Association Française d’Ostéopathie
The main contact person/chair/president:
Marie-Hélène SALA – President
Thomas LOCHER – Vice President
How many members you have:
600 up-to-date dues members
The status of regulation in your country or details of how you are moving towards it:
The 4th of March, 2002, the article 75 of the law 2002-303 on patients’ rights and the quality of the health system gave birth to the professions of osteopath and chiropractor. Since 2003, AFO has participated in working meetings aimed at supervising osteopathy within the Ministry and the Regional Health Agencies.
AFO seized to the Conseil d’Etat (the highest administrative authority) in 2005 to have the decrees implementing the March 2002 law passed. AFO has also reintroduced by the Conseil d’Etat the teaching of cranial and visceral. AFO seized the CADA (Commission of access to administrative documents) to make public report of IGAS (General Inspectorate of Social Affairs) on school compliance checks.
At the end of 2014 the guidelines (activities, skills and training) applicable to the profession were issued after 20 months of consultation between the Administration and the professional organizations.
The level of public recognition in your country:
Today, osteopathy is recognized as an alternative practice to traditional medicine by the general public and the media, less by ordinal bodies still have many difficulties to integrate osteopathy into the course of care of patients. The training has no university equivalence. Some schools have had their training validated in the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP), which gives an estimate of the value of professional experience (British A-level +5 years, 300 ECTS).
Whether the title of osteopath is protected, What authorization/license is required to practice?
The directory ADELI (Automation of Lists) is held by Regional Health Agencies to register professionals related to health.
The directory classifies into 4 categories:
- The paramedical professions
- Professions of the apparatus
- Professional title use: Osteopath, Psychotherapist, Chiropractor
- Professions of the social field: Assistant of social service, Psychologist
To be able to practice osteopathy, you must register your degree or diploma from an approved school in the Adeli Directory and be covered by a professional CPR.
Can your patients self-refer or do they need to be referred:
The patients consult the osteopaths in first intention.