AAMET Guidelines for Cpds & Supervision

AAMET Guidelines for CPD Mentoring

Issued 9/12/08

In line with most professional bodies associated with complementary therapy, the AAMET hasover the yearsbeen introducing requirements for ContinuingPersonal and Professional Development (CPD) and Mentoring. This is widely considered to be in the best interests ofeveryone involved, both for the health and wellbeing of our clients, and for the professional integrity and standing of our Members and of the AAMET itself.These Guidelines set out the current status of this process.

The developing role of AAMET and AAMET training

For the avoidance of doubt, EFT is seen as a powerful and empowering self-help ‘tool’ which can also be integrated into a variety of professional disciplines (or ‘toolboxes’).

Tool vs Toolbox:AAMET training is designed to promote a thorough understanding of EFT as a tool. However, theseshort training programmes, even at Level 3, cannot begin to replace the training, examinationand supervised practice necessary for practitioners to become competent at delivering EFT safely and professionally in a stand-alone healthcare application. Nor does this training of itself equip anyone to be a sports coach, life coach or business trainer. A ‘toolbox’ such as this typically takes years to develop, 5+ years in the case of most counsellors and other health professionals, and even longer in the case of doctors and psychiatrists.All AAMET Trainers are required to make this abundantly clear to their trainees during training.

Mentoring vs Supervision:Also, the term ‘Mentoring’ as discussed in this document should not be interpreted to mean the same thing as ‘Supervision’ commonly associated with ‘toolboxes’ such as counselling. Health professionals, sports and life coaches, teachers and business trainers who integrate EFT into their practice may be able to count such Mentoring as ‘Supervision’ in their professional context, but this is outside the scope of these Guidelines. In similar fashion, CPD carried out in accordance with these Guidelinesmay count toward the CPD requirements of a Practitioner’s other (perhaps main)professional body (or ‘toolbox’) but again this is outside the scope of these Guidelines.

The professional bodies of those practising talk therapy in a healthcare setting normally require their members to engage (and usually pay for) a suitably qualified and trained Supervisor to act as an independent check on the quality of practice being provided, principally from the point of view of the welfare of the client. This is typically of the order of 1 to 1½ hours per month, and is regularly audited. As an unfunded body with no paid staff to perform the necessary administration and policing, this is outside the scope of AAMET at the present time. Although AAMET Practitioners who regularly see clients for health issues are strongly encouraged to engage in formal Supervision, both for their own wellbeing and that of their clients, this is currently outside the scope of these Guidelines and it is assumed that such Practitioners are likely to be doing this anyway, either from their own initiative or in accordance with the requirements of other professional bodies to which they may belong.

‘Independent’ EFT Practitioners:Due to the power and versatility of EFT, growing numbers of resourceful practitioners and trainers are building their own ‘toolboxes’ from which to deliver EFT and EFT training, independently of any outside professional body. They are doing this through self-study and supervised client work, through delivering EFT training, and through ongoing CPD and Mentoring. Again, for the time being at least, with no subscription money and no paid professional or administrative staff, AAMET is not currently in a position to provide the same level of support and policing to these ‘independent’ practitioners and trainers as professional bodies such as BACP or the Reiki Federation. However this situation is constantly under review and may change in the medium term given sufficient demand from Members.

The AAMET Practitionerregister

The AAMET maintains a formal registerof approved Practitionersof meridian therapies, including EFT, made available to the public via the website

For those practising in the UK, membership of this list in turn entitles Practitioners (some of whom may also be Trainersand/orTrainers of Trainers) to register with the UK voluntary federal regulator, the General Council for the Regulation of Complementary Therapies (GRCCT), by which AAMET is formally recognised as the ‘Lead Body’ for meridian therapies. For those practising elsewhere, there may be other national regulatory requirements, however this is currently outside the scope of these Guidelines and is a matter for Affiliates of AAMET to determine at a local level.

Listing by AAMET requires Practitioners to commit to and follow the AAMET Code of Conduct and Ethicsandthe AAMET Guidelines for CPD and Mentoring. Registered Practitioners (which in this document includes Trainers and Trainers of Trainers) who for whatever reason are no longer able or willing to commit to or follow the above code and Guidelines are honour bound to inform the AAMET immediately and have their name removed from the above Practitioner register until such time as they are once more willing to make the necessary commitment.

ContinuingPersonal and Professional Development (CPD)

CPD is not intended as extra work or expense, but simply the normal effort made by conscientiousPractitionersto develop personally and professionally, and keep up to date. In addition, those who work with others are strongly encouraged to work on clearing their own issues, which may otherwise interfere with their efficacy as a Practitioner, and to repeat trainings with other trainers, particularly at Level 3, to develop a wide perspective.

Examples of CPD include (but are not limited to) the hours spent on:

• carrying out ANY personal or professional development activity that could reasonably be expected to add to a practitioner's competency, including:
• attending or delivering ANY professional training (EFT oriented or otherwise) that could reasonably be expected to add to a practitioner's competency
• repeating training and/or preparing for further professional accreditation
• writing up and reflecting on the Practitioner’s own case studies and/or theory and philosophy of practice
• staying up to date with developments in EFT and/or AAMET
• reading relevant books and newsletters
• regular use of the Personal Peace Procedureand other forms of personal therapy, with or without the help of others
• participating in EFT discussion groups or teleconferences
• establishing a practice and/or documenting the integration of EFT into an existing practice
• carrying out ANY activity that furthers the interests of the EFT community and/orAAMET, including:
• taking EFT into the community
• developing a specific application of EFT (e.g. for sports or business)
• translating EFT material into another language
• developing a new EFT product/approach with wide application
• carrying out and publishing a relevant research project
• writing and publishing or contributing to a relevant book, e-bookor newsletter
• writing up the achievement of a major life ambition with EFT
• moderating EFT tapping or discussion groups or teleconferences etc etc

Under these Guidelines, all AAMET Practitioners (which includes Levels 2, 3 and AAMET Master,as well as Trainers andTrainers of Trainers) are required to commit to and acquireat least 30 hours of CPD per year in order to maintain their listing on the AAMET Practitionerregister. In practice, many Practitionersaccumulate substantially more than this. The hours should ideally be balanced across several CPD categories, and include a reasonable proportion of relevant professional training (either as attendee or as the Trainer delivering the training) as described above.

For those practising in the UK, the federal regulatorGRCCTrequires that:

1. Its registrants complete at least 12 hours continuing professional development a year.
2. a minimum of 2 hours of which must be therapy specific, and
3. a maximum of 50% of which can be generic, including reflection or research.
4. There is evidence of on-going CPD
5. Practising is undertaken in accordance with National Occupational Standards (NOS)

GRCCT also requires that 'Registrants undertake that within 36 months of admission to the GRCCT National Register they will have completed sufficient continuing professional development to ensure that they are practising in accordance with the National Occupational Standard as defined by each therapy group in which they at listed on the National Register. For some registrants this may require a substantial level of training.'

Formal NOS have not yet been defined specifically for meridian therapies, however this is a task that the AAMET plans to address in the coming months/years.

The above description of CPD is intended to make it a straightforward matter for all active Practitionersto maintain their listing on the AAMET Practitioner register (and for those practicing in the UK, if they so choose, the GRCCT National Register as well) in a way that is inexpensive and relatively independent of geographical location.

All the CPD gained must be recorded, together with attendance certificates and/or receipts as appropriate, and retained as evidence for at least 5 years in case this may be asked for by the AAMET and/or GRCCT.A sample of a suggested ‘CPD/Mentoring Record Sheet’ is attached as an Appendix to these Guidelines.

Mentoring

‘Mentoring’ as described here provides Practitioners (and Trainers)with the opportunity to discuss any issues which, if left unaddressed, could potentially escalate to the point where they undermine the quality of the Practitioner’s professional work. For the purposes of these Guidelines, Mentoring means working with colleagues, either singly or in groups, paid or unpaid, to discuss specific applications of EFT, to share and swap experiences, and to help each other to improve the quality of the EFT while at the same time promoting and protecting the wellbeing of everyone involved. A more detailed description of Mentoring can be found here: Although Mentoring may not always be recognised as Supervision by a Practitioner’s professional body, for the avoidance of doubt, formal Supervision from a trained Supervisor can be counted here as Mentoring.

Under these Guidelines, Practitioners(including Trainers and Trainers of Trainers) who are seeing clients one-to-one or in groups(or training groups) are required to have an absolute minimum ofat least six hours one-to-one Mentoringeach year with a colleaguepractising at the same, or preferably a higher, EFT level,orat least twelve hours Mentoringwith a group of colleagues, again practicing at the same or preferably a higher EFT level, or a combination of the two.

In the case of Practitioners who are also Trainers, it is likely to be even more important that at least some of the Mentoring includes a fellow Trainer, or preferably a Trainerof Trainers, however it is up to the individual Trainer (perhaps taking advice from her/his Trainer ofTrainers) to determine what may be best for her/him.

Practitioners who see a number of clients on a regular basis, or who regularly train others, will normally choose to engage in substantially more hours of Mentoring than the minimum levels listed above, depending on workload. This may or may not be considered part of the formal Supervision required by the Practitioner’s professional body (or ‘toolbox’ – please see above), however again this is outside the scope of these Guidelines.

The Mentoring must be formally recorded, together with any attendance certificates and/or receipts as appropriate, and retained as evidence for at least 5 years in case this may be asked for by the AAMET and/or GRCCT.The form in the Appendix can also be used for this purpose.

Record of AAMET CPD and Mentoring

Name: ……………………………………………..

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