In 2014, the RAA Education committee established a Mentorship program for those individuals wanting to accrue additional education hours through personalized activities with a more seasoned reflexologist.
Hours attained through a Mentorship program may be used to increase basic training hours to meet RAA’s requirement of 300 hours for Professional level membership, or for the individual professional goals of the Mentee.
Understanding The Roles of Mentor and Mentee
The Education committee originally saw the impetus for the Mentor/Mentee relationship originating from the Mentee’s desire to improve his or her knowledge.
The Mentor was someone who had taken an interest in developing the career and education of a fellow Reflexology colleague who had reached out for counsel. The scope has since expanded to recognize experienced practitioners who wish to first seek approval as a RAA Mentor and then let their nearby community know of their availability.
It is the Mentee who is charged with the task of setting professional and academic goals for the mentoring relationship based on his/her greatest needs, not the Mentor.
Accounting for differences in gender, ethnicity, culture, age and so forth, the Mentor tailors his/her mentoring style and program content and activities to the individual Mentee.
Although the Education committee originally envisioned the Mentorship program as a one-on-one relationship, it agrees that mentoring a small group could be a wonderful experience for a small circle of like-minded Mentees.
The caveat in a group situation is that the goals of all Mentees must be the same. As an example, if all wanted help with improving their hands-on skills, or all wanted instruction and clarity on how reflexology affects certain pathologies, or all wanted guidance on marketing and business practices. In that way, the provision that the program be customized for the Mentee can still be maintained. If each person’s needs were different, then it would not qualify.
It is the responsibility of the Mentor to check on local laws to make sure s/he doesn’t need a teaching license or school license to conduct a group Mentoring program legally.
Additional details, applications and forms.
The following individuals, listed alphabetically, have been approved as RAA Mentors:
Kim Novatny
Dyer, IN
443-797-7659
Barbara Strassman
Sharon, MA and Wolfeboro, NH
781-784-1955