Kinesiologist
First things, first and in case you didn't know...
Kinesiology is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement and kinesiologists study the factors that influence human movement.
They look for ways to improve health outcomes. They focus on how to help the human body perform more efficiently at work, in sport, and in daily life. They test muscles to get to the root cause of the symptoms you may be suffering.
Key skills/talents
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Patient and a calm manner
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Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
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Non-judgemental attitude to all types of people/all walks of life
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To be thorough and with good attention to detail
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Analytical and into problem-solving, ‘cos it’s the name of the kinesiology game!
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Good understanding (and good level of interest in continuous learning) of biology, chemistry, physics, sociology, and psychology, as the body responds differently to different stimuli.
Qualifications required
Although there are no Kinesiology degrees as such, you can study for a Bachelor's and/or Master's Degrees in Physiotherapy, which cover many of the same topics as kinesiology.
Like Molly you can (then) study a foundation and a practitioner course in Kinesiology. The Kinesiologist Association (Molly is a member) has details on the website of courses for both Foundation and Diploma.
The Kinesiology Federation detail courses around the UK from their website.
You will also need to gain diploma’s in:
Various courses can be found online, but here are a few:
Plus a First Aid certification through your local St John Ambulance, or similar.
Rules and regs
The Kinesiology Federation has a Code of Conduct which gives further details into duty of care, law and ethics etc.
Their code of conduct specifically outlines this for all practitioners:
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Promote our values by being accountable, professional, respectable, transparent and act with integrity
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Act in the best interests of their clients and students
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Respect their clients, students, other practitioners and healthcare professionals Take responsibility for their own actions
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Practice only within the limits of their competence
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Ensure their behaviour does not damage the reputation of the profession Observe confidentiality
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Practice within the law
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Maintain high standards of health and hygiene
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Maintain and develop their knowledge and skills
Practitioners must also hold adequate Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance cover when they practice. This can be arranged through the KF. When not arranged through the KF, they must provide evidence of their insurance cover to the KF. The Insurance policy must provide for employers and employee liability if personnel are employed.
Some insurance suggestions, fyi:
Client records are confidential. Practitioners must ensure they keep clear, comprehensive and dated records of their therapy sessions and recommendations given. This is especially important for the defence of any negligence actions as well as for an efficient and careful practice.
Client records should be stored securely and destroyed after 7 years have elapsed from the last client appointment. This includes when a client has died and 7 years after the 18th birthday of a child client. If you retire from practice, retain all client records for 7 years. If selling or handing over your practice to another professional, each client must give written permission for their records to be passed to a new practitioner.
Members of the KF are required to comply with all national and local legislation and to ensure that they are fully aware of laws such as Data Protection Act (2018) which replaces the EU GDPR and is now currently known as UK GDPR.
Members of the KF are bound by the KF ‘Complaints, Representation and Disciplinary Procedure’. They should provide clients with a contact name for use in the event of a complaint.
Remuneration framework
The average salary range for a Kinesiologist is said to be between £42,000 and £75,000, depending on where in the UK you practise. But as Molly says, within reason you can charge what you like/see fit.
Molly charges between £65 & £75 per hour, works 4 days a week and only tends to see a max of 4 clients a day. However, as she also says, she charges at the low-end, 'cos she's lovely :-)
Extra income could of course be earned via extra sessions, or indeed (extra) Zoom sessions in an evening or at weekends, should you wish to work those. Molly has set herself quite clear boundaries for this, but the option is there.
How to get started
Of course, and as we keep saying, do you own online research. Google the 'you know what' out of Kinesiology and all it's areas.
Then, go and visit a local Kinesiologist, if you haven't already. Go through your own treatment with them (which means more than one session!) to get a clear understanding of what's involved and how it feels from a patient perspective.
The Kinesiology Association details further information regarding their courses via this link.
The Kinesiology Federation doesn’t have specific training themselves, but this link provides details of the courses they recommend.
The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology has courses based in London and Surrey, but can advise you of courses that run in your area too.
Associations or official bodies to register with
As we've already said, get registered with:
The Kinesiology Federation (KF) is a non-profit professional association providing support to members and working to enhance the profile of kinesiology throughout the UK and are the UK's largest association in the U.K for professional kinesiologists.
Progression pathway
Progression for kinesiologists could be to pursue additional, complementary professional paths, to work alongside, such as athletic trainers, physical therapists, exercise physiologists, and occupational therapists. You would, however, need to complete a degree course to work in any of these additional areas.
Alternatively you could become a teacher and indeed lecture on Kinesiology, alongside your day-to-day work; and the institutions we have already listed can assist you with any questions regards this.
As Molly touches on, you could also collaborate with other healing professionals and open a wellness centre/space. Use each other’s skill-sets and client-bases for referral and indeed cross pollination.
Additional links/FYIs
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council is accredited by The Professional Standards Authority
Salon Gold offers insurances for Kinesiology practitioners.
TASK UK Network gives details of the recognised Code of Practice.