Complementary Therapy

Complementary therapy

Whether you’re living with a life–limiting illness, or caring for someone who does, our Complementary Therapy team are here to help you in the most holistic way we can. 

Promoting relaxation to relieve your anxiety and stress

Complementary therapies can be used safely alongside standard healthcare to promote better health and wellbeing. Our therapists aim to reduce any anxiety and stress, promote relaxation, and help to ease any symptoms you might have, such as pain, nausea and breathlessness.
Here are some of the therapies we can offer. These may vary from time to time, depending on the availability of our therapists.
  • Massage
  • Aromatherapy
  • Reflexology
  • Reiki
  • Acupuncture
  • Relaxation or Visualisation
  • Indian Head Massage
  • Yoga
  • Beauty therapy

Frequently asked questions

Complementary therapy is available for patients and carers under the care of the Hospice. You will need to be referred by one of our health professionals, so if you’re interested, speak to the person who is looking after you from our Willen at Home or In-Patient Unit teams. Our treatments are completely free of charge, but depend on the availability of therapists.

Depending on the therapy, sessions may offered on a one-to-one or group basis.

We’ll request a full medical history from you at your first treatment, which enables the therapist to make sure your chosen complementary therapy is suitable for you. In some instances, your doctor’s permission may be needed before you can start treatment, if you have certain health issues or medical conditions.

If you would like to find out more about any of the therapies we offer, you can read our Complementary Therapies booklet, or visit the NHS Health A to Z, which includes descriptions of many complementary therapies.

All of our complementary therapists are fully qualified, have received validated training, have appropriate certification and insurance, and belong to a recognised governing body. Some are members of Hospice staff and some are volunteers.

After an assessment with our Complementary Therapy Lead, we will talk about the best options for you. Unfortunately we do have to limit the number of treatments you can receive, so we can support as many people as possible.