The ITEA Program

The Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture’s (ITEA’s) four-year program teaches the oral tradition of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture (CF-EA) in limited class sizes to ensure the highest quality of learning.

The ITEA educational experience is different. It is based on the spiral approach to learning of traditional Eastern learning. In traditional Eastern education, the teacher is the guide who helps each student uncover the wisdom inherent within. Practitioners of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture do not diagnose according to symptoms. Rather, they diagnose, as did the ancient Chinese, by discerning energetic disharmony through the subtle and highly refined observational and diagnostic cues of color, sound odor and emotional content. Through education based on spiral learning, ITEA’s students are thoroughly trained and imbued with skill in the use of these forms of diagnosis. In addition, they also learn western sciences and practice management, and are prepared to sit for the national acupuncture exam given by the NCCAOM. Over 95% of students graduated from the program are practicing acupuncturists.

Program Format

The program of the Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture is structured into Intensives. The four Intensives of the first and second years of training are 15 days in length, and it is not necessary for students to live near the school. The third and fourth years contain two Intensives of 16 days, with short class sessions of one to four days interspersed, usually on Fridays and/or weekends. Intensives are offered August-September, October-November, January-February and April-May.

YEAR ONE: fundamentals of CF-EA, principles and diagnostic skills, surface anatomy, medical terminology and pharmacology are introduced.

YEAR TWO: deeper understanding of the diagnostic skills, and the ability to have rapport with all types of individuals are covered. Biomedical science study is also continued.

YEAR THREE: practice is begun in the ITEA Student Clinic. Classroom experience focuses on skills of practice management, professionalism, interaction with other healthcare providers and specific treatment situations.

YEAR FOUR: clinical training continues, including writing drug and nutritional reports, evaluation of western medical tests and lab work.

For more information please contact us at (720) 890-8922 or info@itea.edu.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Master teacher — the late Professor J.R. Worsley (left), and to J.B. Worsley (right), his Master Elect, now the foremost authority on Classical Five-Element Acupuncture.

Without their teachings and inspiration, this school would not exist, and we are very grateful they have shared their knowledge with us.

Photo courtesy of:Stephen Flores