Should I Become a Verified Reiki Practitioner?
This article speaks to the question someone may have who has already taken Reiki training, Shoden and Okuden courses, so a Reiki practitioner, who is maybe doing Reiki treatments with the public in a voluntary or professional capacity, who then comes across the term ‘Verified Practitioner’ (this is sometimes termed an Accredited Practitioner in some courses, but they are the same thing here and Verified practitioner is a more accurate term for it). Raising the question: ‘Should I become a Verified Reiki Practitioner?’ Well, it depends.
To understand a bit about verification and the requirements to achieve a Verified Practitioner award see my article: Accredited Reiki Courses in the UK and then look at my website page: Verified Practitioner Course. Those places cover what it is, here I want to focus on if it’s a good idea for you.
In a nutshell, a Verified Practitioner award means that you have completed a CNHC Verified Course, which the one I helped create and deliver for the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA) is. Ours is called the JRUKA Verified Practitioner Programme. Once completed you get acceptance (should you wish to apply) to become a registrant of the Complimentary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) Practitioner register. The Verified Practitioner award shows that you have completed a process of learning and assessment and have a base level of experience delivering Reiki treatments, it also demonstrates that you work to best practice guidelines. All Verified Courses are set to the same National Occupational Standards for Reiki in the UK.
Once you have achieved a Verified Practitioner award and are accepted onto the CNHC register, it provides a level of credibility with places like hospices, or hospitals, and indeed is commonly a requirement to work there in a voluntary, or professional setting.
The process takes 9-12 months for most and involves building a portfolio of evidence of in-person Reiki treatment experience, self-treatments, and accumulated levels of in-person Reiki training hours. It's all about learning and implementing UK regulations and best practices. There are some observations from an approved teacher/assessor (of which I am one), where we are looking at how you deliver consultations and treatment sessions, to meet a set standard. There is a 1-day in-person workshop around regulations and professional practice with the public. There are case studies to complete and a written assessment at the end. After which you gain a Verified Practitioner award. The whole thing tends to cost around £400, with the cost spread out over a year commonly.
Once you have achieved a Verified Practitioner award you will just be expected to accumulate a base level of Continued Professional Development (CPD) hours every year, which is easily done for members of the JRUKA, as we put on so many opportunities for you to accumulate CPD hours, they are not that hard to accumulate. However, should you wish to be on the CNHC register, in addition to the same CPD requirements, you will have an annual fee of around £70.
So, let's look at the core question, is becoming a Verified Practitioner something for you? Let's assume you become a verified practitioner finish the job and join the CNHC register. You don’t have to join it, there is value in going through the verified practitioner course tasks, however for most the reason to do a Verified Practitioner course in the first place is to get on the CNHC register.
On the plus side, the process of working through the tasks to become a Verified Practitioner will make you a better practitioner, it helps you understand regulations and, in a way avoids problems with a better understanding of approved claims around Reiki and what is not. How to approach different situations you may come across doing Reiki treatments with the public, professional boundaries, onboarding processes and ensuring you are gaining proper informed consent and record keeping as well as other useful things, that won't be covered in a Reiki training course. All this is useful if you work with the public with Reiki, be that at a hospital or not.
It can give an extra public perception of professional proficiency. Or at least remove a question around your professional competence or ability. The CNHC register is the gold standard in best practice for any complementary therapy in the UK. You get to use the CNHC register logo. You would likely have additional Verified Practitioner logos you can use, such as with the JRUKA course we recognise our members who are Verified Practitioners and allow them to use our JUKA Verified Practitioner Logo, we have the Reiki council one too as well as the Verifying organisations one (we use The Reiki Connection at this time).
So, let's say you are a newer practitioner surrounded by experienced Reiki practitioners in your area, you can gain some credibility quite quickly with such an award and register. Consider the fact that the UK Reiki register is only a few hundred, so a very small percentage of those out there doing Reiki have met these standards. You can do a quick online search on the CNHC in your area to see, then compare that to a Google Maps search of Reiki practitioners in your area. Many Reiki practitioners have been fine without the need for a Verified Practitioner award, there are also plenty of Reiki practitioners out there who unknowingly cause problems for themselves and the image of Reiki practitioners in general by not understanding the regulations they are subject to, and attract complaints, bad press, or present what they do in a way that puts public and health professionals’ perception of Reiki back a decade or so.
Just be aware CNHC register is there for the protection/ confidence of the public, rather than the benefit of you the practitioner, the CNHC do have information keeping you up to date with guidelines etc. I wouldn’t look to the CNHC public register as a big source of enquiries for those looking for Reiki, but for some of the public it does hold weight, so it depends on who you work with. For example, those in fields such as nursing, GPs’, medical-orientated people, or those who value regulations and standards might look to such a register if they were aware of it. For example, most inquiries I have received from such a register are themselves medical professionals or those who work in those environments.
There is the cost of completing the Verified course to consider, it is focused on providing tools and understanding to help you better professionally deliver Reiki treatments (which you would tend to receive payment for). Considering the time and work an organisation, assessor and examiner have to put into supporting you through the process, it's not that much relative to what you get.
If finances are a limiter with you at this time, you can always start the process, gain access to the materials start the process and just take longer to complete the sections, doing so as you create the funds to pay for each element, or simply do it at a future time.
Be aware if you are starting up a Reiki business, a Verified Course will not do much to help you build a business. It will go some way to help you run it professionally, but that’s about it, that is not its focus. To help you build a successful Reiki business see my: Reiki business and marketing courses. For some (especially those who like to accumulate courses and certificates) I might suggest not doing it quite yet, at least until your Reiki business is established, as time could be better used at this moment, for activities such as marketing, but for most, it can be done alongside other activities.
If the next step for you is to gain work (voluntary or professionally) in a hospital or hospice, then completing a Verified Course, to become a Verified Practitioner and join the CNHC register would likely be the next step. However, if getting on the CNHC register is not the next immediate step for you, and you wish to build a Reiki business, the Business side of a Reiki practice needs to come first. As you sort that out and get established that provides the funds to pay for the Verified Practitioner course, as well in the meantime you can record evidence of Reiki treatment experience, which you need for the Verified Practitioner route anyway.
You don’t have to be a Verified Practitioner to work with the public with Reiki your Jikiden Reiki training is sufficient, there are just additional elements that would be useful to you that are not in Reiki training courses. I am a Verified Practitioner and have been on the CNHC register for 12-plus years now. I think it’s a good thing to do for Reiki practitioners who work with the public or intend to soon.
As ever start with accurate quality Reiki training courses, see Jikiden Reiki courses,
Then consider a Verified Practitioner Course
I am mainly known nowadays for my work with Reiki, as a specialist in authentic Japanese Reiki. I am an experienced, Reiki teacher and practitioner with a proven track record of results. I offer Jikiden Reiki training courses, promoting authentic Japanese Reiki teachings. I am based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, in the UK. I have a background in coaching and training in the areas of exercise coaching, holistic lifestyle, fitness, and performance coaching. I also have a BSc.(Hons) degree in Sport and Exercise Science, for more information visit: www.shaunmckeown.com
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Shaun Mckeown, disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.