These questions are often asked by students considering a career in complementary healthcare generally, or kinesiology specifically. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please do contact us.
Firstly, PKP is the only specialised/energy Kinesiology in the world to have a government recognised qualification, the NZQA accredited Level 7 Diploma in Kinesiology.
PKP™ is in depth experiential training. Students know that when they complete the different stages of learning, they are competent to practice.
PKP™ has been described as “the crème de la crème” of kinesiologies. It is a student centred, systematic and progressive course written especially to train practitioners. It is not just an adaptation of a course written for the lay-public in the 1970s, which is all that many of the other Certificate level courses are.
PKP™ is the biggest single branch with the most comprehensive database of specialised techniques covering many more muscles and corrective procedures than other systems. It always includes the vital emotional component with each intervention. This is commonly lacking in other kinesiologies.
Many kinesiologies are therapies, using very few muscles, and sometimes general “arm testing” to determine treatments. The ICPKP student uses accurate and precise muscle testing of more than 100 muscles, but doesn’t ‘treat’ anything. The client learns about themselves and their own processes.
Kinesiology courses can vary immensely. Most are just minor adaptations of a lay-course that was never intended to be used to train professionals as opposed to a structured, vocational training programme like the NZQA accredited Level 7 Diploma in Kinesiology.
Kinesiology is an umbrella term for the various kinesiology streams which use a variety of different complementary and alternative healing approaches selected via the muscle test response of the client. There are some overlaps in a few areas, however each system varies depending on the specific interest or previous experience of the founder. This means that different kinesiologies may approach ‘treatment’ in very different ways.
You need to check the course content in all the colleges that you are thinking of joining, and find out what happens to the students who complete the courses. Which professional registration bodies accept the qualifications you are looking into?
Not all Certificates and Diplomas are the same standard. Governments tend to opt for a national minimum standard of qualification, so consequently many courses will offer training simply to meet these standards. The PKP™ Certificate and Diploma courses based on the NZQA accredited Level 7 Diploma in Kinesiology far exceed the minimum standards, and prepare the student to work effectively in the health industry.
The transformations that occur, and the non-judgmental attitudes that develop in the students as they learn and grow. The depth and breadth of the ICPKP course material, and the participatory philosophy upon which it is based.
The PKP™ Protocol is the only Kinesiology protocol that has undergone the rigors of being used in a PhD thesis. No other Kinesiology has been subjected to this level of testing and evaluation.
You – the emergence of your potential and your creative self through the course allows you to be a specialist in your own area of interest – food & nutrition, skeletal problems, pain management, environmental illness etc etc.
PKP™ training is systematic and you are required to practice each and every step of each process and technique on fellow students, family and friends before you work on the public. Doing this means that students are both confident and competent when they do student clinics.
Learn more on the Careers in PKP page.
After the first class you will be successful at helping yourself, and in a few weeks you can work with family and friends on completion of the Certificate in High Level Wellness & Vitality Therapy. At each level you become more successful with a greater variety of people.
Success means different things to different people, so you need to work out exactly what that would mean to you. Is it having a full time practice seeing 6 – 8 clients a day, 6 days a week or is success a part time practice, seeing 3 clients 2 days a week, or somewhere in between? With the PKP™ system you start building your practice as you train so you have a good chance to achieve what you want sooner.
There are no guarantees, but with health services faltering worldwide, and showing the limitations in what they can do, it is our greatest opportunity to do something amazing, and you could be part of that.
There are more than enough people with health or other problems to keep us all busy if we want. Often the key is finding your niche market. Some PKP™ Practitioners like to help people with stress and pain management problems, others like to assist those with learning difficulties like dyslexia, still other Practitioners focus on muskuloskeletal body work for those with sports injuries.
This varies based on location, your experience, your reputation and the resulting demands. For example, practitioners in the UK can earn anywhere from £30 to £120 per session. NZ$2,000 per week is what PKP co-founder Joan Dewe chose to earn from her part-time clinic.
Some Practitioners generate additional income by teaching workshops to their clients, or eventually qualifying to teach other PKP™ Practitioners as an ICPKP Faculty Member.
The four Diplomas of Kinesiopractic® training are made up of 13 individual Certifications and exceed all other existing kinesiology qualifications. They are challenging to accomplish and very rewarding to actually achieve.
Kinesiopractic® is an advanced qualification equivalent to the level achieved by osteopathic or chiropractic training. It is the pinnacle of professionalism, standards of training and success in our field.
Most other Kinesiology courses are at a lower level than ICPKP’s Level 7 (undergraduate degree level) curriculum. Also, overheads are different depending on area, facilities, amount and quality of material taught in the course, expertise of the trainers etc. The old adage applies: you get what you pay for.
Quality remains and is remembered long after the price is forgotten. Have a kinesiology session with a graduate from the cheaper college and then have one from a PKP™ Practitioner. Then you will know the answer for yourself and why you should choose the PKP™ college.
Touch for Health (TFH) is a Kinesiology course that was developed for the lay-public by Dr. John Thie DC back in the1970s. Graduates from this program can take a “Crossover Course” designed to bring students into the PKP™ curriculum while not having to repeat material covered during TFH.
Non-Kinesiology practitioners wanting a “taste” of Kinesiology can enjoy our K-Power® series of workshops.
Yes, many ICPKP Affiliated Colleges offer weekend intensive workshops to cover the classroom teaching, with the expectation that students continue to practice and do their homework during the week.
The frequency of weekend workshops differs from college to college, but a gap of 3-6 weeks between workshops is common. With this schedule you can complete the Certificate in Professional Kinesiology Practice (Kinesiopractic® Level 1) in a year.
It takes time to achieve mastery. We do not rush through material, we give students time to master each level, so starting a new unit every 3 – 6 weeks is comfortable and achievable.
Some ICPKP Affiliated Colleges teach at the weekends and some teach during the week. Some offer both options.
At least one of our Australian colleges offers theory taught online (with a video recording for repeating the lesson) and practical aspects taught over one weekend each month. Students cover two full units of theory each month at home and attend one day of practical for each unit, thus completing 2 units in a month. This halves the usual travel, accommodation and costs for distance students.
Between 10 – 20 hours of study and practice per week is needed to master the techniques if you wish to complete the Certificate in PKP™ or one of our advanced Diploma courses within a year. About half the time is spent practicing the new techniques on family and friends and half on reading and theory.
From the beginning you will be involving your family and friends, so it’s easy. It’s all built into the course. PKP™ students watch, then practice every technique or process in class under supervision, with the opportunity for feedback and questions. Then we strongly suggest each technique is practised at home on at least 3 other people. Your SAJ (Student Activities Journal) has places to record all of this work plus how you feel about what you are doing and experiencing.
Your college mark for each unit of study will depend on the effort you put into this work. PKP™ is experiential and we want the best for you and your future clients. This process gives you the opportunity to “get good at it”. Learning any skill takes practice so you should simply practice as much as you can.
Almost anyone can learn to practice PKP™, but it helps if you like other people. A willingness to walk a ‘journey’ with a client is more important than talents or gifts. Each PKP™ session is a journey that a client takes. Sessions are client centred. People who want to be gurus and “work on people” rather than assist them tend to be attracted to other streams of kinesiology.
There will always be ‘virtuosi’ in any field, however this is exceedingly rare. You can do anything if you take the right attitude and work at it enough.
From a physical perspective, you do need to have good function in both your arms to muscle-test clients safely and correctly. Some practitioners work from a chair but most stand to do the work so be prepared to spend time on your feet. PKP™ is generally not as physically demanding for the practitioner as physiotherapy or massage therapy.
It is not uncommon for young children to” absorb” what their PKP™ student parents are doing and be able to do some of the techniques. Some even do the three quick brain “switch-on” techniques before school each morning.
No, like most other complementary and alternative health practitioners, Kinesiopractors® and PKP™ Practitioners tend to be self-employed working from their own clinics or in joint practice with other therapists.
Yes, and ICPKP Affiliate Colleges provide mentoring and plenty of information in the course to help steer students on their way. PKP™ training has given people all over the world a set of skills that has enabled them to change their own lives and to make a positive, long-lasting difference in the lives of their families and friends.
Demand for this positive change creates, of itself, income from a fee for service. Unlike most tertiary training, PKP™ students can develop their own ‘practice’ as they train and have an income stream by the time they graduate. As this grows many move into full-time practice (either solo or part of a group) and leave the jobs they had when they started their training. PKP™ has liberated practitioners from employment to a life of being paid by satisfied clients for doing what they love; helping people to take personal responsibility for their lives.
Generally PKP™ Practitioners build their own businesses. That way they choose how much they want to work and what they want to earn rather than someone else deciding that for them.
It is you that will create your own success. You will have mentoring from ICPKP Faculty and from senior students and you will use PKP™ techniques to help you achieve the success you want. You will receive the best training from the top instructors however the learning, practice and dedication to become successful is up to you. The Buddha said: “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.”
No-one can ensure another person’s success. We are each creating our own present and future by the choices and decisions we make on a daily basis. In class you will receive the same training materials and assessment tools as other students. What you do with them is your choice.
PKP™ co-founder, Dr Bruce Dewe says, “I chose to share what I was learning with others who I thought might be interested. Some were and benefited, others laughed or ridiculed and learned nothing. As I shared my knowledge, my own skill and knowledge grew. I developed mastery and long before I completed my training people began to seek me out for help and guidance. By contrast, the carpentry tools in my garage have never brought me significant income, because I chose not to use them enough to develop mastery in either of those fields. Only you can ensure your success in any aspect of life.”
You will learn, practice and apply the appropriate methods for client interaction in a kinesiology setting during the Certificate in PKP™ course. You will practice each technique on at least one classmate. Most schools will have practice nights once a term where they bring in real clients. However practicing at home with family and friends will lead to friends referring friends because they like what you are doing. (IICT has student insurance to cover you.)
Becoming proficient at anything requires instruction, practice, questioning, evaluation, and more practice. The PKP™ training involves just that. If you choose to put time into doing all the suggested home practical work and learn from your teacher’s evaluations of that work you will develop mastery in listening to clients and helping them make positive choices for themselves. If you listen, really listen, to people as you will be taught and shown how to do, people will be drawn to you and your clinic.
In year 1, the BKP 110 unit (Functioning as a Practitioner) of the PKP™ Practitioner Certification course there are two subjects relating to communication as a professional. This is covered in more depth in subsequent units.
The ICPKP syllabus includes a unique Red Flags unit which teaches you when your skills are not sufficient and when to refer clients to another healthcare or medical professional. You can take this course early in year two. It is taught by experienced practitioners.
Most countries require health professionals of all kinds to carry insurance and be registered with the relevant professional body.
In Australia and New Zealand registration is with an Industry Body such as KPAB, AKA, AIK or ATMS, and professional insurance is arranged through that body.
Insurance is also available independently through the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT).
In the UK, the preferred Organisation for ICPKP membership is the British Register of Complementary Practitioners run by the Institute of Complementary and Natural Medicine, and they have an insurance scheme.
In both Australia and NZ you have choices over which Association you become a member of. In Australia it is the AKA, AIK or ATMS. In New Zealand the Peak Industry Body is KPAB – Kinesiology Practitioners Accreditation Board. This board will also register overseas practitioners from countries with no local Accreditation Board.
Yes, if you practice in Australia you can. AIK posts, on its website, a list of Insurance companies that recognise the Australian Diploma of Kinesiology if taken through a college or campus that is part of an RTO which awards the Diploma (HLT51524).
In the UK you can only get health insurance rebates for osteopathy and chiropractic. Other alternative treatments including kinesiology are not covered.
Yes, each application for Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) is looked at individually, and is typically given for courses such as Anatomy & Physiology, First Aid and other generic healthcare training included in the PKP™ syllabus.
Graduates of Touch For Health (TFH) 1 -4 training are able to complete a PKP™ Crossover Induction course that covers many of the basic Foundational Principles of professional kinesiology not included in TFH and skip the first five units of Basic Kinesiology Principles (BKP 101-105).
