Master Somatic Movement Educator and/or Therapist Application

Thank you for applying to become a Master Somatic Movement Educator and/or Therapist! We are a global collaborative of individuals and organizations advancing the profession of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy. As a professional association, we support high standards of practice and maintain a registry of qualified practitioners. 

This application can be used for current ISMETA members with the Registered Somatic Movement Educator or Therapist (RSME or RSMT) credential to upgrade to the Master Somatic Movement Educator and/or Therapist credential. It can also be used for practitioners who are not yet ISMETA members.

To apply for the MSME/T credential, practitioners need to demonstrate a total of 1000 hours of training in somatic movement education and/or therapy, 500 hours of professional practice with individuals and/or groups, and a significant contribution to the profession in the form of publications, research, curricular development, conference presentations, and/or embodied praxes.

All applicants must demonstrate that they abide by the values and curricula that are articulated in ISMETA’s Mission, Vision, Scope and Standards of Practice, Core Competencies and Code of Ethics as articulated in the Pillars of the Profession.

To complete this application, you'll need:

• Copies of certificates from training programs you have completed

  • If you trained long ago and no longer have a certificate, you may provide a statement of completion from the training program.

• Documentation of 500 hours of professional practice with individuals and/or groups (Form linked here)

• Two letters of recommendation: a letter of recommendation from a mentor or colleague and a letter of recommendation from a client/student who has experienced your Somatic Movement work to be submitted by the person who wrote it

• A Personal Statement about joining ISMETA (if you are not a current member)

• To arrange payment of the application fee with info@ismeta.org:
  •  If you are a current RSME/T, please pay the $50 application fee which can be found here. If you are not a current ISMETA member, please contact info@ismeta.org to pay your $75 application fee.

Letters of Recommendation 

We require two letters of recommendation: one letter from a mentor or colleague and another letter from a client/student who has experienced your Somatic Movement work. The person who wrote the letter must be the one to submit it. As the applicant, please contact your two letter writers and request they send their letters directly to our office at info@ismeta.org with the subject line "Letter of Recommendation - YOUR NAME HERE".

Be sure to follow up with both recommenders to ensure their letters are submitted.

Your application will be reviewed by our Professional Standards Committee. Please note that this review process typically takes between two to three months. If the committee requires any additional information or documentation from you during this time, we will contact you directly.

Membership Fees

Letters of Recomendation 

We require two letters of recommendation: one letter from a mentor or colleague and another letter from a client/student who has experienced your Somatic Movement work. The person who wrote the letter must be the one to submit it. 

For applicants: Please follow these steps to collect and submit your letters of recommendation:

1. Click “Save and Continue Later” at the bottom of the form.
2. Enter your email to receive a unique resume link.
3. Copy and share that link with your letter writers — they’ll use it to upload their recommendation letters directly into your application.
4. When you’re ready, use the same link to return and finish your application before submitting.

Be sure to follow up with both recommenders to ensure their letters are submitted.

For recommenders: Please upload your letter of recommendation using one of the fields below.

Please provide a brief overview of your educational and professional experience to be considered for ISMETA professional membership.  Please ensure your content is directly related to Somatic Movement Education and Therapy and supports your choice to register as either an MSME, MSMT, or MSME/T. Please identify the lineage(s) of your Somatic Movement training.

Please provide an overview of how you have achieved high standards of knowledge, experience and development in your work as demonstrated through publications, research, curricular development, conference presentations, or embodied praxes. 300 word maximum. 

Current ISMETA members: Please also provide a synopsis of your original 500 hours and an overview of your additional 500 hours in the box below. Full details of the additional 500 hours are required below.

Personal Statement: Why are you interested in joining ISMETA? (for non-ISMETA members only)

Please provide information about all the Somatic Movement training(s) you've completed. There is no required number of trainings, only the required 1000+ total training hours for the MSME, MSMT, or MSME/T credential. Please note: The field to enter the total number of training hours you've completed appears at the bottom of this page.

If you trained long ago and no longer have a certificate, you may provide a statement of completion from the training program.

All material submitted should demonstrate proficiency and adherence to the Pillars of the Profession and the Professional Member Training Requirements.

Please review:

ISMETA’s Pillars of the Profession

Professional Member Training Requirements

Provide information about the Professional Somatic Movement Training(s) you have completed below. Please complete all fields for each Module of training you've completed: 

Include here a detailed description of how your coursework specifically prepared you to meet the ISMETA Core Competencies. Please be concise using under 300 words for each competency.

Professional Practice hours are a part of the application process. Please complete documentation of 500 hours of professional practice by using this form.

  Pillars of the Profession:  Review Document        

  Logo Usage Agreement:

We encourage Professional Members to use their credentials after their names wherever possible: when speaking, in print, and/or digitally on websites. The ISMETA Logo can be used in print or in digital applications. We ask that when using the logos, you hyperlink to the ISMETA homepage www.ISMETA.org. Please note these Logos are dated and will need to be updated yearly on your materials.

Along with the Logo, we ask that you include the following language wherever possible:

"As a Professional Member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, I meet the high Standards of Practice and uphold the Code of Ethics. For more information visit www.ISMETA.org"               

If you are a current RSME/T, please pay the $50 application fee here.

If you are not a current ISMETA member, please contact info@ismeta.org to pay your $75 application fee.

Please note the review process only begins once payment and all supporting documents are received and may take up to two months to complete. If you are accepted, your Professional Member fee will be collected at that time. If you are not accepted, you may still become a Friend of ISMETA.

Renewal notices are sent by email one month before your membership is due to expire. Professional Member fees are due once a year. Please make sure to complete your renewal before your membership lapses.

Thank you for completing the ISMETA MSME/T Application. Please take a moment to follow up with your recommenders to ensure they have submitted your letters of recommendation. Once your application is complete, including both letters, we will begin the review process. Our goal is to complete the review within two months. As part of the review, we may request the following:

• a Zoom or phone call to clarify any questions the committee may have about your application

• video or written samples of your work