by doctors is covered by insurance in many European countries.
There are two international professional magazines for aromatherapists. The International Journal of Aromatherapy, published four times a year, claims to publish peer-reviewed articles and to be read in forty countries. The International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy is published twice a year and states its articles are peer-reviewed “where possible.”
Peer review subjects an article to examination by two or three experts in the field. This is designed to improve and increase the reliability of the article. The use of peer review in aromatherapy is probably primarily to enhance the discipline’s credibility. Academic, medical and scientific journals are typically peer-reviewed. Aromatherapy would like to be viewed on the same level of seriousness or, more importantly, mainstream acceptability.
