reiki courses and accreditation

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Hi,
Congrats on your Reiki masters!

Firstly, to practise professionally you do need to have insurance. Accreditation is a different matter. I belong to a Reiki association because it gives credibility to me as a practitioner and teacher. My Reiki courses are recognised by my Reiki association, so my students can join the association once they have taken my courses. This is better for the students because if they want to practise Reiki professionally they can join and get insurance.

Also, with VSR in the pipeline, it is better to have your courses approved by a Reiki association because then you will know the syllabus and standards you have will be at the right level.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Thanks, as I said my reiki master Louise told me that and it made perfect sense to me but I have met so many people who are teaching and arent accredited.
My friend also said that I was ripped off when I paid 300 for my Master/Teacher and I dont think I was, I got really good support and aftercare. It was a really negative conversation and I dont think she was happy with me saying my bit and I also know that there are people who think you dont need insurance because the universe will protect you, all I know is I felt really uneasy hearing that there were so many people out there teaching with no accredited courses and no insurance and I didnt appreciate being told I was stupid or told that it was different because Im Scottish.
When I teach people I really want to make sure they are getting value for money and that I do it well.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

It sounds like you friend is using reiki but not living reiki, otherwise she wouldn't be putting you down, making judgements on you, your training or anything else. Or maybe your conversation brought up some issues for her and she still has some serious self-healing to do.....

How much you pay for your training is always a thorny issue and there are several threads on this. I've done my R1 and R2 with the same master, I could have paid £100 each with another master, but the master I chose charges £250 each. So why didn't I go with the first one? Because I value myself and the training and I wanted to go with the master that I resonated with, trusted and respected, that I knew wouldn't abandon me once I'd done my training but would see it as a lifetime relationship. So I was more than happy to pay what I felt it was worth to me - even if I did need to pay in instalments! :)Others who went for the £100 master might feel I was ripped off, that's their issue not mine as I feel I got value for money and had the quality of training and ongoing support that I was looking for.

As for accreditation and insurance, whatever you think of regulation, as long as reiki is unregulated then it will always be up to the individual what they do here. At the moment anyone can set themselves up to give or teach reiki - they don't even have to have been attuned, although I suspect they wouldn't last very long in that situation! Somehow I don't think theirclients would get the results they were looking for, do you?!;)And as for insurance, again the federations ask for it but if you don't join one then it isn't compulsory. It just seems to me to be common sense to protect yourself and it's a small price to pay, but if others chose not to be and take the risk themselves, that is their choice. I also find that clients are reassured when you put a simple line such as "Fully insured" on your literature.

At the end of the day, go with what feels right to you and you won't go far wrong. Trust reiki, trust the Universe and trust yourself.
With love,
Amber

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Well as I said, when Louise said it to me, explained it, it made perfect sense to me but you know when its been a while since you had the conversation, you are trying to explain to people the reasoning and people are saying no, thats not how it is.
Like when Louise does her courses, they say certificated and accredited and I know a lot of people are looking for accredited courses.
I was talking to someone at work about that exactly yesterday, like I was saying, anyone could say, Im a reiki master and I will attune you.
I paid 195 for reiki 1 and I did feel ripped off not with the price but other factors, 150 for reiki 2 and 300 for reiki 3.
Louise who I did reiki 3 with has also been very decent to me, she gave me 350 pounds worth of crystal therapy courses for nothing and her aftercare has been excellent.
I didnt feel bad having the conversation with my mate but I just felt that I said what I needed to say and I didnt appreciate being told I was talking tommy rot because I dont think I was, I can also see why she is also giving reiki to people cheaply, Im just not comfortable with the fact that as someone who is teaching and advertising reiki, she is also saying insurance isnt necessary until you become a master and accreditation isnt important.
I just kept thinking, I wonder if her students think her courses are accredited and arent.
I have a mate who did her reiki 2 with someone whose courses werent accredited and when she asked for more info, she was told by the person, Im not running a business, its not a business, but the woman is charging for reiki and taking peoples money.
I think if peoples courses arent accredited, all they need to say to people who are paying money to take them that they arent because sometimes you just assume that peoples courses are when some companies can be trading on their name and nothing else.
My mate who is teaching said all this should be something I should look into, I also said to her, it might be something that she should look into as well.
Especially as there seem to be so many people around her who are saying, you dont need to be accredited and you dont need insurance.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

ORIGINAL: crystaltherapy
Thanks, as I said my reiki master Louise told me that and it made perfect sense to me but I have met so many people who are teaching and arent accredited.

As omega1 has said, being accredited shows that you are working to a particular syllabus or structure that defines what Reiki is and how it should be taught. There is nothing wrong with this, but also consider that Reiki is primarily a system of self-development; a means of aiding you in your progression on your path of life (spiritual path if you like). To follow a syllabus, a specific understanding of what reiki is and how to teach it, is to follow the beliefs of your master and take it as it has been taught to you. If you wish to pass on the teachings in this manner then that is fine and entirely your own choice and your own path in life. It does not mean that everybody has to do this. This is one of the problems that many people have been having with the proposed Regulatory body and the Voluntary Self Regulation that has been put forward. As nobody can truly know the exact history of Reiki, or exactly how it was taught and should be taught, it is not really possible that any "body" can stipulate what consitutes a Reiki practitioner and/or teacher and what does not. Assuming that the VSR comes into play, just because someone has signed up to that does not necessarily make them a better Reiki practitioner/master/teacher than someone who is not signed up. It only means that they are following a stipulated way of doing Reiki.

My friend also said that I was ripped off when I paid 300 for my Master/Teacher and I dont think I was, I got really good support and aftercare.

You were not ripped off. £300 is quite cheap as going-rates go for Master/Teacher.

It was a really negative conversation and I dont think she was happy with me saying my bit and I also know that there are people who think you dont need insurance because the universe will protect you

Erm.... yeah right. Insurance is just the sensible thing to do. The universe isn't going to protect them if someone comes along to their therapy room and trips and hurts themselves and then sues for damages. Public Liability insurance is a must, in this dayof blame culture,if you are treating the public (or sometimes even your family if they are that sort of family!)

all I know is I felt really uneasy hearing that there were so many people out there teaching with no accredited courses and no insurance and I didnt appreciate being told I was stupid or told that it was different because Im Scottish.

You are by no means stupid. As mentioned, insurance is just sensible. Accreditation is a matter of personal taste and is neither wrong nor right.

When I teach people I really want to make sure they are getting value for money and that I do it well.

And I'm sure you will do, whether you go for accreditation or not.

Love and Reiki Hugs

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

If I could just get clarification or opinions, what I was given advice on when I did my master was that if I didnt have my work accredited, I could give out a cert of attunement but not a training cert and that if I attuned people without having my manuals being given the once over by a reiki body, people I attuned couldnt practice and charge.
Now I know that that info that was passed to me will be info that was passed to the person who did reiki with me, but could I just ask, is it ok in peoples opinion to give someone an attunement and a cert and basically not be able to put something on the cert to say that your work has been okayed if you like by a reiki federation.
And if you didnt get your work accredited, would it cause problems for your students down the line when reiki is regulated.
The thing is, up here in Scotland, the majority of courses people are putting on are not only certificated but accredited also and I think students are looking for that.
I think the whole conversation just stunned me because not only did she say her courses werent accredited but she said that you didnt need to be insured to practice reiki until you were a Master and that just about everyone she was in contact with thought the same and that CCTV would do.
Its just not been the views of people Ive spoken to about reiki in my time as a practitioner.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

ORIGINAL: crystaltherapy
If I could just get clarification or opinions, what I was given advice on when I did my master was that if I didnt have my work accredited, I could give out a cert of attunement but not a training cert and that if I attuned people without having my manuals being given the once over by a reiki body, people I attuned couldnt practice and charge.

Unless the laws are different in Scotland, that's nonsense.
If you create your own manuals (or use what your master has given you with permission) then you can teach, attune and give people the status of being a reiki practitioner and/or master/teacher, so long as you are a master/teacher yourself.

Now I know that that info that was passed to me will be info that was passed to the person who did reiki with me, but could I just ask, is it ok in peoples opinion to give someone an attunement and a cert and basically not be able to put something on the cert to say that your work has been okayed if you like by a reiki federation.
And if you didnt get your work accredited, would it cause problems for your students down the line when reiki is regulated.

The proposed Reiki regulations are "voluntary". The main stipulation of the regulations seems to be that, to call yourself a Reiki practitioner you have to be able to show your lineage goes back up to Usui sensei. There are then all the codes of practice etc. but that's aside from what you are asking.

The thing is, up here in Scotland, the majority of courses people are putting on are not only certificated but accredited also and I think students are looking for that.

Not everyone wants to do reiki to practice on the public. A lot want to do it for their own benefit or path in life. Like I said before, it's up to you if you feel you need to be accredited.

I think the whole conversation just stunned me because not only did she say her courses werent accredited

That shouldn't be a shock.

but she said that you didnt need to be insured to practice reiki until you were a Master and that just about everyone she was in contact with thought the same and that CCTV would do.

If you are practicing on the public, get insurance. Otherwise, on your own head be it if somebody claims liablility against you.

Its just not been the views of people Ive spoken to about reiki in my time as a practitioner.

Your friend probably needs to join Healthypages and talk to some of the long-term practitioners and masters who frequent thesepages.

Love and Reiki Hugs

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

It was probably a shock because I had been given the info that in order to teach and issue a training certificate I had to get my work accredited.
Perhaps it was just the whole conversation that made me feel a bit strange because I certainly wasnt coming from the standpoint of that my mate was talking nonsense but she certainly said that everything I had been told or heard was rubbish.
And I think really, if its only going to cost me 80 quid or so to go down the route of accreditation, then I probably will do that anyway and as I said for insurance, Im insured anyway and will make sure that when I do teach I have teaching insurance.
The thing is, my liverpool mate is a registered Karuna reiki Master and that is accredited and she knows the value of that which made me wonder why she was so opposed to her Usui courses being accredited.
As I said, I really wanted some feedback because I do want to teach at some point and I didnt want to start teaching and then think, oh no I got this so wrong and as Ive said, I learned reiki from 3 different people and you find lots of opposing opinions on the subject of all things reiki.
Ive just never participated in any holistic course that wasnt accredited, no matter what it was so Ive been conscious that I might need to go down that route myself.
No matter what I decide to do I would still like someone to look at my work and give their opinion. I dont just want to churn out manuals and away I go blindly.
Especially as I know how much I had to save to afford my reiki. Thanks for the input.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Hi Crystaltherapy!
Can I just ask who would you get accreditation from? This implies that it is a recognised examining body who accredits Reiki - rather like the AQA gives accreditation for counselling, GCSE's etc.
I do know that VTCT now accredit Reiki - or according to Liverpool Community College they do.
I teach Reiki for a private training organisation who issues full manuals, certificates etc., and I use this organisation when training students in adult continuing education to provide said manuals and certificates.
You can begin to treat people with Reiki right from Reiki 1 but you do need insurance to do it privately. If you are going to teach it then you should have additional insurance.
Hope this helps?
Glen

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Most people I know who have accredited courses have them accredited by the reiki federation they are members of such as INHA, as far as I am aware you pay a fee, send in your proposed manuals and work that you would give your students to do if appropriate and then you can use their stamp on your certs and state that you are teaching an accredited course.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

The Reiki Fed is a good organisation but it's not an OFFICIAL BODY. Although there are codes of conduct and national occupational standards etc., that may be ethically correct, the Reiki Fed is no more an official body than the BACP. There is no legislation governing this area - nor is it a recognised examining body like AQA or C & G.
You would be paying money out for the privilege of being on a register basically. It "looks" good.
As a Reiki Master you can issue your own manuals, provide your own accreditations, etc. You can become a Reiki organisation yourself. How about Crystal Academy of Reiki Practice?;)

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

Hi Crystaltherapy
I completely agree with Energylz and Garthur.
I can show you my lineage (if you feel that is important), which is quite good; I use the manuals my Reiki Master used with me (with her permission); I am not a member of the Reiki Federation or Association, so my courses are not accredited, but as Reiki is not regulated (let's not get into that discussion which has been more than covered on this site) it does not have to be - but then apart from giving attunements, the background, the ethics and a bit of other stuff, what more do you need?; regarding insurance, you should be able to get teaching insurance through your current insurance provider (sorry, that is assuming you practise Reiki or other treatments and are insured for them).
I think the world should be attuned to Reiki! It is not like learning a massage treatment, for example... damn, am slipping into the discussion I said to avoid...
New campaign: all first years at secondary school to be attuned to Reiki 1!
Being from Scotland originally - dinna fash yersel'
Florence x

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

regarding insurance, you should be able to get teaching insurance through your current insurance provider

Just a word on insurance ... if anyone is seeking insurance for the first time for Reiki, it's worth ascertaining that there is no extra premium for teaching, or if so, ask how much.

I originally contacted an insurance firm recommended to me as being the cheapest, but when I was quoted for TEACHING as well as practising, the price doubled! I went elsewhere.

Holistic

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

but then apart from giving attunements, the background, the ethics and a bit of other stuff, what more do you need?

Actually you need to teacha great deal more. If you are teaching a Usui Reiki course you need to teach the whole system, its theory and its methods. There is so much to Reiki that is simply missed out on so many courses. I teach students that have trained elsewhere and they lack so much knowledge and their healing work is compromised as a result. Usui-sensei developed his Reiki Ryoho as a complete system, with specific techniques and methods that are precise and necessary to the system. This is one reason why we need to regulate Reiki. We need to ensure some kind of standards in Reiki teaching. At the moment anyone can teach Reiki, and basically teach as little or as much as they want. We as Reiki teachers need to respect the system and its founder through our work. Reiki is amazing, let's not trivialise it.

RE: reiki courses and accreditation

I apologise if I sounded flippant and I would never dream of trivialising such an amazing gift.
Florence

P.S. Sorry, had to add this as it has been bugging me. My comments were more aimed at Reiki 1 and my aim of the post was to try and help Crystaltherapy to feel a bit easier and not get so worried about it.