Aromatherapy Course Hits the Spot for Anthea

Level 3 Diploma in Aromatherapy student Anthea Rowe (49), from Killinchy, is pursuing her passion for keeping people healthy through studying part-time at SERC. 

For as long as she could remember, Anthea has always had a passion for keeping people healthy, which inspired her to complete her food science and nutrition degree at Queens University Belfast and progress to working in quality control in Northern Ireland’s food industry. Now, after working in her field for twenty-five years, Anthea decided it was time to pursue her passion for health through a different lens. She had a long-standing interest in complimentary therapies and how they can help keep people healthy and found herself wanting to study the area in more detail. SERC was recommended to her by some of her friends who had previously studied complimentary therapy courses at the college. After doing research online, she decided that SERC was the right choice for her.  

Anthea says, “On the course you learn about all the different kinds of essential oils, their properties and what they are useful for treating, which I found interesting to learn about. Different oils suit different skin types, so we also learnt about skin and how the different oils interreact with it, often having to make specific oil blends for individual clients as everyone’s skin is unique. We also learnt how to give massages which we can use in treatments.  

“We are taught how to make our own aromatherapy products as well. Coming from my nutrition career which often involves a lot of methodical work in a lab, it was really nice to learn something more hands-on. We got to present our products to the class once they were created and explain how they worked. It was so much fun! Aside from the practical aspects of the course, we also learn all about the consultation process, making sure that clients feel at ease, and knowing how to identify what they want and how to communicate effectively with them.” 

Anthea adds, “Coming from a full-time work environment back into education has been great - being in a classroom of people who all share similar interests has been really nice and our teacher is brilliant – her industry experience speaks for itself and comes across very well in her classes.” 

She concludes, “I would really recommend this course, every aspect of it is great. If you’ve got an interest in complimentary therapies in general, it’s a really good option for you; you learn about all the basics and gain lots of experience in doing the consultation process and hands-on treatments, which gives you a great insight into other areas where you can build your skills further.” 

Apply now for part-time courses. Come to our part-time enrolment evening on Thursday  28 August from 4pm to 7pm at Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn & Newtownards Campuses.