Southern School of Natural Therapies

What Southern School of Natural Therapies does

Southern School of Natural Therapies (SSNT) is Australia's longest-established natural therapies school, founded in 1961 by Alf and Judy Jacka. The institution delivers accredited diplomas and bachelor degrees in disciplines including naturopathy, clinical nutrition, Chinese medicine, Western herbal medicine, and clinical myotherapy. It operates a student-led clinic network, The Practice Wellbeing Centre, across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, where students deliver supervised clinical services to patients as part of their training.

SSNT has been a subsidiary of Torrens University Australia since 2014, providing access to broader institutional infrastructure for credentialed higher education delivery. Course delivery combines online and blended learning through the MyLearn platform, powered by Microsoft Teams. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees from domestic and international students, with international recruitment conducted under CRICOS registration. Clinical services delivered through The Practice Wellbeing Centre provide a secondary revenue stream tied to supervised student practice.

The institution is headquartered in Fitzroy, Victoria, with 49 employees. SSNT is positioned within the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) education sector and serves both aspiring natural therapy practitioners and patients seeking practitioner-level clinical services. The school's primary operating risks and opportunities are linked to the regulatory environment for private higher education in Australia and the demand profile for CAM qualifications.

Name

Southern School of Natural Therapies

Legal name

Southern School of Natural Therapies (SSNT)

Website

https://ssnt.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern School of Natural Therapies is Australia's longest-established natural therapies school, offering accredited diplomas and bachelor degrees in naturopathy, clinical nutrition, Chinese medicine, and herbal medicine. A subsidiary of Torrens University Australia, it operates student-led clinics across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Natural Therapies

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Allied Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Schools (PT/OT/SLP, etc.) (EDAHAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition & Dietetics Schools (EDAHAGAK), Online Healthcare & Nursing Universities (Allied Health, RN-to-BSN, etc.) (EDAHALAF)

Keywords

• Natural therapy education
• Health science degrees
• Naturopathy training
• Complementary medicine courses
• Clinical nutrition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: SSNT generates revenue through tuition fees charged to domestic and international students for its accredited health science degrees and diplomas in natural therapies, including naturopathy, Western herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, and Chinese medicine.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SSNT delivers accredited higher education qualifications — Diplomas and Bachelor of Health Science degrees — in natural therapies disciplines including Clinical Nutrition, Naturopathy, Chinese Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine, and Clinical Myotherapy. Courses are offered on-campus in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as online and via blended study modes. Students gain real-world clinical experience through The Practice Wellbeing Centre, a network of student-led teaching clinics providing naturopathy, nutrition, herbal medicine, and counselling services under qualified practitioner supervision.

Product overview

Southern School of Natural Therapies (SSNT) is Australia's longest-established natural therapies school (founded 1961) offering a comprehensive portfolio of health science degrees and diplomas in natural therapies. The institution operates as part of Torrens University Australia since 2014, providing both on-campus and online/blended delivery options. The core educational products include Diplomas and Bachelor degrees in Health Science specializations covering Clinical Nutrition, Naturopathy, Chinese Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine, and Clinical Myotherapy (via Think Education partner). The product portfolio is complemented by The Practice Wellbeing Centre, a network of student-led teaching clinics (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) where students gain supervised clinical experience providing Naturopathy, Nutrition, Western Herbal Medicine, and Counselling services to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Practice Wellbeing Centre: Student-led holistic health and wellbeing clinic offering Naturopathy, Western Herbal Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, and Counselling services under supervision of qualified practitioners.

Products and services

• Diploma of Health Science Foundation course teaching how the human body functions with a broad range of electives used in healthcare professions; serves students seeking an entry pathway into health science bachelor's degrees.
• Bachelor of Health Science (Clinical Nutrition) Degree focusing on how nutritional and lifestyle factors impact health, covering nutritional principles, food-as-medicine traditions, and therapeutics; aimed at students pursuing careers as clinical nutritionists.
• Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) Four-year degree developing knowledge in using natural remedies to help the body heal itself through holistic and individualised healthcare approaches; aimed at students pursuing careers as naturopaths.
• Bachelor of Health Science (Chinese Medicine) Comprehensive course covering all areas of Chinese medicine including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Chinese herbal dispensing; aimed at students pursuing careers as Chinese medicine practitioners.
• Bachelor of Health Science (Western Herbal Medicine) Three-year qualification covering history and philosophy of herbal practice with formulation of herbal prescriptions using medicinal plants from around the world; aimed at students pursuing careers as Western herbalists.
• Bachelor of Health Science (Clinical Myotherapy) Course delivered by Think Education covering assessment and treatment of pain or injury using techniques including massage, cupping, muscle stretching, and rehabilitative exercises; aimed at students pursuing careers as clinical myotherapists.
• The Practice Wellbeing Centre Student-led clinic offering holistic health services in Naturopathy, Western Herbal Medicine, Counselling, and Clinical Nutrition at affordable prices, supervised by qualified practitioners; serves the general public while providing clinical training opportunities for SSNT students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Many of SSNT's courses were the first of their kind to be accredited in Australia
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Think EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Education delivers SSNT's Bachelor of Health Science (Clinical Myotherapy) course. Think: Colleges Pty Ltd operates as a registered training organization (RTO 0269) with CRICOS Provider Code 00246M, offering vocational and higher education programs in health and other disciplines.
• Torrens University AustraliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSNT became part of Torrens University Australia Health in 2014, gaining access to university infrastructure, resources, and international network while maintaining its heritage as Australia's longest-established natural therapies school. Torrens continues to play a leading role in the development of complementary medicine internationally.
• The Practice Wellbeing CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led clinic network providing clinical training opportunities for SSNT students. Clinics operate in Sydney (Surry Hills), Melbourne, and Brisbane, offering affordable holistic health services under qualified practitioner supervision. Services include naturopathy, clinical nutrition, Western herbal medicine, and counselling.
• World Naturopathic Federation (WNF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTorrens University Australia is an educational member of the WNF, which was launched in 2014 to support and promote the naturopathic profession globally. The WNF compiled a comprehensive Health Technology Assessment (HTA) showcasing three decades of international research on naturopathy.
• Marcus BlackmoreminorOthersThe Blackmore family has a long history with SSNT. Marcus Blackmore, an industry figure in complementary medicine, has been featured in interviews exploring the past, present and future of SSNT and naturopathy at Torrens University.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Nutrition Australia: Australia's largest community nutrition education organization. Adjacent to SSNT's Clinical Nutrition program in subject matter and audience, and a potential partner or industry reference point though not a direct competitor in degree delivery.
• Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA): Peak industry body representing natural therapy practitioners in Australia. Comparable as a stakeholder ecosystem peer influencing SSNT's curriculum standards, graduate accreditation, and the broader reputation of the natural therapies profession.
• World Naturopathic Federation (WNF): Global federation of naturopathic organizations of which Torrens University Australia (SSNT's parent) is an educational member. Comparable as a global ecosystem and standards-setting peer in the international naturopathy education community.

Direct peers

• Think Education: Australian vocational and higher education provider and strategic partner of SSNT, which delivers SSNT's Bachelor of Health Science (Clinical Myotherapy). Operates overlapping health programs and shares student recruitment channels within Torrens University.
• Endeavour College of Natural Health: Australia's largest private natural therapies college offering diplomas and bachelor degrees in naturopathy, nutrition, herbal medicine, and myotherapy. Direct competitor to SSNT in the same student segment with overlapping program portfolio and similar work-integrated clinic model.
• Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT): Sister school to SSNT within Torrens University Australia, offering natural therapies programs in Sydney. Directly comparable in curriculum, delivery model, and student demographic, and serves as a benchmark for SSNT's own performance within the parent portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Torrens University Australia: Parent organization of SSNT and a large private university offering health, business, design, hospitality, and technology programs. Operates as the broader portfolio context in which SSNT competes for capital, marketing resources, and prospective students.

Emerging players

• Australian College of Applied Professions: Specialist tertiary provider within the global Laureate International Universities network (like Torrens) focused on applied health and behavioral science. Overlaps with SSNT in health science education but emphasizes psychology and counseling rather than natural therapies.

Regional players

• Wellness Industries Inc. / Wellnation (WellComp): A regional vocational education and training organization in Australia offering allied health and complementary medicine courses. Comparable in subject matter to SSNT but focused on VET-level qualifications rather than degree programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/southern-school-of-natural-therapies

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southern School of Natural Therapies