If you’ve dabbled with essential oils at home (maybe in a diffuser or in aromatic baths) and want to use them more extensively to support your overall health and wellness, then you may want to consider booking a consultation with an aromatherapy practitioner, who can discuss your specific needs and requirements and devise an appropriate treatment plan. In her latest blog, Christine Fisk talks you through the initial consultation process and what to expect during your appointment.

Aromatherapy consultation

Consultation is an important aspect of aromatherapy, enabling the therapist to complete a needs assessment and develop a treatment strategy for you (Battaglia, 2003).  When making an aromatherapy appointment for the first time, don’t be surprised if the aromatherapist asks you some screening questions.  These questions simply determine whether an aromatherapy treatment is appropriate for you.  While making your appointment, the therapist may also take the opportunity to give you details on their policy relating to missed or late appointments as well as what services s/he can provide.  This information enables the therapist to manage your expectations, saves time and can avoid awkwardness at the appointment itself.

Before providing the treatment, the therapist will need to gather some information from you relating to your medical history, general health, diet, lifestyle, reason for treatment and, even scent preferences, all of which are covered in more depth below.  It is quite usual for the first consultation to take some time. Apart from asking questions, the therapist will want to encourage you to ask questions about the treatment itself, which is designed to increase your confidence in their credibility and help put you at ease.  While the therapist will be friendly, it is important, of course, that they are also professional, as this will help you relax and get the best out of the treatment.  During the consultation, please ensure that you give complete and accurate information to the therapist, as this helps them design a bespoke treatment plan for you that is best suited for your individual needs.   

Medical history

Contra-indications relate to medical conditions that you may have which mean an aromatherapy treatment should not be performed. This is because the treatment may worsen an existing symptom or problem or create other issues.  Your therapist will want to know, for example whether you have medical conditions such as high or low blood pressure, liver disease, skin disease, diabetes, cancer, severe bruising, epilepsy, unrecognisable lumps or bumps, are recovering from an operation or have recent scar tissue.  Of course, this list is not exhaustive.  The therapist will want to obtain medical consent if you are on medication and/or have any medical condition prior to carrying out an aromatherapy treatment.  Once medical consent has been obtained, the therapist can be assured that it is safe to proceed with treatment. However, s/he may need to make some adjustments.  For example, if you have high blood pressure (HBP), s/he will raise the couch slightly and use slow, soothing massage techniques. Alternatively, if you have low blood pressure (LBP), the therapist will raise the couch but use more stimulating massage techniques. Your medical history may also mean that certain essential oils are contra-indicated.  Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), for example, is contra-indicated for anyone who has HBP, whilst Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) may lower it so is not recommended for those with LBP. 

Naturally, a reputable therapist will not advise that you refrain from carrying out medical instructions or stop taking any prescribed medication.  

General health

The therapist will be keen to find out about your general health from a physical, mental, and social perspective.  S/he will, of course, be able to gauge some of this information from the responses given in your medical history.  However, s/he will also ask about your levels of stress, your alcohol consumption and whether you smoke.  In addition to this, your therapist will want to know your skin type and whether you suffer from sensitivity or allergies. Certain essential oils are more suited to particular skin types while other should be avoided. Lemon (Citrus limon) for example is not recommended for those with sensitive skin; it is also a photosensitive oil which means exposure to sunlight should be avoided after use.   

All of these details will enable the therapist to get an overview of your general health and factors that may be affecting it.  Additionally, the therapist may also ask whether you have any concerns that you believe are impacting on your wellbeing.

Diet

Most people are aware that eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important aspect of maintaining good overall health and wellbeing.  A good diet can make such a difference in helping you feel on top form.  While the therapist is unable to provide nutritional advice unless, of course, professional qualified to do so, they may signpost you to helpful websites such as the NHS Eat Well page, that provides an informative Eatwell guide. 

Lifestyle

The therapist may ask you questions about your lifestyle.  Do you have a sedentary lifestyle or an active one?  What sort of hobbies and interests do you have?  Do you feel that your lifestyle impacts on your overall health and wellbeing positively or negatively?  Your responses will help the therapist determine which oils to use.  If you are, for example, particularly busy and find it hard to switch off, s/he may decide to use calming oils, such as Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) Neroli (Citrus aurantium) and Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) to name but a few.  Alternatively, if you are experiencing low mood, s/he may decide to use more energising oils, such as Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Peppermint (Mentha piperita), and Lemon (Citrus limon).  However, as we’ve discussed above the therapist needs to know your medical history before making their final selection because some oils may be contra-indicated.  

Reason for treatment and scent preferences

The therapist will ask the reason for treatment and the type of aromas you like.  Your responses will determine the choice of essential oil as well as the massage pressure, depth and technique.  If you want a relaxing massage, the therapist will use slow, soothing massage techniques, whilst if you want a more energising massage, they will use stimulating techniques, this will, of course, be dependent on your medical history.  

Once the consultation is finished, the therapist will select the most appropriate essential oils and carrier oils based on all of the details that you have provided.  If they decide to use Lemon (Citrus limon) or any other oil that has photosensitive properties, they will ask you to stay out of direct sunlight and not use sunbeds for 24 hours after treatment.

The treatment plan

While the therapist may provide a full or partial body massage, this is, in fact, only one way in which aromatherapy can be used.  Indeed, there are several other methods including bathing, compress and inhalation; it will depend upon the purpose of your visit as to which method is deemed best for you. For example, if you are experiencing stress, the therapist may develop a treatment plan that comprises of both a professional massage and a bathing product to use at home.  The professional aromatherapist will ensure that any product s/he gives to you to use at home is labelled so you know how to use it correctly and safely.  As a rule of thumb, it is advisable to add approximately five drops of an aromatherapy blend to warm running bath water (diluted first in a suitable carrier).  Ideally, you should take time to relax for around 20 minutes taking time to enjoy the aromatic scent.  This method is particularly good for aiding relaxation and a sense of calm.  If, however, you are suffering from sinusitis, the therapist may very well make up a product for you to inhale.  Again, s/he will need to ensure that the product is labelled correctly.  It is quite straightforward to use oils in this way.  Simply add a total of six drops of the blend into a diffuser or burner, following the manufacturer’s instructions! For clients who are experiencing muscle tension or tightness, the therapist may provide a blended essential oil product to use in a therapeutic ointment or hot or cold compress.  Both hot and cold compresses have specific purposes including increasing blood circulation, reducing pain and congestion in the affected area.  However, medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and open wounds need to be considered when using this method, highlighting again the importance of sharing your medical history with the therapist.  

At follow-up consultations, the therapist will undertake a short assessment with you to determine whether there have been any changes to your medical history, general health, diet and lifestyle and so on.  This ensures that the oils best suited for your individual needs are selected.  

All treatment plans will include comprehensive aftercare advice to ensure that you obtain maximum benefit from aromatherapy.  This advice ought to cover the first 12-24 hours after treatment as well as more long-term advice.  For example, in the short term the therapist will probably advise you to rest and relax after treatment and stay hydrated.  In the long-term, they may give you a product to use or, if qualified to do so, give you some exercises to do to help for example ease tension in tight muscles. However, your therapist may refer you to your General Practitioner for more specific advice if they think it is appropriate to do so.

I hope this blog has given you an insight into the type of information a professionally qualified aromatherapist will seek from you during consultation.  The importance of a good consultation should not be under-estimated; it ensures your safety and provides the therapist with the necessary details to ensure that they can design a treatment to meet your individual requirements.

Christine Fisk                                  
Consultant Aromatherapist           

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Reference list

Battaglia, S. (2003). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy.