I have just been elected to the governing board of the US national reflexology association! Along with six other professional reflexologists, I will serve as a director of the Reflexology Association of America for a two-year period beginning this summer. I’m eager to be part of the movement to propel reflexology to its next level of professionalism and recognition.
The Reflexology Association of America (RAA) is a non-profit membership organization that aims to advance its members’ interests through public relations, government lobbying efforts, a quarterly magazine and a national referral system for its members. RAA’s next biennial conference will be held in 2014 in Sante Fe, Mexico. I, for one, can hardly wait! Love that part of the country.
American residents: Please consider a RAA membership, if you don’t currently hold one. The fee for practicing professionals is only $50/year; for students and/or schools $30. The more the merrier!
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This is probably as good an opportunity as any to introduce the other various organizations within the field of reflexology. Links to all are on the left side of this page.
On an international level, we have the International Council of Reflexologists. ICR is a membership organization modeled after the United Nations. This means ICR is not incorporated in any country. ICR provides a worldwide forum to share education and ideas through its quarterly e-magazine, biennial conference (2013 scheduled in Johannesburg, South Africa!) and the annual celebration of World Reflexology Week in September.
On a national level, we have three primary organizations in North America; the:
American Reflexology Certification Board. ARCB is a non-profit corporation that acts as a national independent testing and certifying agency in the United States. Its primary objective is to protect the public by certifying the competency of people practicing reflexology on a professional level.
Reflexology Association of America, which I described above.
Reflexology Association of Canada. This is the organization that I was originally trained and certified by, both as a practitioner and reflexology instructor. RAC was incorporated in 1978 as a federally chartered non-profit organization, with by-laws, policies and procedures that regulate the management of the Association. RAC was formed to provide training and educational standards for reflexology in Canada, and to distribute information about reflexology to all interested in the modality.
Most of the states and provinces have state or provincial reflexology organizations as well, with many of them affiliated with the national membership organization. Check the RAA or RAC websites or google “reflexology organization” and your state/province to locate yours.
I hope that all of my readers will consider joining hands (and feet 😀 ) with their fellow practitioners by taking out a membership in their respective organization. Remember: there is power in numbers!
Congratulations Karen, you certainly deserve the honor. I wish you well during your tenure, I know you will make a positive contribution to the position.
Thanks, John. I’m sure it will be a rewarding experience for me – and hopefully, the association.
Congratulations Karen.
RAA and members are fortunate to have you as a board member. See you in Santa Fe; love that part of the world as well.
That’s great news that you’ll be at the conference, Darlene. I look forward to “jawing” with you!
Karen, I wish you the best on your new journey!
I’m also looking forward to going to Santa Fe.
Thanks Lynn. See you in Santa Fe, if not before.
Good for you Karen! They/We’re lucky to have someone like you leading the way. Thank you for stepping up!
Donna @ Footloose