What does Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training require and cost?
By Konstantin Kaufmann · Reviewed by Katherine Kaufmann, certified NARM practitioner ·
To start Level 1 at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI), you must be legally permitted to practice psychotherapy where you live, or be a graduate or post-graduate student on the way to that permission1. The last Level 1 cohort we found with a public price has finished, so its $3,300 tuition is a historical price, and its 3 required consultation hours were paid on top2.
SPI lists Level 1 tuition in its training calendar, not on the program page3. Check the calendar for current cohorts.
Who can apply to Level 1?
SPI asks Level 1 applicants to meet one or more of three conditions. The first is legal permission to practice psychotherapy in your state, province or country1. The second covers graduate students "currently enrolled in a course of study at an accredited college or university that allows you to practice psychotherapy"1. The third covers post-graduate students "actively engaged in the process of qualifying as a mental health professional legally permitted to practice psychotherapy"1.
SPI may also ask for more than the application form. Its admissions page lists "an interview with a Trainer, references, legal documentation of licensure" among the possible requests1.
In our reading, a somatic practitioner with a certificate-based training and no psychotherapy license, who is not enrolled in a qualifying graduate or post-graduate program, does not meet any of the three conditions. A licensed counselor, social worker, marriage and family therapist or psychologist usually meets the first one. Check your own case with SPI's student services before you pay the application fee.
What do Levels 1, 2 and 3 require?
SPI spreads these rules over four pages. This table puts them side by side, as published on SPI's pages on 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-10.
| Level 1: SP for the Treatment of Trauma | Level 2: SP for Developmental & Relational Injury | Level 3: Certification (Advanced Integrative Training) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | One of the three Level 1 conditions1 | Level 1 eligibility, Level 1 completed, a recommendation from your Level 1 trainer, an application and questionnaire4 | Level 1 eligibility, Levels 1 and 2 completed, recommendations from both sets of trainers, an application and questionnaire, an interview with the Certification Training Lead5 |
| Training hours | 78 hours. In the hybrid online format, 39 live online and 39 self-paced3 | About 126 contact hours over 21 days4 | 117 live hours and 65 self-paced hours, 182 in total5 |
| Typical length | February 25 to June 17, 2026, about 16 weeks by our count2 | Usually 9 to 12 months4 | Not stated on the Level 3 page |
| Required consultation | 3 hours, fees outside tuition2 | 4 hours with an SPI Approved Consultant4 | No hour count. Certification "may require further work outside of the scheduled hours of the course"5 |
| Tuition | $3,300 for the finished 2026 cohort, a historical price2 | Not verified here | Not verified here |
| End point | Eligibility to apply for Level 24 | Eligibility to apply for Level 35 | Certification is possible, not guaranteed5 |
A trainer must recommend you before Level 2 and again before Level 3, and the Certification Training Lead interviews you4, 5.
What does Level 1 cost beyond tuition?
The worksheet below uses the figures SPI published for the 2026 cohort and on the Level 1 program page. Copy it and fill in the right column from the cohort page you are considering.
| Item | Figure at the prices checked on 2026-10-10 | Your cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, non-refundable | $253 | |
| Tuition, 2026 cohort | $3,3002 | |
| Deposit | $500, counted toward tuition2 | |
| Monthly payment plan, if you choose one | $100 one-time admin fee, plans up to 24 months2 | |
| 3 consultation hours in a group | $60 to $240 (SPI estimates $20 to $80 an hour)2 | |
| 3 consultation hours one-to-one | $360 to $750 (SPI estimates $120 to $250 an hour)2 | |
| Total without a payment plan | $3,385 to $4,075 |
The total is our own arithmetic: $25 plus $3,300, plus the low group estimate or the high individual estimate. SPI notes that "actual rates may vary by consultant"2. Travel and lost client hours are not in the table. SPI gives no figure for either.
Two of SPI's price reductions depend on your background. Graduates of the two-year Hakomi training can request 10% off Level 1 and 20% off Level 21. SPI's Nonprofit Scholarship is a 25% tuition award for Level 1 and Level 2 participants in financial need who work at least 32 hours a week for a nonprofit, charity or government agency. You apply for it after SPI accepts you1. SPI does not combine discounts with scholarships, so you cannot use both1. SPI lists its other scholarships and discounts on its admissions page1.
We did not verify Level 2 or Level 3 tuition for any current cohort. For that reason this page gives no total for all three levels.
Can you take Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training online?
Yes, for Level 1. SPI runs Level 1 in four formats with the same content: hybrid online, hybrid in-person, live online and in-person3. The fully in-person format "is currently only offered in the UK and Europe"3. The 2026 cohort was hybrid, with live online sessions on Mountain Time and self-paced modules in between2.
The format changes your continuing education (CE) hours. The two hybrid formats give CE credit for the 39 live hours only, while live online and in-person give 783. Level 3 offers 97.5 CE hours5. SPI's continuing education page names CME Outfitters, an APA-approved sponsor, for psychologists. It tells other mental health professionals to check with their state board whether APA credits are accepted6.
Level 3 includes in-person meetings5, so plan travel for certification.
Does SPI certification let you practice or call yourself a therapist?
No. SPI states that it "is neither a regulatory nor licensing organization and therefore not sanctioned to certify, license, or otherwise bestow the legal authorization to practice as a mental health professional"5, 7.
SPI does allow certified graduates to use the phrases "Certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy" and "Sensorimotor Psychotherapist". It reserves them for graduates "who hold legally accepted credentials in the mental health field". SPI says these phrases do not replace the laws on who may practice5. The rules for practice and titles differ by state.
Finishing Level 3 is also not the same as being certified. SPI says completion "does not guarantee Certification in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy"5. For what your state allows without a license, read our state guides for California, Colorado, New York, Oregon and Washington.
Who should choose a different training?
In our reading, two groups should compare other paths first.
A somatic practitioner without a psychotherapy license, who is not in a qualifying graduate or post-graduate program, cannot enter Level 11. Compare the other paths in which somatic certification to choose.
If you are still choosing between Hakomi and SPI, note one link between them. SPI gives graduates of the two-year Hakomi training 10% off Level 1 and 20% off Level 21. Our Hakomi training guide covers the Hakomi side.
Finished SPI Level 1 or another somatic training? You can claim a free practitioner profile on OneSomatic with no card required, and OneSomatic shows it as verified after it reviews proof of your training.
Sources
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "Admission Procedure". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "SPI Training Details - Welcome". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "Trauma Training - Level I". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "SP for Developmental Injury - Level II". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "SP Advanced Integrative Training - Level III". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "Continuing Education". Checked .
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, "About". Checked .