Training in respiratory therapy: experiences and tips from Andrea Stefanoni - this training enabled me to be quickly employed as a respiratory therapist in a psychiatric clinic

Who are you?

My name is Andrea Stefanoni. I originally studied media studies, art history and politics and also worked in the cultural sector for a while. I am a qualified body and breathing therapist. I have been working in a psychiatric clinic in Zurich since my breathing therapy training.

What courses did you take at LIKA?

I trained as a body and breathing therapist at LIKA.

Why the LIKA school?

There are various possibilities in the field of alternative medicine that have to do with healing through breath and movement. I looked into it intensively, researched and looked for schools. After a convincing initial interview with the school management, a tour of the school premises and a good gut feeling, I decided on the breathing therapy training at LIKA.

Why respiratory therapy?

At the beginning, I didn't really know why I was so fascinated by breath. The more I read about it, the more it appealed to me. Later, I realized why. Because the breath is very important for our health, our mental state, our emotions and thoughts. All of this is connected to the breath. This was the decisive factor in my passion for breathing therapy.

What is it about LIKA's respiratory therapy training that appeals?

At LIKA, the breathing therapy training is individually tailored to each person. Personal or professional concerns can be easily reconciled with the training. Despite the professional and well-founded training, you can continue to lead your usual life within a good framework. Self-awareness and self-motivation are very important in the therapeutic field and are also very important at LIKA, as well as being implemented in the training. In therapeutic work, who you are and what you bring to the table is just as important as your professional know-how and all the exams you have passed.

Did you face any challenges during your breathing therapy training and how did you deal with them?

There have always been challenging moments for me in respiratory therapy training. If you want to continue your therapeutic training, you also have to deal with yourself. You don't always feel like doing that straight away. But the journey was worth it in retrospect. However, you always have to overcome your own inhibitions.

What did the respiratory therapy training do for you personally?

The breathing therapy training has given me a very sound knowledge of my own body, my body awareness and my breath. It is essential to first get to know your own breath in all different situations. Only then can you pass on your knowledge as a breath therapist to other people. Becoming a breath therapist and the associated self-awareness has also made me personally more satisfied. The older you get, the better you become as a respiratory therapist.

What learning content helped you in particular?

The content of the breathing therapy course is structured in such a way that western and eastern medical knowledge are combined. I was particularly fascinated by the simple building block of meridian theory, which is often known as acupuncture. I now know exactly how to apply this simply. Thanks to meridian theory, I know which meridians are connected to which organs and how they are connected to breathing. This knowledge has enriched me greatly to this day.

How has your everyday working life changed as a result of the respiratory therapy training?

I was able to start working as a respiratory therapist straight after my respiratory therapy training. I was able to take up employment as a respiratory therapist in a psychiatric clinic. I teach mentally ill people there either in groups or individually. In the groups, I teach exercises to use the breath in anxiety or stress situations or in the case of compulsions and depression in order to be able to deal with them better and through physical experience. In individual treatments, I usually work with a couch and my hands to get the meridian pathways flowing again in conjunction with the breath.

Where would you be today without this training?

I can't say exactly where I would be. But I would certainly have gone in the direction of "working with people". Another job in this area would certainly have made me happy.

What was your favorite part of the breathing therapy course?

What I liked best about the breathing therapy course was when we combined theory with self-awareness. This linking made it possible for me to experience this in group exercises. I really liked that.

Who would you recommend the "Respiratory therapist" training course to?

I would recommend the "Breath Therapist" training course to anyone who feels it appeals to them and would like to work with people. I would then recommend taking a look at the breath therapy training, coming to LIKA and listening to your gut feeling. You also need the courage to develop yourself further.

Did you also experience any key moments during your breathing therapy training?

I experienced several key moments during my breathing therapy training. These experiences with an aha effect happened again and again. This deepened understanding took place continuously during the training and continues to this day.

What was the mood like among the course participants?

The atmosphere among the participants in the LIKA breathing therapy training course was very good. We had a great class, which fostered a very good exchange, but also allowed time for ourselves. This meant that our own needs were never neglected. The management was also very good - always professional, competent and available for questions.

What else can you tell us about LIKA?

The best thing for me at the LIKA school was really that self-awareness and being an individual were given just as much weight in the breathing therapy training as the professional skills. This was consciously incorporated throughout the duration of the training. For me, this is a very modern way of how I believe school should be run today.

Have you also grown personally as a result of the respiratory therapy training?

Of course I grew personally during the breathing therapy training, that was the purpose of this training. For all those who work in the therapeutic field, it is essential for me to continue to develop personally throughout my life.

Overview of respiratory therapy training to become a respiratory therapist