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Is Energy Healing Certification Necessary?

People sometimes want to know if a person needs some kind of energy healing certification in order to practice energy healing, especially if they want to do it professionally.

Laws in each state are different, but as far as I know, there is no official/legal certification required for a person to practice energy healing where there is no physical touch involved.

However, some forms of energy healing are protected by organizations and trademark/copyright laws, e.g. Healing Touch and Restorative Touch, and require certification from that organization for you to hold yourself out as a certified practitioner.

But if you are actually going to touch people's physical bodies, rather than just work in their energy field, you will probably need some kind of official license from a governmental unit of some kind (state, county, city--depends on where you live). 

For example, in Washington state (U.S.), where I live, if you want to do any professional hands-on work (i.e., if you are going to touch someone else's physical body and charge a fee), you need to be licensed with the state as a massage practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, or other health professional. 

Alternatively, being or becoming an ordained minister allows you to perform the style of energy work called "laying on of hands," in which you gently touch the physical body, Reiki-style.

Personally, I think that requiring a license or ordination for any professional hands-on work is a very good idea. Once you start physically touching people there's a lot more potential for physical abuse or harm, and I believe that protecting the public by requiring some form of certification is a good idea.

If you are going to do anything that can be construed as counseling or talk therapy, you will probably need some kind of official license as well.

But laws can vary widely from state to state and country to country, so if you are thinking of establishing an energy healing practice, you should definitely check the laws in your own state or country.

Energy healing certification requirements aside, I think that it's critical that energy healers hold to impeccable ethical standards and stay out of "gray areas" in their business dealings. Read more about that here.

I need to add  that I'm not a legal professional, so this has just an informal discussion. You should definitely follow up with an attorney or more legal research of your own.

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