As integrative practitioners, many of us hold multiple identities. I’m both a licensed psychotherapist and a Reiki Master Teacher, and like many of you, I often find myself discerning where these roles overlap and where they should remain distinct.
One question I wrestled with early on was this: Can I teach Reiki as self-care to my psychotherapy clients?
Reiki as Mindfulness, Not Medicine
Reiki, especially at the Level 1 stage, is often taught as a personal practice. The emphasis is on hand placement, self-awareness, and cultivating inner calm. When presented this way, Reiki becomes less about “energy healing” and more about a mindfulness-based, embodied meditation practice.
From that perspective, offering a client basic instruction in self-Reiki is akin to teaching progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or breathwork as a somatic and mindful experience. It can be a valuable adjunct to therapy, particularly for clients who benefit from tactile or ritualized approaches to grounding.
Where the Ethical Concerns Sit
Here’s the rub: teaching Reiki inside the therapy room is not the same as running a weekend Reiki workshop. Our responsibility as licensed professionals is to ensure clarity and informed consent.
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Boundaries of dual roles: Teaching Reiki to a psychotherapy client could be seen as stepping into a dual role (therapist and Reiki teacher). The concern isn’t that Reiki itself is harmful, but that teaching can change the nature of the therapeutic contract.
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Scope of practice: Boards usually ask, “Is what you are doing within the bounds of your license and training?” You are both a licensed psychotherapist and a trained Reiki Master Teacher, so in terms of competence, you are covered. The issue is more about clarity and informed consent.
Tips for clarity:
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Defining scope: Limit Reiki instruction to self-care only (Level 1). Avoid certifying or empowering clients to “treat” others while still in therapy with you.
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Naming the hat you’re wearing: Document clearly that Reiki is being offered as a self-care practice, not as a certification program.
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Optionality: Reiki should be an invitation, not a requirement for therapy progress.
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Transparency: Use informed consent language so the client understands exactly what is being offered and why.
- Further training: Should your client opt to continue Reiki training, encourage a new training route, repeating Reiki 1 and moving on to levels 2 and or 3.
Why It Matters
Many of us blend modalities—somatic tools, breathwork, guided visualization. Reiki, framed responsibly, can sit alongside these as part of a psychospiritual toolkit. What distinguishes ethical integration is not whether Reiki belongs in psychotherapy (it can), but whether we as practitioners maintain clarity of role and intention.
An Invitation to Reflect
If you also straddle worlds—licensed therapist and spiritual practitioner, coach and healer—pause to consider:
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How do you name and frame the practices you bring into therapy?
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Where do you draw your own boundary line between self-care tools and separate training/certification?
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How might you create documentation or informed consent language that supports integrity and transparency?
✍️ Soul Notes Prompt
In your journal, supervision group, or personal reflection, explore this question:
“What practices do I bring into my client work that carry roots outside of psychotherapy, and how do I frame them with clarity, integrity, and care?”
