As this time, the Seitai Shinpo Acupuncture Foundation provides a single track for becoming a Certified Seitai Shinpo Acupuncturist (CSSAc):
Silver Certificate
The Silver Certificate requires a four-year apprenticeship with a Seitai Shinpo Gold Certificate holder. Currently, Dr. Maekawa is the only person in the US qualified to teach. Requirements include monthly classes and 600+ clinical hours. No licensed and/or practicing acupuncturists will be accepted. See this page for more information about our acupuncture apprenticeship.
In addition, the Foundation recognizes the following professional training tracks:
Gold Certificate
The Gold Certificate recognizes that the practitioner is certified to teach Seitai Shinpo at any acupuncture college in the US, and is only open to Silver Certificate holders. This certification requires five years of clinical experience, five years of Seitai Shinpo Sunday classes (2 classes/year), and an examination by the Grandmaster Sorimachi Sensei, or a Certified Platinum Seitai Shinpo Acupuncturist.
Pursuit of this track requires five years of clinical experience practicing Seitai Shinpo acupuncture, a minimum of 200 case studies, plus travel to the Big Island at least twice per year for a minimum of ten days. During the semiannual visits practitioners will attend and participate in Seitai Shinpo Sunday classes, trade treatments with other Seitai Shinpo practitioners, and spend the majority of their time in clinical observation and internship with Dr. Maekawa and other local Seitai Shinpo practitioners.
Platinum Certificate
The Platinum Certificate recognizes that the practitioner is certified to conduct workshops, seminars, and other trainings throughout the world in the cooperation of other Certified Platinum Seitai Shinpo Acupuncturists, Certified Diamond Seitai Shinpo Acupuncturists, and the grandmaster Sorimachi Sensei. This certification requires a Gold Certificate, five years of experience teaching Seitai Shinpo, and an initiation of the Grandmaster or another Platinum Certificate holder.