Spiritual First Aid
by WorldWise United
Practitioner Vetting Checklist
worldwiseunited.org · thespiritualfirstaid.com
Before you book
- What is your training, and where did you learn this specific approach?
- What license or certification are you working under, and where can I verify it?
- Do you have experience with what I'm bringing (grief, trauma, anxiety, identity)?
- Is this spiritual, clinical, educational, or somewhere in between?
- How do you handle it when a session gets intense or a client becomes destabilized?
- What is your fee, cancellation policy, and how is my personal information stored?
- Do you carry professional liability insurance?
First session
- Touch: Will there be physical touch? How do I pause or stop?
- Scope: Where does what you offer end, and when would you refer me out?
- Confidentiality: What do you keep private, and what are you required to report?
- Coordination: Are you willing to communicate with my therapist or physician?
- Plan: Can we walk through what today will look like before we start?
- Aftercare: What might I feel afterward? How do I reach you between sessions?
- Endings: What is your process if I want to pause or end our work?
- Fit: What kind of client is not a good fit for you?
Red flags
- Claims they can cure serious illness, trauma, or diagnosable conditions.
- Tells you to stop prescribed medication without your prescriber.
- Pressures large financial commitments, packages, or 'urgent' work.
- Uses fear, spiritual urgency, or claims of a curse to keep you engaged.
- Discourages you from consulting other professionals.
- Refuses to explain training, license, lineage, or teacher.
- Won't put fees, cancellation, touch, or confidentiality in writing.
- Blurs sexual, physical, or emotional boundaries.
- Guarantees specific outcomes.
- Reacts to questions with defensiveness, shame, or lectures on trust.
Green flags
- Names limits clearly and refers outside their scope.
- Invites consent conversations at the start of every session.
- Encourages you to keep or find a therapist alongside their work.
- Has written policies on touch, confidentiality, cancellations, and complaints.
- Charges transparent fees and offers sliding scale where possible.
- Talks openly about their teachers, supervision, or ongoing consultation.
- Welcomes second opinions and questions without ego.
Verification tip: For state licenses, search your state board by name. For board certifications, check the credentialing body's directory (CBMT, ATCB, ADTA, NCCAOM). For method trainings, check the school's directory (EMDRIA, IFS Institute, SE International, Yoga Alliance). A defensive, vague, or shaming answer to any question is itself information.