The 2014 AGM agreed to create a Register for members who have completed a 1-year qualification. The Core Curriculum for this was established by the Education Committee in 2017 and was modified in 2021 following the placing of the L4 Diploma in Shiatsu on the RQF. The Society has called this practice Bodywork for Wellbeing Based on Shiatsu principles. This denotes a form of body-based work that is based on the principles, philosophy and techniques of Shiatsu but is practised for wellbeing and is not aimed at treating problematic conditions.

Schools may offer a 1-year programme adhering to the One Year Core Curriculum and may choose how to call their certification, so long as it does not imply full Shiatsu qualification. Examples are “Certificate in Holistic Acupressure”, “Bodywork for Wellbeing Mentor”.

Graduates of such programmes will be placed on the Shiatsu Society Register of Wellbeing Practitioners. They are publicised on the Wellbeing Listing on the website, operate under the Shiatsu Society's Code of Ethics and are required to hold professional indemnity insurance. Professional level insurance for Acupressure / Bodywork for Wellbeing is not part of the Block Scheme and needs to be purchased from Balens through their Multi-therapy policy and is at a discounted rate (see document ‘Insurance matters for Students’).

There are two routes to registering as a Wellbeing Practitioner with the Shiatsu Society; 

  1. You currently hold Student Membership with the Shiatsu Society, and have passed the first year of a three year Shiatsu Diploma course (and therefore hold a certificate in Holistic Acupressure or similar) and are now in the second or third year of that course. You would need to add Holistic Acupressure as an additional modality through Balens for insurance purposes. 
  2.  You are not currently enrolled in a course of study for Shiatsu but have already passed the first year of a Shiatsu Diploma course and hold a certificate in Holistic Acupressure (or similar). 

Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in becoming a Wellbeing Practitioner.