What Does It Really Mean to Be Certified?
When we launched the Natural Lifemanship (NL) Certification Program in 2016, we asked ourselves two important questions:
What does it mean to be NL certified? And what exactly are we certifying?
Many of us had been studying the Neurosequential Model with Dr. Bruce Perry. In our discussions, we kept returning to something he emphasized repeatedly when speaking about certification. He was clear that his program was designed to provide people with the experiences they needed to learn and apply the Neurosequential Model. However, he also acknowledged that the degree to which someone became competent in using the model was beyond the scope of what his program could evaluate.
Dr. Perry stated plainly: his certification program certified experience, not competence.
That framing deeply resonated with us. From the very beginning, Natural Lifemanship has taken the same stance:
We certify experience. We do not certify competence.
Competence Is a Moving Target
When we invest in our growth and learning, of course we want to become competent. With competence comes effectiveness and also confidence. We feel more capable, we know what we are doing, we achieve good outcomes, and as a result, we find our work rewarding and enjoyable.
However, what it takes to be competent changes with time and context. Just as you can never stand in the same river twice, you can never be assured that the knowledge and skills you possess right now will be sufficient to effectively deal with a situation you encounter tomorrow or a year from now.
True competence requires continual growth. One has never entirely “arrived.”
That said, accomplishments along the way are important. They demonstrate the extent of one’s dedication and striving to continually learn and grow. They show that you are moving along a path.
And at NL, being on the path is more important than reaching the end of it.
Engagement Prevails Over Competence
As a model that is deeply geared toward development—personal development, professional development, and even neurodevelopment—we are not in the business of asking, “Are you competent?” or, “Can you do this or that?“
Those are binary distinctions: yes or no; can or cannot. But real growth is a long process, with ups and downs, successes and failures.
The one essential criterion for growth is ongoing engagement. So instead, we ask: Are you engaged?
Engagement can be measured by both how often you show up and how you show up. You cannot be engaged if you do not show up at all. And once you do show up, the quality of your presence determines what you gain from any experience.
It is the quantity and quality of your experiences that reflect your level of engagement.
This is why our certification process is exactly that—a process.
Engaging in experiences over time is more meaningful to us than demonstrating competence at a single moment in time.
Milestones, Not Endpoints
While your learning and growth with NL will never end (at least we hope they don’t!), we would love to help you celebrate and share your milestones and achievements along the way. That is why we are now very pleased to offer digital credentials.
These new digital badges and certificates of completion are earned when you reach certain milestones in the certification journey:
- When you complete the Fundamentals of NL, you are considered Level 1 Trained.
- When you complete the NL Intensive, you are considered Level 2 Trained.
The more experiences you engage in with us, the more badges you’ll earn. This is not intended to be a “token economy” or a system of rewards. Rather, it is a way to demonstrate a level of engagement and commitment.
Looking Ahead
We will be dedicating some future blogs to this subject as we aim to help EAS consumers better understand what to look for when choosing a practitioner.
These upcoming pieces will explore what our credentials actually represent, how they reflect experience and engagement, and why that matters when you’re seeking care rooted in connection and development.
We look forward to continuing the conversation, and we are honored to walk alongside you.
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