American Reflexology Certification Board ®

Setting the highest testing standards to which Professional Reflexologists aspire since 1991.

Continuing Education Requirements

Once you’ve achieved ARCB® national certification, you are required to earn 12 hours of continuing education (CE) every 2 years. Your 2-year CE period begins January 1st of the year following the year you achieved certification. The 12 CE hours may be a combination of activities/courses, or a single activity/course which meets or exceeds the total requirements. CE hours may include classes/workshops taught in other countries and may include on-line, telephone or correspondence courses. You are responsible for selecting an activity/course that has been ARCB® approved, or you may apply to ARCB® for advance approval to take a non-approved activity/course or complete an independent study project. Applications for approval of independent study projects or non-approved activities/courses must be received at least 6 weeks before the end of your 2-year CE period.

Certificants who are at least 70 years of age and who have already completed at least 24 hours of continuing education since their initial ARCB® certification are exempt from the CE requirement. It is the responsibility of the certificant to notify the ARCB® office and submit a copy of a government-issued identification to verify their age.

Certificants who do not achieve and/or evidence required CE hours will be reminded to do so by the ARCB® office. See the FAQs below for more information about how to correct this problem. If you fail to correct the issue, you will be placed in lapsed status and must return your ARCB® certification documentation and pin as well as remove all ARCB® logos and information from your website and marketing materials.

3 Ways to Earn CE Credit

ARCB® approved activities / courses

Certificants receive a quarterly e-mail listing of ARCB® approved activities/courses. The providers in this listing have applied to ARCB® for CE approval of the activity/course and ARCB® has already approved the course or activity and the corresponding CE hours. This listing is posted in the Certificants Login area of this site. No advance approval from ARCB® is required to attend these activities/courses. Simply pay the provider’s fee and complete the activity/course. At the end of your 2-year CE period, you must submit the ARCB® Approved CE Attestation Form. There is no need to provide verification of attendance with the form. Note, however, that we randomly audit certificants and request verification of attendance, so make certain to save the verification of attendance/completion that you receive from the provider of the ARCB® approved activity/course in case you are one of those selected for audit.

Non-approved activities / courses

Certificants may request ARCB® authorization to attend an activity/course sponsored by a provider who has not arranged ARCB® CE approval. All non-approved activities/courses must relate to the field or practice of reflexology or contribute to the certificant’s effectiveness as a professional. For example, a reflexology-specific course such as pain management or maternity techniques, an integrative course such as reflexology and Chinese medicine theory, reiki or essential oils, attending a state reflexology association conference, attending a first aid, marketing or business finance course. To request authorization for a non-approved activity/course, complete and submit the App for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study form together with your $25 non-refundable fee prior to attending the activity, allowing at least 30 days for ARCB® review and approval. All activities must be completed prior to December 31st of your 2-year CE period and an Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study Completion form must be submitted to verify completion.

Independent Study

Certificants may perform an independent study project designed to expand the scope of current skills and knowledge needed to promote a Reflexologist’s technical and professional development beyond basics. Such activities may include volunteering services as a Reflexologist in a research project, studying the work of a particular author, writing articles, delivering lectures, teaching, or working on a state or national reflexology association board or committee. Please see additional detail below regarding some of these activities. All independent studies must relate to the field or practice of reflexology or contribute the certificant’s effectiveness as a professional. To request authorization for independent study, complete and submit the App for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study form together with your $25 non-refundable fee prior to performing the activity, allowing at least 30 days for ARCB® review and approval. All activities must be completed prior to December 31st of your 2-year CE period and an Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study Completion Form form must be submitted to verify completion.

Volunteer Activities – Typically approved volunteer activities are (a) for the purpose of conducting research studies or (b) for active service on a committee or the board of directors of a state or national reflexology board or association. For research, your application should present a detailed plan of the proposed study, including information about intended participants, frequency, duration, location of sessions and study goals. You must be able to document how this activity will contribute to your own practice and/or to the advancement of reflexology as a profession, as well as evidencing that the activity continued or enhanced your education.

Lectures – You may develop and deliver a lecture once or multiple times to different audiences, provided the work enhanced your professional Reflexologist knowledge base.

Teaching – You may submit initial planning and curriculum development of a new reflexology class to be delivered in a classroom or as a distance learning course. You must be able to document how the activity relates to enhancing your own practice or and/or the field of reflexology.

Other Types of Independent Study – You must be able to articulate what the proposed project is designed to teach you, how it will be conducted, and how it will enrich your practice or growth as a professional Reflexologist.

Continuing Education FAQ's

How do I find out when my 2-year CE cycle ends?

Look at your ARCB® certification document. The cycle begins January 1 of the year after you achieved certification and ends 2 years later on December 31st. If you're still not sure, then you can call the ARCB® office to verify.

I had a hardship and was unable to complete my 12 CE hours before the end of my 2-year cycle. Now what?

With the option to perform an Independent Study project or to fulfill your CE requirement with an on-line course, there is little justification for granting hardship extension. ARCB® may grant an extension for hardships such as a major illness, full-time caring for a disabled or ill family member, etc. Please submit your extension request in writing to the ARCB® office via mail, e-mail or fax together with an explanation of the hardship and a proposed time frame in which you expect to complete the 12 CE hours.

What if I want to attend a couple of non-approved courses or perform several independent study projects or a combination of both to achieve my required 12 hours?

You can submit them all on a single App for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study form and cover them all with the payment of one $25 non-refundable fee.

How long does it take for an Application for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study to be approved?

Approvals are processed in the order received. If you are diligent about providing all required information, it usually takes less than 30 days to process your application; however, we suggest allowing 6 weeks, if possible, to be certain of approval before attending the activity.

What happens if my Application for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study isn’t approved?

Our office will notify you of non-approval or may notify you of deferred approval pending receipt of further information.

If the course or activity provides more than 12 CE hours, do I receive credit for the additional hours and can I carry them over for credit to another 2-year period?

No more than 12 CE hours will be credited in any 2-year period and any additional hours earned may not be carried over to another 2-year period.

How will I know if my Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study Completion has been approved?

You will be notified by the ARCB® office. If it is not approved, further information will be provided to enable you to resubmit for approval.

What happens if I forget to submit my attestation form?

The office will remind you that you must submit it in order to avoid lapsed status.

What if I am one of those selected for random audit of attendance at an ARCB® approved activity or course and I’ve lost my verification documentation?

Contact the provider of the ARCB® approved activity/course to request replacement of the lost documentation.

Can I perform the same activity or attend the same course again and use it for credit?

For a repeated Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study activity to be approved, you must be able to indicate how it further enhanced your skills by describing in detail what was newly learned.

Can I still receive credit if I forgot to apply for approval before my Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study activity?

Failure to submit the form for approval will not automatically result in denial, and you may submit for approval after the fact. You should submit the App for Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study form together your $25 fee and the Independent or Non-ARCB® Approved Study Completion Form. Note that without pre-approval you risk that the completed study or activity will not be approved and you won’t receive credit.

I have a question about CE requirements that isn’t covered here. How do I get it answered?

Simply submit your question to the ARCB® office via mail, e-mail or fax.
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