SUMMARY OF THE PROCESS

Here is a brief summary of the steps involved to apply to be a TRAINER CANDIDATE and a TRAINER. These are described in more detail in the full policy (download here).

 

To apply to become a TRAINER CANDIDATE (Section 1 in the policy) submit PART 1 of the Trainer Candidate application by providing the information requested regarding each of the following:

1. Experience required to apply
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Continuing Education
4. Conducting Advanced Trainings/Study Groups
5. Case Studies
6. Recommendations from Trainers
7. The required fee

If you want to continue on to apply to become a TRAINER, you also need to submit the information requested in PART 2 of the Trainer Candidate application about how you will be mentored, supervised and assessed as you prepare to apply to become a Trainer. Part 2 must be approved, and your mentoring completed, before your Trainer application is prepared and submitted.

 

To apply to become a Trainer (Section 2 in the policy), you need to:

a) Meet the experience required to apply.

b) Submit the information required for the application, including:

1. At least 3 Trainer Competency Assessment reports prepared by Feldenkrais Trainers who have observed you teaching in a Feldenkrais training environment.
2. Written activities
3. List of the days you were observed teaching in an FPTP by your Guidance Committee members or other mentors
4. Training programs in which you have participated in, or observed, the ATM® and FI® practicum supervision, and please specify whether you were an Assistant Trainer or Trainer Candidate at the time.
5. Updated Curriculum Vitae.
6. Proof of current Feldenkrais Guild/Association membership
7. A statement that you have maintained your own Feldenkrais professional practice
8. The required fee.

"Fast Track" option for highly experienced Assistant Trainers (Section 3 in the policy):

If you are an Assistant Trainer with a minimum of 8 years as an Assistant Trainer and a minimum of 500 days working as an Assistant Trainer in accredited FPTPs, you can use the expedited process described in Section 3 for your Trainer Candidate and Trainer applications.

The process for reviewing your application:

For Trainer Candidate and Trainer applications, submit your application to the TAB for your region. This TAB will coordinate the review process for your application (see the policy for more details). The TABs may request additional information if needed to complete the review of an application. Once a decision is reached, your TAB will communicate the decision to you.

Exceptions to the Policy

An exception may be considered to any requirement by submitting your request with detailed rationale to the TABs.

 

APPLICATION SECTION ONE: TRAINER CANDIDATE PROCESS

 

A Trainer Candidate may teach in accredited Feldenkrais Professional Training Programs (“FPTP”) as outlined in the Training Accreditation Guidelines.

Once you become a Trainer Candidate, you may continue to be a Trainer Candidate for as long as you maintain your certification requirements and renewal requirements.

A Trainer Candidate who has completed Part 2 of the Trainer Candidate application process may continue on to apply to become a Trainer.

 

TRAINER CANDIDATE APPLICATION - PART 1

1. Experience required to apply to become a Trainer Candidate

– Describe, in detail, your relevant experience since becoming an Assistant Trainer.

Experience required to apply:

a) Be an Assistant Trainer for a minimum of 3 years, AND

b) Worked as an Assistant Trainer for a minimum of 120 days in an accredited FPTP. It is recommended to have:

i. experience in each of the 4 years of the training program; and

ii.experience in more than one training program.

Please provide a detailed list of the above including dates, number of days, and name of the FPTP

 

If you meet these requirements, please continue to #2, below.

In case you don’t have 120 days of experience as an Assistant Trainer in an accredited FPTP, you may replace up to 20 days with other relevant activities.

Examples of other relevant experiences that the TAB will consider are provided below.

If you are including other experiences, describe them in detail and how they are a relevant alternative. The TABs will be looking for an overall profile of experiences you have had that are relevant to developing your ability to teach in FPTPs. You need to have been observed teaching ATM and FI by a Trainer (ideally more than one) and to have received ongoing feedback as you integrate your new skills. This can happen in the context of a training program, or in other educational situations.

Examples of other relevant experiences:

A. Experience in trainings other than that your initial training. It is recommended that you be exposed to a variety of trainers, teaching styles and training settings. Examples of experience in trainings could include:

1. Work as an Assistant Trainer for a minimum of 10 days of each year of a FPTP. (The years can be from different trainings and with different Educational Directors.)
2. Be involved in an FPTP with the consent and support of the Educational Director as part of the education team without being formally there as an Assistant Trainer, in order to become aware of the overall educational process. Provide a letter from the Educational Director confirming your involvement and attendance.
3. Participate in a training giving FIs.
4. Attendance and exposure to trainings as a visiting practitioner, while not sufficient by itself, will be considered in your overall profile.

B. It is highly recommended that you have participated in additional experiences that provide you with mentoring from senior practitioners or members of the training community. Examples could include:

1. Teach two weeks of Amherst including one week of Year 1 and one week of Year 2, or two weeks of San Francisco materials from two different years, under supervision of a Trainer.

• This could occur as part of a training, or in the practitioner community (e.g. as a study group).
• “Supervision” by the Trainer means providing observation, review and support as worked out between you and the Trainer, which may include live or video off-site digital observation.
• Include a letter by the supervising Trainer confirming that this occurred.

ii. Give FI or ATM lessons to Trainers, Assistant Trainers and/or training staff who provide feedback.

iii. Participate in trainings for Assistant Trainers.

iv. Lead or assist with make up sessions or review days for training programs.

v. Study in depth the trainings and Functional Integration® lessons of Moshe Feldenkrais, ideally in a mentoring or study group situation.

C. Other kinds of experience that directly relate to your development as a teacher of teachers. For example:

1. Teach in-depth multi-day public workshops (beyond simply ATM classes)
2. Lead and/or participate in study groups
3. Teach multi-day advanced trainings for Feldenkrais practitioners
4. Make presentations to specific organizations and professional groups
5. Apply the Feldenkrais Method in other professional setting such as dancing, sport, theatre, music, physical therapy, etc.

2. Curriculum Vitae

– include an updated Curriculum Vitae, including any study in adjunct fields since becoming an Assistant Trainer.

3. Continuing Education

– You must have attended at least 100 hours of advanced training, workshops, and/or practitioner study groups in the Feldenkrais Method since becoming an Assistant Trainer. These may also include Master Classes and/or Assistant Trainer Academy. List dates, with whom studied, subjects covered, etc.

4. Conducting Advanced Trainings/Study Groups

– You must have given and/or taught at least 75 hours of advanced training, workshops at regional or annual Feldenkrais® conferences, and/or study groups for trainees or practitioners in the Feldenkrais Method since becoming an Assistant Trainer.

1. List dates, nature of the event, topic, etc.
2. Include a concise written description of the focus and planning of at least 3 days (15 hours) of actual teaching experience you have done.
3. Include a description of the relationship between the presentations of theory, ATM and FI elements in the curriculum of the three days (15 hours).
4. Reflect on what you learned, challenges you faced, and the abilities you gained through this experience.

5. Case Studies

– Submit two case studies of your work since becoming an Assistant Trainer:

1. Include one case study of a series of lessons over time with one person (Recommended length: 2-5 pages written, or a video of up to 45 minutes)
2. Include one case study of a demonstration FI lesson done in front of other people where you demonstrate your ability to comment on what you are doing, either while you are doing it, or afterwards, or both. Clearly demonstrate and articulate your thinking and actions, to demonstrate your skill and understanding. (Recommended length: 2-5 pages written, or a video of up to 45 minutes).

For the single lesson, the case study can be written, or a video.

For the series of lessons, we encourage you to write. However, if you feel you can accurately capture and present what you did and your thinking over the series of lessons in one video that is edited to 45 minutes or less, then this may be an option for you.

If you submit a video, include some form of reflection related to the video you submit. This can be written, voice-over talking added to the video, or an additional video statement. Please address your thinking over the course of the session you present including what your ideas were at the start, what you noticed as you went along, and how that affected your thinking and the process as it developed.

6. Recommendations from Trainers

– Include written recommendations from at least 3 Feldenkrais Trainers who have seen you teach Feldenkrais practitioners or in an accredited Feldenkrais Training Program, stating that you are ready to be a Trainer Candidate.

7. The required fee.

 

TRAINER CANDIDATE APPLICATION - PART 2

Only if you want to continue on from Trainer Candidate to apply to become a Trainer, do you need to submit the information outlined in Part 2.

 

Part 2 can be submitted:

a) EITHER at the same time as the initial Trainer Candidate application,

b) OR separately at a later time, once you are already a Trainer Candidate.

 

Part 2 must be approved before your Trainer application is prepared and submitted.

 

The mentoring activities of the Guidance Committee or Alternative Way must be completed before applying for Trainer certification.

 

Mentoring

The TABs recommend that you are mentored by a Guidance Committee as you prepare to become a Trainer (see option 1, below). This committee would guide you through the phase of fulfilling, demonstrating and assessing the Trainer competencies. You may propose to the TABs an alternative way to receive the mentoring, supervision and assessment you need during this process (see option 2, below).

Option 1: Mentoring with a Guidance Committee

Submit for approval your proposed Guidance Committee of 3 TAB certified Trainers

1. It is recommended to include Trainers who provide a variety of styles or ways of teaching the work
2. It is recommended that at least one member of the Guidance Committee be a Trainer with at least 5 years of active experience teaching as a Trainer.
3. If you are not able to get 3 Trainers for your Guidance Committee or you prefer to establish a Guidance Committee with 2 Trainers, you can make a case for consideration by the TAB.
4. Guidance Committee members may not be family members or in a position to derive immediate financial benefit from you becoming a Trainer
5. Not more than one Guidance Committee member can have a long term, direct financial business connection with you, such as joint financial interest in a training program.

Option 2: Mentoring via an Alternative Way:

The TABs are open to considering alternative ways for preparing to become a Trainer that will provide you with mentoring, supervision, and the assessment of your demonstrated Trainer competencies. Include a description of how your alternative way will accomplish this.

 

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF TRAINER CANDIDATE APPLICATIONS

1. Your Trainer Candidate application is to be submitted to the TAB for your region. This TAB will be the shepherding TAB for your application.

2. The TABs will consider your application, along with the following:

1. Comment from the Professional Community: The Feldenkrais professional community will be informed of all Trainer Candidate applications and will have the opportunity to comment.
2. Ethics: The TABs will also consider any confirmed ethics violations and related disciplinary actions currently in place.

3. A Trainer Candidate application will be reviewed by the shepherding TAB, plus one other TAB chosen by the shepherding TAB. Agreement by two TABs is required for approval of a Trainer Candidate application. In the event that the two TABs don’t agree, the shepherding TAB may choose to send the application to one or more other TABs for review.

4. The TABs may request additional information if needed to complete the review of an application.

5. Once a decision is reached, the shepherding TAB will communicate the decision to the applicant.

       

SECTION TWO: TRAINER APPLICATION PROCESS

Experience required to apply to become a Trainer:

a)      A person must be an approved Trainer Candidate (including Part 2 of the Trainer Candidate application) prior to submitting a Trainer application.

b)      An applicant for Trainer Certification is required to have experience as an Assistant Trainer or Trainer Candidate in each of the four years of an FPTP. The TABs recognize that individual experience may vary.

i.        Your experience must include participating in or observing the ATM and FI practicum supervision in the training.

ii.       We recommend broad experience in all the stages of the training process.

iii.    We recommend that the experience be gained in more than one training program, and with a variety of Trainers.

Components of a Trainer application:

1.      At least 3 Trainer Competency Assessment reports, based on the Feldenkrais Trainer competencies (see Appendix 1)

 

Your demonstrated Feldenkrais Trainer-level teaching competencies will be assessed through Trainer competency assessment reports, prepared and submitted by Feldenkrais Trainers who have observed you teaching in a Feldenkrais training environment.

Specific items from the Trainer Competency Profile that must be observed by Feldenkrais Trainers and addressed in their Trainer competency assessment report are the following:

1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5

3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4

5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8

All other listed competencies will be assessed from the applicant’s written activities. Even so, the Trainers doing the assessment reports should include in their report an assessment of all competencies on the Trainer Competency Profile with which they are familiar, as we seek the most complete picture possible.

 

These are not to be letters of recommendations, but reports addressing the identified Trainer competencies.

Every competency does not need to be addressed by every Trainer, but together the reports need to include sufficient assessments of all the competencies for the TABs to be confident in your skills and abilities.

The Trainers may submit these reports directly to the TAB if they choose.

2.      Written Activities (for more details, see the section below describing the written activities)

 

3.      List of days you were observed teaching in an FPTP by your Guidance Committee members or other mentors

4.      Identify the accredited training programs in which you participated in, or observed, the ATM and FI practicum supervision. Please specify whether you were an Assistant Trainer or Trainer Candidate at the time.

 

5.      Updated Curriculum Vitae

6.      Proof of current Feldenkrais Guild /Association membership

 

7.      A statement that you have continued/maintained your own Feldenkrais professional practice.

8.      The required fee.

 

9.      Portfolio Materials (Optional): You may also choose to submit:

a.      Relevant published writings

b.      Relevant video and audio recordings

The TABs may require additional or more detailed information, and other criteria deemed relevant to their review and decision about your application. In some cases, the TABs may require additional experience, based on your experience and the Trainer competency assessments received.

WRITTEN ACTIVITIES TO BE SUBMITTED WITH A TRAINER APPLICATION

For the following Written Activities:

 

·         Each Written Activity addresses particular Trainer competencies. These are referenced by numbers beside each activity, and need to be included in the response.

·         Video and audio presentation can substitute or supplement the written materials, in some cases. If submitting video, please include some form of reflection related to the video you submit. This can be written, voice-over talking that you have added to the video, or an additional video statement. Please address your thinking over the course of the session you present including what your ideas were at the start, what you noticed as you went along and how that affected the process as it developed.

·         You may address other competencies in your response to each activity.

·         Responses should clearly describe your thinking and practice.

 

Written Activity 1: Personal statement reflecting on your time as a Trainer Candidate

(Suggested length: 2-3 pages.)

Write about yourself, your professional experience, and your process and learning as a Trainer Candidate leading up to applying for Trainer certification.

Written Activity 2. Curriculum Design

(Suggested length: 10-15 pages)

Covers Competencies: 4, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 (optional), 3.5, 3.6 (optional), 3.7, 3.8, 5,2, 6.1,

6.2, 6.3, 7.5.

A.      Describe the plan and teaching for at least three consecutive days which you have actually planned and taught in years three or four in a Feldenkrais Professional Training Program. Include:

i.        Subject/theme, and speak to the logic of the development of the themes.

ii.       Teaching strategies.

iii.    Sequential development.

iv.     Student learning activities.

v.       A series of ATM lessons from various sources pertaining to a particular functional pattern and its relationship to FI in this curriculum.

vi.     Essential and complex issues in ATM and FI teaching.

B.      Report on any adjustments you made during your teaching and why you made them.

C.      Reflect on:

i.        What you found to be more effective and less effective in your teaching strategies.

ii.       How your teaching helped trainees move towards the capacity to be practitioners.

iii.    What you might do differently, were you to teach this material again.

Either integrated as part of your curriculum design descriptions in A, B and C above, or addressed separately in addition to the above, include the following:

1.      How you would use Moshe Feldenkrais’ materials from various sources, to demonstrate your familiarity with the work of Feldenkrais.

2.      An example of how you would teach a functional theme, and how you would develop it using ATM and/or FI in your curriculum.

3.      An example of one day of curriculum describing teaching trainees how to teach ATM.

4.      An example of how you would teach “self-organization and functional integration” to the training students.

5.      Articulate several important aspects of how you would create a learning environment.

Written Activity 3. Key Concepts

 

A.   From the Feldenkrais Method (Suggested length 2-3 pages) Covers Competencies: 6.1, 6.2

Reflect on a key concept that inspires you, from the Feldenkrais Method or from Moshe Feldenkrais’ writings including the historical and cultural context, how this idea has inspired you and how it could be conveyed in a training program.

B.    From another field (Suggested length 1-3 pages) Covers Competency 6

 

Discuss your learning in other fields or from your life experience that you think is relevant in a Feldenkrais training program and give an example of how you could bring it into your teaching.

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF TRAINER APPLICATIONS

1.      Your Trainer application is to be submitted to the TAB for your region. This TAB will be the shepherding TAB for your application.

2.      Approval of Trainer certification will be by agreement of a minimum of 3 internationally recognized TABs.

3.      The TABs will consider the information provided as part of the application, along with the following:

a.      Small Trainer Group review: A small group of Trainers, in addition to the Trainers who have submitted competency assessment reports, may be asked to review each trainer application and give their opinions to the TABs.

b.      Comment from the Professional Community: The Feldenkrais professional community will be informed of all Trainer applications and will have the opportunity to comment.

c.       Ethics: The TABs will also consider any confirmed ethics violations and related disciplinary actions currently in place.

Once a decision is reached, the shepherding TAB will communicate the decision to the applicant

SECTION 3: “FAST TRACK” APPLICATION PROCESS FOR TRAINER CANDIDATE AND TRAINER, FOR HIGHLY EXPERIENCED ASSISTANT TRAINERS

Assistant Trainers with a minimum of 8 years as an Assistant Trainer and a minimum of 500 days working as an Assistant Trainer in accredited FPTPs may apply for Trainer Candidate by submitting:

 

1.      A Curriculum Vitae including training experience, continuing education experiences, and educational experiences;

2.      Personal statement describing your career as a Feldenkrais practitioner, including private practice, advanced trainings you have developed and/or conducted, mentoring, and other relevant experience;

3.      The “Conducting Advanced Trainings/Study Groups” experience requirement and written activity from the Trainer Candidate application;

4.      Three Trainer Competency Assessments from Feldenkrais Trainers (including at least one Educational Director);

5.      Three letters from Trainers (including at least one Educational Director) who have seen you teach, recommending that you are ready to be a Trainer Candidate and identifying areas for further development. These letters may come from the same Trainers who prepared the Trainer Competency Assessments.

Because of the extent of your previous experience as an Assistant Trainer, no Guidance Committee is required.

 

For the Trainer application:

Complete the Trainer application requirements as outlined in Section 2, above, with the following difference:

 

For the Trainer competency assessment reports, provide an update to the competency assessment reports you submitted as part of your Trainer Candidate application, showing that any Trainer competencies that you had not yet met have now been developed and met.