Shiatsu Certification Program In Chicago
Our Shiatsu Certification Program prepares you to step into the role of a healer.
Over eighteen months of part-time study or nine months of full-time study, you will move through a progressive series of practical courses and clinical practice, supplemented by the same Chinese Medicine seminars taught to acupuncturists and the same Anatomy & Physiology classes taught to massage therapists.
Zen Shiatsu is a study that is beneficial for both giver and receiver.
In shiatsu, we assume that every person has within themselves everything they need for their own healing. There is nothing that you can do to “fix” another person. Rather, a shiatsu therapist is there to simply be present and create a space for the intrinsic healing potential of another person to manifest.
Each treatment is an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and compassion while strengthening your own energy.
Through guided meditation practices and personal energy cultivation techniques, you will learn how to be rooted in the present moment, how to move well and gracefully, and how to discover just where your client most needs support. For many students, shiatsu becomes part of their own meditative practice.
Shiatsu Certification Program:
Timeframe
Part-Time: 14-20 months, 3-9 hours per week, evenings and weekends
Full-Time: 10 months, 18 hours per week, Tue/Wed/Thu 9am-4:30pm
Shiatsu Massage Therapy Diploma Program Breakdown (715 Hours)
Zen Shiatsu Technique : 162 hours
Chinese Medicine : 103 hours
Anatomy & Physiology : 104 hours
Clinical Reasoning: 12 hours
Student Clinic : 84 hours
Externship: 20 hours
Business/Ethics/CPR : 30 hours
Elective Coursework : 40 hours
Practice Classes: 60 hours
Private Sessions: 10 one hour sessions
Massage Basics: 30 hours
Musculoskeletal Pathology for Shiatsu Therapists: 30 hours
Systems Pathology for Shiatsu Therapists: 30 hours
Program Hours
The 715-Hour Shiatsu Massage Therapy Diploma Program has been awarded the credential of Endorsed Curriculum from the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). This program is one of only two Asian Bodywork Therapy programs in the nation to be awarded a credential by COMTA.
Credentials Earned:
Graduates of the 715-Hour Shiatsu Massage Therapy Diploma Program will receive:
- Eligibility to sit for the NCBTMB exam for National Certification as a Massage Therapist.
- A diploma meeting the educational requirements for massage licensing in the State of Illinois.
- Eligibility to apply for an IL Massage License upon successful completion of the NCBTMB exam.
- A Diploma indicating graduation from Zen Shiatsu Chicago.
- Certified Practitioner status as an Asian Bodywork Therapist from the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia™ (AOBTA®).
Application for an IL Massage License requires a criminal background check.
Shiatsu Certification Program:
The Program Educational Objectives
1. Instill the Five Principles of Zen Shiatsu – “Relax”, “Penetration, Not Pressure”, “Stationary, Perpendicular Penetration”, “Two Hand Connectedness”, “Meridian Continuity”. These principles work on students from within, directing their intention towards reverence and catalyzing healing without manipulation.
2. Guide students through their metamorphosis into professional practitioners – Through our case studies, student clinic, ethics and business courses, we are there with students as they begin the process of working with the public, as they step into their roles as healers, and as they begin to arrange their lives to make bodywork their livelihood.
3. Provide students with the training and credentials necessary by law to practice professionally. Zen Shiatsu Chicago is a member of the AOBTA Council of Schools and Programs (COSP), and graduation from our Professional Asian Bodywork Program therefore fulfill the educational eligibility for AOBTA Certified Practitioner status. Students who complete the 715-hour program are additionally qualified to sit for the state massage licensing exam administered by FSMTB, and will also meet the educational requirements for an IL massage license.
4. Provide students with an interdisciplinary vocabulary in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Zen Shiatsu and Western Physiology, and the fluency to translate between the three. Through the study of SOAP note writing format, specific East/West cross-disciplinary training, and differential explanations of TCM and Zen Shiatsu theory, students will gain the ability to explain their work and share notes with those trained in TCM styles and western physiological methods.
5. Prepare students to deliver holistic benefits across a spectrum of clinical applications. Shiatsu benefits pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction with a minimum of effort. It also conveys all the benefits of acupuncture for internal organ issues, benefitting sleep, digestion/elimination, breathing, immune function and energy level. Shiatsu therapists can also assist with a healthy emotional life, spiritual evolution and connection to authentic self. Graduates are prepared to deliver benefits across this full spectrum of applications and perceive patterns of inter-relatedness of all these levels of human experience.
Massage Therapists with Transfer Credit:
- Your massage training may cover the Western Sciences and Professional Development classes, combining with the the remaining Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine coursework (potentially as little as 380 remaining hours) to qualify you as a graduate of our 715-hour program.
- You will be eligible for AOBTA Certified Practitioner status (a 500-hour membership level indicating full competency in shiatsu).