• Bioenergetics Training

    Become a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist through intensive, experiential training guided by the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis.

Getting Started with Bioenergetic Training

Training is offered by NANZIBA member organizations. Contact the member organizations listed on this site for current program details. All training follows the curriculum approved by the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis, leading to Certification as a Bioenergetic Therapist (CBT).

Our organizations who offer training:

Southern California

Massachusetts

Atlantic Canada

New York

Dallas

New Zealand

What to Expect

Training is an intensive, four- or five-year program combining hands-on experiential learning and didactic study. Trainees are expected to participate in personal bioenergetic therapy while training.

  • Duration & Schedule icon

    Duration & Schedule

    • Two phases: Pre-clinical (personal development) and Clinical
    • Usually completed over 4 or 5 years
    • Fifteen to twenty training days per year
    • Training workshops are distributed over the year. Schedules vary by program.
  • Learning Approach icon

    Learning Approach

    • You’ll train with a cohort of peers
    • Learning is largely experiential
    • Didactic work includes reading, writing, and discussion
    • Experience small group learning, therapy, and process

Certification Requirements

Bioenergetic therapists have years of training in both Bioenergetic Analysis and psychotherapy which enhances their ability to work with the depth and breadth of therapeutic issues. To be certified as a bioenergetic therapist, you must hold a valid license to practice psychotherapy, in accordance with the laws of your state or country.

  • Therapist Development icon

    Therapist Development

    In addition to the personal work completed through the training program, the candidate is expected to complete 140 hours of personal therapy with a certified bioenergetic therapist. See our Directory for certified bioenergetic therapists.

  • Supervision icon

    Supervision

    Supervision of the trainee’s clinical bioenergetic work can begin when they start the clinical phase of training. Supervision is completed by qualified bioenergetic supervisors, and a minimum of 50 hours are required for certification. See our Directory for bioenergetic supervisors.

Training FAQ

The first two years of training focuses on the personal growth of trainees, so it is suitable for anyone wishing to make a commitment to working on their own development within a strongly experiential group learning framework.  Subsequent years of training are clinically-oriented and best suited to those who therapists or expecting to become therapists. Training societies have their own guidelines about who can participate in clinical training.

Bioenergetics is not a technique or a system. Rather, it is a complete theory of human functioning. This includes the development of characteristic patterns of growth and behaviour, as well as leading to constructive methods of intervention.

Bioenergetic therapy is process-oriented and long-term. Change arises as a person experiences themselves more fully, acknowledging their patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving by noticing these body events as they occur in session.

Training, personal therapy, and clinical supervision are all part of becoming certified as a bioenergetic therapist. During this process, you’ll learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible, while learning about other people. Learning to be with your embodied experience of yourself while simultaneously supporting a client to become embodied is not the product of a weekend training or a video series. We take your training seriously because the work you’ll be doing is very important.

All of our training programs follow the guidelines of the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis, the body that certifies therapists, but each program has a different “flavor.” Four-year programs meet for 20 days a year: five-year programs meet for 15 days. Some are residential. Others move location depending on various factors. Some include attending conferences and workshops. Some have online components. Fees vary and registration processes also differ by location. Contact the specific training society for more information.

To become certified, a person must complete the required training, plus required personal bioenergetic therapy, plus hours of supervision of their work with bioenergetic clients.

When you’re a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist, you’ve been through a comprehensive program to prepare you to take clients deeper than they thought they could go. You’ve been there yourself. It makes you a trusted partner on the journey.