Continuing Education

Esalen opens May 3, 2024

Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.

Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Learn more.

Continuing Education at Esalen

Esalen’s status as a provider of continuing education is approved by the following boards:

MFT, LCSW, LEP and LPCC: California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT provider number 128759). Esalen Institute maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
MASSAGE PRACTITIONERS AND BODYWORKERS: The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB provider number 043062-00) and the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Education (school code 2700571).
REGISTERED NURSES: Board of Registered Nursing (BRN provider number 01152).
ACUPUNCTURISTS: State of California Acupuncture Board (CAB provider number 946).

Approved weekend workshops typically qualify for 8-12 CE units, approved five-day courses qualify for 22-26 CE units, approved seven-day courses qualify for 32-36 CE units, and approved month-long LEEP courses qualify for 38 CE units.

You can find the course information and educational objectives in PDF format for all MFT-approved courses on our website through the link on the course page. Please check workshop listings online for frequent updates to CE status.

In order to receive a certificate for continuing education, participants must meet the following requirements:

Sign up for CE credit prior to the beginning of class. You may do this when you book your workshop online, or by calling Esalen Reservations to add it to your booking (831-667-3000, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm).
Each CE certificate costs $50, per certifying board.
Notify your teacher at the beginning of your workshop.
Attend every class session and sign the attendance sheet provided by the leader. Partial credit will not be given.
Once you complete the workshop, you must complete the digital Course Evaluation (Google Form) you will receive via email (you will be asked to provide your license number). You will not be eligible to receive your CE certificate unless you complete the evaluation.
Certificates can take up to 45 days to process and will be emailed to you.

Please note: If your workshop is listed as offering CE but indicates that you must “see leader,” the workshop leader will be responsible for processing and issuing the CE certificates. There is no need to contact the Esalen office at the end of your course if CE is offered by the leader.

For more information about accessing special accommodations (ADA requests), please contact Esalen Reservations at 831-667-3000. To file a grievance please email ce@esalen.org.

Grievance Policy

Esalen Institute is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the CaliforniaAssociation of Marriage and Family Therapists, and the American Psychological Association's EthicalPrinciples of Psychologists. Esalen Institute will comply with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be non-discriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of program participants.

The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of theContinuing Education Coordinator in consultation with the members of the Continuing EducationCommittee, the Esalen Institute Executive Team, the Program Specialist (convention staff), and HumanResources (as needed).

While Esalen Institute goes to great lengths to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there will be occasional issues which come to the attention of the convention staff which require intervention and/or action on the part of the convention staff or an officer of Esalen Institute. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such grievances.

When a participant, either orally or in written format, files a grievance and expects action on the complaint, the following actions will be taken.

If the grievance concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual filing the grievance will be asked to put his/her comments in written format. The CE Coordinator will then pass on the comments to the speaker, the Program Specialist, and the Director of Programming, all while ensuring the confidentiality of the grieved individual. If further conversation and/or action is deemed necessary, these will be determined and implemented by Esalen Institute, up to and including removal of speaker from further engagements if necessary.
If the grievance concerns a workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the convention chair will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the convention chair will:

a. attempt to move the participant to another workshop, or
b. provide a reimbursement of the tuition (speaker fee) portion of the cost, or
c. reimburse the grieved party the tuition (speaker fee) and the unused portion of the room, should the guest decide to depart prior to completion of the workshop.

Actions 2b and 2c will require a written note documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes. The note need not be signed by the grieved individual.
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If the grievance concerns Esalen Institute CE program, in a specific regard, the CE Coordinator will attempt to arbitrate, and will escalate to the rest of the committee for further action if no solution can befound or created.

Please email ce@esalen.org to submit a complaint or if you have additional questions.