Jay: I agree that this particular person appears to be trying to become certified by a "short-cut", and that will probably produce a less than qualified lc. I don't, however, agree with the contention that she must have a history of bf and prolonged bf in order to be effective. IMO, this is tantamount to saying that you have to have had diabetes to properly treat a person with diabetes, etc. Of course, in general, a person who has experienced a situation may have more empathy for others with a similar situation and may have more enthusiasm and interest in it, but it's not necessarily so. For example, I have been pregnant twice, so I guess I ought to be more empathetic to pregnant women. However, my pregnancies went great, with nary an ache, no significant nausea, tons of energy, etc. Therefore, I have to work at understanding the symptoms many pregnant women who come to me complain of, not unlike any male physician. Hopefully, through skills I have learned about active listening, etc, I come across as empathetic. I believe that anyone with an interest in this area who takes the time to learn about all aspects, not just the physiology and the mechanics of lactation, but all the cultural and other barriers that mothers face, and who takes the required training (including the oh so important counselling skills) and passes the IBLCE, can be a good LC. Regards, Alicia.