Opinions please on this

Hello
A friend has sent me something which claims to be what the Complementary Therapists Association in the UK insist on when registering Reiki Master Teachers. I wonder what you all feel about this: (I'm repeating something without permission or acknowledgement, except for what I've just said, and I hope you will understand why)

Assessments
· Shadow their chosen Reiki Master Teacher for a period of time (2 years minimum) attending teaching courses for 1st Degree, 2nd Degree, RMP & RMT Levels and Reiki Shares during which time if they feel competent they can carry out Presentations of their own courses on 1st Degree, 2nd Degree, RMP & RMT with supervision.
· Attend other Reiki shares
· Collate a detailed portfolio of their experiences, treatments etc. over the period of time they are shadowing their RMT.
· Practical assessment of supervised presentation of courses and Attunements.
· Any manual/handouts to be given to students during supervised courses to be checked by students RMT for appropriate/inappropriate material.

Assessment Criteria for – Portfolios
Portfolios
These should be written up with explanations in diary format and should include aspects such as:
o Reiki shares attended with a detailed description of the share i.e. personal experiences.
o Personal Mediation time
o Self Treatments
o Research and reading carried out i.e. books read stating title and author and a brief synopsis of what the practitioner thought about the material.
o Copies of any magazine, newspaper articles that the practitioner thought relevant to Reiki.
o Experiences while shadowing their chosen RMT.
o Other personal development courses undertaken and their experiences.
o Other personal growth or progression that the practitioner feels relevant to Reiki such as enhanced sensations of energy, more sensitivity, reactions to or from other people, any significant changes, more in tune with intuition etc.
o Practitioners general feelings

Needless to say I don't do anything like this and wondered whether I'm in the minority.

Hiya,
It seems pretty comprehensive, and could only be welcomed, imo. I suspect it's fairly recent that they've created this format. Most likely a response to the derogatory attitudes of some bodies of folks in regard to Reiki 'training'. This kind of criteria seen in your post, can only give the health community more overall confidence in us.

You're already moving in this direction, if i remember, along with folks like Rob, etc. Many practitioners, although they recieved short courses whilst learning Reiki themselves, are moving along the lines as we're speaking of. Me included. Although i don't teach formally anymore, when/if i do, the kinda format you've shared here, will be something to maybe borrow ideas from. Many thanks for that!

Take care
Wayne

Thanks Wayne. What I didn't mention is that she was charging £700 for this, which I feel to be either a tad on the excessive side, or not enough - depending on how the supervision is carried out. For example, I've previously mentioned that I am coming to the conclusion that I should merge the spiritual healing syllabus I teach with the Reiki syllabus. For that, I charge a total of £1150, with the Reiki element coming in at £100 Level 1 + £250 Level 2 + £450 Level 3 = £800. So I guess the charge for the Reiki master level, if you teach the rest of it at that level, is 1150 - 350 = 800, which isn't too far removed.

I think the 2 years minimum is far too long. I would never have stuck it. It's only been 2 years since I was attuned at master level and I've been practising successfully for that time.

There is, however, an element of APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning) needed IMHO. (Too many FLA's) I have been a teacher now for 16 years, having completed my post-graduate teacher training in 1993. So the actual "how to teach" bit should be allowed for in the syllabus - if I were submitting to CThA, I'd enclose a copy of my PGCE. I also maintain a CPD portfolio as part of my membership of Healers2006 and for the FHT, so that takes care of that part. Personally speaking, I'd feel a little insulted if my teaching professionalism wasn't taken into account, especially as my other job is still in the teaching profession (HE lecturer). So I'd hope this wasn't prescribed in stone, and the training period would be shorter to recognise this. I'd also feel highly miffed if this was prescribed in stone, and if the Reiki Master Teacher had lower level teaching qualifications than I have!

William Rand has a similar criteria for being accredited through his institute. What this gets you is advertising rights on his website for classes, and referals to you for regional students who want to take your classes. Additionally, it allows you to offer Reiki for CEU's (Continuing Education Units) officially. Many state organizations allow Reiki from everyone, but some states like Michigan where Rand's HQ is, requires the organization to be accredited through it.

There is also a school here in the Twin Cities called the Meta-Institute that is similar, although Minnesota doesn't yet have a problem with people getting CEU credits from any old Reiki Master, should that time ever come about, the Meta-Institute has accreditation through nursing organizations and such.

Pandora wrote:Thanks Wayne. What I didn't mention is that she was charging £700 for this, which I feel to be either a tad on the excessive side, or not enough - depending on how the supervision is carried out.

So it's not just criteria for membership? They offer this training also? Looking back on the criteria, and picking up on your comment on supervision, in hindsight, some of this seems possibly not good value.

It depnds on what else is offered. Is this offered to any level 2? upon wanting to be level 3, do they offer initiation, etc. Or, is this post-initiation from elsewhere, and they fill the 'gap'?

Sitting, not interacting, but watching a RMT take her own courses, does not cost much, hehe. A lot of this seems observing what a RMT is doing anyway. And, a lot of it would be my own work. I gotta do my own research. Am i to buy Reiki books myself, other articles, etc? Or, is this part of the £700?

what i'm getting at here, is sure, a RMT will charge for the time that they are taking up, with regard to the student. Although, sitting being an observer in courses a RMT is taking anyway, should be negligible in amount. Reiki shares, well, it would be expected i'd pay no usual charge for them, after the initial fee.

Unless the intiations, and actual teaching of how perform them, along with other practical aspects, are provided, the fee doesn't justify the actual service provided. What is left is an observation role, coupled with me doing my own research, and possibly (?) having to buy my own books also.

Edit: I'm kinda confused as to what these folks are offering here. Are they offering membership, but are also insisting on £700 so they can 'supervise' & mentor things? Or, that membership is on these terms, aas well as £700?

take care
Wayne

Well the background is that a friend of mine who is a Level 2, asked her RM for details of the Level 3 training, and she replied by sending her this and telling her it would cost her £600 - £700, without saying what she actually got for her money. Thanks for your comments Wayne - I'm seeing her in 10 days and it's given me something to ask her.

Pandora wrote:Well the background is that a friend of mine who is a Level 2, asked her RM for details of the Level 3 training, and she replied by sending her this and telling her it would cost her £600 - £700, without saying what she actually got for her money. Thanks for your comments Wayne - I'm seeing her in 10 days and it's given me something to ask her.

If that's the case, what it sounds like to me, is that the RMT is going to train and attune your friend to level 3, and the syllabus, so to speak, is what she sent your friend to. All in all, a really good price to pay for that much time spent by the RMT.

Thaak wrote:

Pandora wrote:Well the background is that a friend of mine who is a Level 2, asked her RM for details of the Level 3 training, and she replied by sending her this and telling her it would cost her £600 - £700, without saying what she actually got for her money. Thanks for your comments Wayne - I'm seeing her in 10 days and it's given me something to ask her.

If that's the case, what it sounds like to me, is that the RMT is going to train and attune your friend to level 3, and the syllabus, so to speak, is what she sent your friend to. All in all, a really good price to pay for that much time spent by the RMT.

But from what Wayne was saying, it's not such a great input by the RMT - almost all of it seems to be personal unsupervised research.

Yeah, i'm really questioning how supervised this all is. Doing my own research, and collating it myself, (possibly buying own books to research?), sitting in on classes an RMT is getting payed for with others anyhow, these costs absolutely nothing to the RMT, and in fact, take up none of the RMT's time. They should be disregarded, in the price then. I'd neither be taking advantage of the RMT's knowledge per se, or time.

Only when my work was assessed, would i take up her knowledge, or, when i got initiated, and formal application of techniques, and how to take a class.
It should be pretty standard to be shown applicaiton of initiations, and actual classes also.

I also wonder, would i be told what exactly to research? A two year minimum 'shadowing' may sound good, but when it's looked at with my above paragraph, i'm unsure of the reasoning as to why 2 years is needed. I'd understand if an RMT wanted a student to become familiar with techniques such as Reiji ho, etc, one technique can be looked at per module, say. however, it seems to me, and this is the best indication i can see from the syllabus, that a primary reason for the amount of time might be just to accomodate the RMT. AS in, being able to have sufficient time to observe so many courses.

I think my comments arise from the syllabus being very much bare in ways. There's a heck of a lot of level 3 stuff not included in it, so lots is unanswered. On the basis, for sure, there are better ways to inform a potential level 3 student, than provide that criteria. .

Take care
Wayne

There's another part to this I learned to day - she's done an Advanced Reiki level with this RM, so has already received (and paid for) half of the Master level.