Mission
The IFA's mission is the preservation of health and wellbeing by advancing the knowledge, practice of and expertise in aromatherapy by education, teaching and training. Our vision is to be the leader in promoting and elevating standards in aromatherapy by disseminating educational material as widely as possible to allow the public to make informed decisions about their healthcare.
Health and wellbeing
By raising awareness of aromatherapy as a means of maintaining and preserving optimum health and wellbeing. We are committed to the holistic and clinical integration of aromatherapy into a wide range of NHS hospitals, hospices and complementary healthcare practices, including self-care and home pharmacy and initiate various charitable projects.
Ethical scientific research into essential oils
By promoting the objective evidence base that supports aromatherapy comprising of clinical trials, case histories, clinical audits and also patient reported outcome data, ensuring all registered practitioners engage in evidence-based practice. Reviewing and updating its guidelines so that our registrants’ submissions can be worthy of academic interest.
Advanced professional standards of education and training
By periodically updating our curriculum content, mandatory quality assurance procedures for trainers and internationally externally invigilated examinations. We ensure all practitioners on our register undertake continual professional development to remain at the peak of their profession, and provide supervision and mentoring support.
Learning pathways to higher education
By providing all those who seek to meet the IFA’s kite mark of professionalism with a highly reputable route of progression through qualification mapping (APL). We pioneer and innovate courses that cater for niche areas of society and enable postgraduates to work in a multitude of medicinal, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries amongst others.
To represent its members
By standing up for the interests of its member’s before governmental and decision-making bodies to strengthen the recognition of aromatherapy as a true complementary modality and promoting the growth and development of relations with other healthcare professionals.
High Standards of Regulation
By stringent Codes of Professional Practice, Ethics and Conduct. All registrants are personally accountable for their actions and must be able to explain and justify their actions. We investigate should a registrant fall below those standards and impose sanctions to maintain the integrity of our profession and ensure the public can choose with confidence.