My posting will probably arouse the wrath of many but could I ask a naive question?  Do I understand that there are so many loopholes in the IBCLC certification that anyone doing a quickie course can get their supervisor to sign their hours - and lo and behold if they are good in an exam situation - they are certified IBCLC?  I understood from our own counsellors in Israel who then certified with IBCLC that there was strict supervision of clinical hours before the exam could be taken.

Although I trained to be a BFC with NCT over 30 years ago and have never stopped working since, logging up thousands of clinical hours, attended dozens of conferences and study days, continued to read all the journals and publications, I decided not to go with IBCLC because I distrust programmes that are done by "remote control."

One thing I learned when I trained with NCT as a prenatal teacher and as a BFC was "how you counsel is as  important as what you counsel."  
If a tutor works personally with the student counsellor over a period of time, it can be seen whether she has those vital counselling skills, the art of listening, knowing one`s limitations.
This was the message that I carried with me when we founded the training courses of the Israel Childbirth Education Centre - information, the latest techniques, the latest trends, skills of group and individual work can be taught but the ability to counsel and work with parents in a non-judgmental and effective way is something that is in the soul - and not in the examination hall.

NCT does not demand a re-registration examination but we do have to complete a detailed questionnaire each year, listing all the study events we have attended and how many parents we have worked with.  Anyone not complying with this is off the list.

I detect sometimes an attitude that anyone who is not IBCLC is not truly professional but if those loopholes really exist we have to question the professionalism of those who we are led to believe are at the top of the ladder.

Yes I too have met IBCLC certified counsellors who would terrify me if I was a young vulnerable first-time mother.  Diane`s posting about the exercise done at a workshop was very appropriate to this discussion.

Wendy Blumfield

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