Q&A with Rina Poerwadi, early APA Diploma Course Graduate and Teacher at Wellpark College New Zealand

Today we had a little chat with Rina Poerwadi, one of our early Diploma Course Graduates at APA.

After graduating as a Holistic Aromatherapist from our school, she moved back to Indonesia to open her very own clinic with the goal of sharing her knowledge of essential oils and to work as a professional therapist.

We talked about her amazing career as a Holistic Aromatherapist in Jakarta, her long-term relationships with her clients and her advice for students who study aromatherapy:

1) Rina, you are one of the early graduates of APA. What were your reasons for studying aromatherapy in Hong Kong?

Among a few reasons, I have one valid reason that I wanted to learn a new skill that will help me to stay independent to build my own business, an opportunity to build my second career and convenience; to be applied wherever I live. At that time my family and I happened to live in Hong Kong. That year, Aromatherapy was a new growing business in the market but not many people had a true knowledge about it.

2) After receiving your Diploma Course Certificate, you returned to Jarkata and opened an aromatherapy treatment centre there. Can you tell us more about it?

Some of my Indonesian clients of mine in Hong Kong are working for Cathay Pacific. They were the reason to push me to immediately open a clinic in Jakarta. Then they started sending their family and friends to me. Word of Mouth marketing works wonder! Print media heard about me and being the only one - I ended up being featured in almost every leading print media, radio or TV and talk show. 

It was a golden moment of my career as a Holistic Aromatherapy Practitioner in Indonesia and this thing is a new world for them. In Indonesia, massage is mostly done by an old lady who never went through a proper massage education, is not certified and gets paid very little. So I returned to Jakarta with my knowledge of essential oils, offering professional body massage therapy, and became a very niche practitioner in the complementary medicine market in Indonesia.

My motive to introduce aromatherapy in Jakarta was because back then aromatherapy was very commercially used especially with so many Spa businesses in every corner of residential areas using oils from different sources without any knowledge about their toxicity. Knowing that Indonesian people are very curious and very welcoming about new things especially anything related with health, natural medicine and therapies, I felt responsible to educate them to use essential oils in a proper way. I didn't want the potential of aromatherapy being destroyed by irresponsible users of essential oils just because they could.

I think becoming a holistic therapist is not for everyone. Knowledge and personality play an important role but there has to be something specific in you in order to win the trust, comfort, feeling of security from the clients. Once you get the right 'blend', then you will win clients. Mostly I have long term working relationships with my clients. This relationship gives me the exclusivity to witness and work with them through their life journey. 

I have a lot of stories to share, but will share a story of one client who came to me with muscle issues and told me that she was trying to conceive for 5 years to have a second baby, but her gynaecologist said the possibility was very slim. After working regularly with her, she suddenly came to me and announced that she was pregnant. Then of course the nature of the therapy session changed to pre-natal and post-natal and so on.

Photo Courtesy of Online Magazine Fimela.com - Jakarta, Indonesia

I really believe in my oils! I believe in their therapeutic actions, I respect their ability of what works or doesn't work within the body system and I feel honoured to be able to work in partnership with these oils. I think this mindfulness helps me to help my clients on their healing journeys.

3) You are now living in New Zealand and started a new aromatherapy journey teaching Aromatherapy beginner's and Intermediate Course. What are the most important tips you give your students for studying aromatherapy?

I started teaching aromatherapy 10 years ago in Jakarta at my own centre. The opportunity to teach at Wellpark College in New Zealand came last March 2014. I was told by some people I've met that a Holistic Aromatherapist is hard to find in New Zealand. It really surprised me. So, maybe that's how I got accepted. 

My advise to people who study aromatherapy is to hang on to what you are currently learning. It is confusing to see so many overlapping therapeutic actions and benefits of essential oils, but once you get the grip of it you will find out how amazingly unique essential oils are. They are genuinely honest in helping us with our health issues; essential oils are like friends who always do more than they are asked. When it comes to business, there are so many creative opportunities that await you. Like opening Pandora's box.

Thanks so much, Rina! If you are now inspired to start your journey into the art of aromatherapy, join our free Information Talk on 10 May - email us to register.