Do I Need My Reiki Certificate?

Christian Stone | Standing Stones Healing Co.

I paid and attending trainings up to my master level. My teacher was  moving out of state and did my last attunement right before she left. I never received a “certificate.” I have asked about it several times because I feel that if I see clients it will be expected (I am not a massage therapist). She says she will get it to me, but I never hear back from her. At this point, I don’t think this will happen and I'm feeling disappointed and concerned. Is a certificate something I need or will clients not care? 

I'm sorry you haven't been able to get your certificate. It's frustrating when teachers don't respond, and it's honestly a simple and expected request to get your certificate...that you paid for. Unfortunately, not all Reiki teachers have the best customer service skills. I personally would keep trying, since you don't know what kind of place she might be in right now. It may simply be that she is having some personal and/or professional challenges and unable to respond or is feeling overwhelmed with all she has going on. It sounds like she may do paper certificates and may then be feeling burdened by the process and all of the steps. I would personally set a reminder to reach out to her again in a couple of months.

At the same time, I have never had a client or student ask to see my certificate, at least not that I can remember, and the truth is that anyone can create a fake Reiki certificate. You may need a certificate for certain circumstances, like if you join a healing center or wellness practice, but because Reiki (at least in the United States) is so largely unregulated, you shouldn't have an issue. And...many would argue that the training is so much more important than a piece of paper, anyway. Sending blessings to your certificate and while you're here, please feel free to grab the free Reiki Biz Kit for when you're ready to start seeing clients.