We put this first as it’s important to stress that certification as a practitioner marks the start of the Body Harmony journey rather than an ending.

You’ll need to show commitment to cultivating a ‘beginner’s mind’ and taking part in lifelong learning as this is a fundamental Body Harmony protocol, and once you are certified as a practitioner you’ll be required to regularly attend BHA training events.

This also ensures your skills as a practitioner are constantly enhanced and updated through interacting and sharing feedback with Body Harmony Teachers and with other practitioners.

You will need to demonstrate that you have completed 32 hours of Body Harmony class time every 24 months to maintain your practitioner certification.

You’ll need to take responsibility for tracking the hours you have completed in classes taught by Body Harmony Association-certified Teachers — and be able to provide a summary — before being certified as a practitioner.

A total of 250 hours are required, and these can include:

• Up to 20 spent in one-on-one teaching and feedback sessions
• Personal sessions with a BHA teacher
• Documented learnings from 15 Body Harmony client sessions

You will need to be able to demonstrate that you can consistently and effectively use the Body Harmony techniques you have learned. Your teachers will assess you through hands-on experience and class observation as part of an assessment looking at all aspects of delivering a session. These include:

• Elements of touch
• Communications skills
• Working with intention
• Reading your client’s body with self aware-ness of your own body
• Offering homework suggestions

For your teachers, the guiding question here is: ‘Would I be comfortable referring someone to you for a professional, paid, session?’

To become a certified practitioner, you will need to show that you have an understanding of functional anatomy and how to apply it within the Body Harmony context. These include the areas you touch and how these support breathing, movement, and the body’s healthy functioning.

Before you can be certified as a Body Harmony Practitioner, you’ll be asked to demonstrate basic counselling skills such as:

• Active listening and other communication skills
• Helping clients recognise and manage overwhelm and underwhelm
• Maintaining healthy professional boundaries
• Creating a safe space that respects the client’s privacy and maintains trust

Please note that Body Harmony Practitioner certification does not include a counselling qualification, and you will be expected to know when it’s appropriate to signpost clients towards professional counselling services.

Once you’re certified by the BHA as a certified Body Harmony Practitioner, you’ll be able to promote your practice on the association website. This by default makes you a representative of the BHA — which is run by its members — and you’ll be expected to maintain your practitioner membership status.Once you’re certified by the BHA as a certified Body Harmony Practitioner, you’ll be able to promote your practice on the association website. This by default makes you a representative of the BHA — which is run by its members — and you’ll be expected to maintain your practitioner membership status.

The additional benefits over associate membership are:

• A listing as a certified Body Harmony Practitioner on the BHA website
• The right to use the trademarked words ‘Body Harmony’, and the BHA logo in promotional materials.

The cost of practitioner membership is $130 AUD per year.