​Embark on a Journey that will 
Transform Yourself and the People You Will Serve:

Become a
​Shamanic Healer

Shamanic healing is a sacred practice containing powerful tools
​ which can be used by modern healers to effect profound transformation.

You feel called to heal: to mend inner wounds and spark renewed passion for life.
You want to treat people at their core so that results are rapid and enduring.
Shamanic healing is the answer.

Your Choices for Apprenticeship Training

TIER 4

TIER 5
PLEASE NOTE: ALL COURSES AND SESSIONS ARE NOW ONLINE!  
Your entire apprenticeship can be completed online. 
​This is a recent change to make your training more convenient and less expensive to you.  Details below.  

General Information on the Apprenticeships

Details of the Apprenticeships to Ponder...

Whether you're considering training as a Shamanic Healer or an Advanced Shamanic Healer, an apprenticeship is a true commitment.  Information to ponder is GOOD!  So get a cup of coffee or tea and settle in to soak up some information about:
​
  • Your Transformation into a Shamanic Healer
  • Your Teachers for the Apprenticeships
  • Your Classes and Coursework
  • Your Shamanic Healing Sessions
  • Connections, Support, and Community
"I can’t tell you how being a part of the institute has changed my life and created deep healing within me. I mean that. I cannot say in words, it is so much more than that. I think interpretive dance could probably express my gratitude and emotion at the experience and process."   
​~ Danielle, Graduate, Shamanic Healer

Your Transformation into a Shamanic Healer

When you are called to the healer's path, you come, sometimes trudging your feet behind you, sometimes leaping forward onto the path.  However you arrive, there is no doubt that your heart is full of love for the People, for the Earth, for the Creator.  You have come to be of service, even as the healing work propels you in your own inner growth.  ​
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When you say, "YES!" to a healer's path, the Creator and all of the Universe hears you and then...the transformation begins.  You have undergone the fires of transformation already, no doubt.  Fire burns away all that you are not, allowing the emergence of who you truly are.  The Shamanic Apprenticeship continues that process of transformation, gently aligning with your soul's calling.  The inner growth through your own shamanic healing sessions allows you to heal and support that emergence.  The knowledge and skills will give you what you need to be of service.  Transformation can feel uncomfortable; however, the calling is so strongly felt, so deeply heard within us, the love we have is so profound, that we willingly endure the fire of transformation.  Likely, you have already had transforming experiences to press you towards emergence of who you are as a healer.  The Shamanic Apprenticeship allows you to consciously and gently step into being a shamanic healer.  

As time moves through the apprenticeship, you will notice how you have changed.  People often report feeling more at ease in their lives, less affected by the drama in relationships.  As a healer, you will likely notice a sense of intensity (power) in your sessions with clients, as well as a poise and effortless wisdom.  This is a wondrous and beautiful transformation process!!  

Often, at the end of the apprenticeship, apprentices say that this inner transformation is one of the most valuable aspects of the experience, even as they are surprised by that realization.  You become a shamanic healer, even as you embrace the deepest part of the presence within.  
(Photo by Lance Reis on pexels)

Teachers for the Apprenticeship

​The Apprenticeship Leader - Dr. Selena Whittle

Your primary teacher is the Apprenticeship Leader.  The Apprenticeship Leader:
  • Teaches all Classes
  • Supervises Your Work with Clients
  • Helps you Hone Your Skills
  • Conducts the Vision Quest (Advanced option only)
You do not walk the apprenticeship path alone.  The apprenticeship leader will be there with you every step of the way, guiding and supporting you.  

Currently, we have one Apprenticeship Leader, Selena Whittle, PhD, MS, LPC.  Please see the faculty page for a list of qualifications.  You'll find Selena Whittle's story of how she came to be a shamanic healer and founded the Institute here.  ​
"I chose to work with Selena because she is the real deal, she is authentic and compassionate and loving. Her love and support for me has helped me to love myself. Her wisdom and discernment and taught me to connect with my own. Her ability to be grounded and spiritual when needed is such a perfect balance. She is lighthearted and playful and knows just what to do and say to connect me to my highest self. Selena is truly a master at this art and science. She has not only opened doors to other realms and worlds for me but she has taught me to navigate them myself and how to be more present and powerful on this earth and in my true nature and purpose. Five stars is not enough. She has given me the cosmos, I’d like to give them back to her in this review."  ~ Danielle, Graduate, Advanced Shamanic Healer

​The Community Drum Keeper - Madge Hart-Peinkofer

​ The Community Drum Keeper helps you build and come into relationship with shamanic tools, such as the drum, rattle, and medicine bag.  She also conducts drum circles at the retreat.  

Currently, Madge Hart-Peinkofer is our Community Drum Keeper.  Please see the faculty page for a list of qualifications.  ​

About Your Classes and Coursework

Classes in Community Tiers

All the classes and courses of the Institute are now conducted through the Institute's Communities.  Apprentices have their own private community, but take classes in the public community as well. 

The Institute has organized the courses in Community Tiers:
  • Introductory Classes
  • Tier 1 - Beginning
  • Tier 2 - Intermediate
  • Tier 3 - Advanced
  • Tier 4 - Courses for Certification as a Shamanic Healer
  • Tier 5 - Courses for Certification as an Advanced Shamanic Healer

​The courses required for your training are spread throughout these Tiers.  While that may seem confusing at first, you'll quickly follow the logic of it as you enter into the communities and review the course list below.  Additionally, there is an Apprentice Guide that will assist you.  ​
Photo by Stijn Dijkstra - pexels

Classes within Your Budget

If you're interested in the apprenticeship, you will not leap into Tier 4 courses (the most expensive Tier); rather, you will begin with the required Introductory Classes which are FREE, then purchase the Tier 1 access to complete the required courses there.  At that point, you have choices.  You could stop your coursework there, and focus on completing your shamanic healing session requirement, for example, or you could do shamanic healing sessions and Tier 2 classes concurrently.  You have choices, which can ease financial concerns.  The Apprentice Guide has a chart that can help you with choices, if you like. ​
"The atmosphere of the classes was always one of nurturing and healing.  I always felt comfortable and at ease.  [The instructor] provided a safe and supportive space for personal growth and learning." 
​~Jason, Shamanic Apprentice

Classes at Your Own Pace for Your Convenience

Once you've been accepted to the apprenticeship, you can begin your coursework and shamanic healing sessions immediately, proceeding at a pace that is convenient to you and fits with your other family/work commitments.  The organization of course offerings is similar to what you'll find at a university, with some courses only offered at certain times of the year.  What this means is that you'll need a plan.  ​

Planning Your Individualized Apprenticeship Path

Given the increased flexibility of the course offerings, you can create an individualized apprenticeship path that suits your time and your budget.  We strongly recommend that you do so, upon acceptance into the program.  The Apprentice Guide has a chart that can help you with choices, if you like.  You can also ask for personal assistance, either in the Q & A events with the Apprenticeship Leader or by contacting the leader directly.  ​

Class Holidays at the Institute

We do have holidays in the apprenticeship when formal classes are not held.  Indeed, there are breaks throughout the year, such as at Thanksgiving, Winter Holiday, Spring Break, and a Summer Break.  The apprentices continue their education, however, by practicing skills, journaling, reading, journeying, and continuing to build the necessary relationships.   ​

About Your Shamanic Healing Sessions

Your certification requires you to receive 20 shamanic healing sessions from the Apprenticeship Leader or a Certified Shamanic Healer from the Institute.  You are responsible for setting up these sessions and completing this requirement.  PLEASE NOTE: Some of your shamanic healing sessions will occur in LIVE classes with other members of your cohort.  These sessions are FREE and can count towards your 20 total!  Once you have completed your 20 sessions, please ask your practitioner to send the Apprenticeship Leader documentation of completion.

Finding a Shamanic Healer for Your Sessions

You can receive shamanic healing sessions from your Apprenticeship Leader or from any Certified Shamanic Healer who has graduated from the Institute.  Your Apprenticeship Leader, Dr. Selena Whittle, may or may not have availability in her schedule, depending upon the number of apprentices asking for sessions.  Please email her first ([email protected]) to see if there is availability.  As an apprentice, you will get first priority and she wants to work with you! If her schedule is full, however, you'll find a list of shamanic healers in the Resource Library of Tier 1.  They are listed because they are currently accepting new clients, so you should be able to set up sessions.  Cost for your shamanic healing sessions varies, depending on the practitioner.  ​

Recommended Frequency of Your Shamanic Healing Sessions

We recommend that your shamanic healing sessions occur either weekly or every 2 weeks.  You'll find that inner transformation proceeds smoothly with such a schedule, particularly if you're working on your own between sessions.  Having sessions every 2 weeks means that you'll finish the requirement easily within a year and won't disrupt the inner transformation that is occurring.  Indeed, you may begin to notice that there is a logical pattern to your healing work over time, even though the practitioner is not forcing a plan in your work together.  This is a wondrous aspect of shamanic healing! ​

Connection, Support, and Community...All for YOU!

Belonging to a Community of Healers

Within apprenticeship groups, there is sense of belonging and camaraderie that develops quickly.  If you've participated in the intro classes, you may have noticed  how wonderful it feels to be surrounded by supportive, like-minded people.  This feeling is amplified in the apprenticeship.  Deep and long-lasting friendships often blossom.  To engender this community, we have a forum for conversations, supportive materials, and inspiring quotes, or any other topic the group wants to pursue.  
"Selena brings in all of the senses when she teaches.  It is fun, it is creative, it is engaging, and it is always unexpected.  It all happened for me in a very visual way.  I saw it, I felt it, and it spread out into my life.  Close friends were always excited to find out what I had learned in class that week." 
~ Joy, Shamanic Apprentice

Supporting Your Coursework through the Institute's Community

The knowledge you will gain in the apprenticeship is extensive.  There is a fully developed curriculum for both academic subjects, where the focus in on building knowledge, and practicum subjects, where the focus is on building skills.  To help keep you organized, courses are posted on the community platform and offer class outlines and other supporting materials.  

What your future clients could be saying about YOU...

"Through these shamanic journeys, I began to learn more than I ever thought possible.  After years of therapy, yoga, meditation, going on and off of anti-depressants, I finally learned how to heal." 
~ Joy

"These two sessions with you have done more for me than six months of therapy."  ~ Katie

​"The healing process I experienced and learned through [the practitioner]  was transformative and unlike any therapy I have ever done.  The journey took me inside to my core beliefs where, with [the practitioner's] gentle intuitive guidance, I was finally able to allow understanding and healing to begin.  It was a magical, peaceful, challenging and, at times, even wild odyssey that forever changed my way of living, loving and viewing the world.  It works."​ ​~ Beth​

​"I have had in-person and phone sessions with [the practitioner].  Her compassionate and intuitive guidance and insights are truly remarkable.  She guided me to previously undiscovered self-knowledge and helped me to remove obstacles to my growth. "  ~ Cindy

    For Information on Costs:

    Here at the Institute, we honor your privacy.  We will never share or sell your information to anyone anytime.  

If you're ready to begin your journey...