CERTIFIED
INSTRUCTOR PREPARATION
PART ZERO –
INTRODUCTION
This short course of
instruction is intended for reflexologists and acupressure specialists who
desire to become instructors in these fields and supervise candidates for these
professions.
The Natural
Therapies Certification Board offers certification to qualified applicants as Certified
Reflexology Instructors and/or Certified Acupressure Instructors. The purpose
of these programs is to improve the quality of instruction available to reflexologists or acupressurists seeking to enter these fields.
Certified Instructors are
expected to implement a five-step training program for all candidates entering
the profession. We’ll discuss each of these steps over the next five lessons.
These five steps are:
- Shadowing
- Teaching
- Supervising
- Empowering
- Mentoring
We recommend instructors
explain this process to candidates and jointly decide when to move on to the
next step. Students learn more quickly and understand things more completely if
they’re involved in the educational process. The teacher who lets the student
assume the responsibility for his or her learning works less and accomplishes
more than teachers who assume the responsibility for educating their students.
When a candidate reaches
the third step, her or she is eligible to become certified as a Technician
solely upon the recommendation of the Certified Instructor.
Certified Reflexology
Technicians and Certified Acupressure Technicians are certified to possess the
necessary skills to perform their duty under the supervision of a qualified
Specialist. Technicians are not qualified to perform these skills while
unsupervised. Certification is for three years as long as the individual
remains under the supervision of a qualified expert.
Based on preliminary
reports from those now supervising candidates for certification, the Board
estimates fifty percent (50%) of those candidates certified as a Technician will
retain that certification and not become fully certified as reflexologist.
Among the reasons for this are:
1. Lack of an
appropriate college education
2.
Lack of interest in becoming a decision-making Specialist
3. Lack of interest in
becoming self-employed
4. Lack of interest in
furthering their education
5. Reliance on others
to make decisions and be responsible
The Reflexology and
Acupressure Blueprints
outline the requirements the NTCB expects all candidates for certification as a
Board Certified Reflexologist or Board Certified Acupressurist to meet.
Which of these requirements the Instructor and Candidate feel are important for
the Candidate’s situation is a decision best made by the Instructor and
Candidate in the Board’s opinion. While there are no specific requirements for
Certified Technicians in regards to the applicable Blueprints, the
Board recommends the Candidate meet at least fifty percent (50%) of the
Blueprint requirements. The Board feels it would be inappropriate to certify
any individual as a Technician unless that person has satisfied at least thirty
percent (30%) of the Blueprint.
If any Instructor has any
questions along these lines, please contact headquarters.
This concludes the
introductory remarks. Those reflexologists and acupressurists who
wish to proceed are directed to Certified Instructor Preparation – Part One as
the next step in this process.
[
Part One ]
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