First off, is this a real thing? If not, people shouldn't be able to claim to be one on their profiles. If it is real, how can this be verified?
You've been on this site since 2022 and have cuddled with 2 professional cuddlers. (assuming you hired and paid them for their service) and you're just now searching for the answer to this question? Oh dear.
@jps76 Cuddlist offers a cuddler certification program. I'd guess they have gone through that.
I have to agree with @Cuddlesofcuddle There has been many discussions on this topic in the last three years. I declare deja poop.
Having paid for services does make one a professional. But certified? Anyone can give a certification, but if there's no governing body or way if verifying, then it's just marketing
The ones I know: Cuddlist, Cuddle Sanctuary, Certified Cuddlers (not sure about this one anymore), and also Cuddle Party (for group events) all have training programs but some are very ($$$ - $$$$) expensive.
If you are waiting for some state or federal governing body to cover cuddling, you will be waiting a very long time.
Certification just means someone is willing to state that you’ve been through their training.
These exist in many industries as private or NGO certs.
Many of them, but not all, so buyer beware, are superior to governmental certifications.
Yes there are serious cuddling professional training courses. The main one in the UK is Cuddle Professional International. You can check if somebody's claim is true by contacting the awarding body.
However, most professional cuddlers don't do any of them.
I once cuddled a non certified pro and had bruises all over my arms for weeks. They should all be certified.
@Sooson I'm sorry you had that experience but that is one person.
Most people can't afford the classes which two of the top companies charge $800 to $3997 for the classes. I've taken a few of the free consent classes and such and have been saving money to take one of the certified classes.
To answer the OP's question....I would say no, it's not a "real" thing......to present oneself as a "certified" professional cuddler is at best disingenuous, and at worst, fraud. Regardless of taking courses offered by an organization, or a mentor, suggesting that somehow it's a certificate-granting program, creates an illusion in the mind of the consumer. It presents the image that there is an outside licensing body that somehow oversees a training, and continues to monitor the graduates.
It's both one of the advantages of the Wild West-like arena of "professional" cuddling as well as one of the challenges. It's great that one can offer a product that isn't spoiled by a regulatory agency....but it's also a buyer-beware challenge. Pros on CC are considered such simply because they charge a fee for a service. I would venture to guess that most who do so believe that they are very good at cuddling. They would consider themselves worthy of the compensation they request. And they may be, certainly.
But they also might be slightly limited in their self-evaluation, using as evidence only how many lonely men message them, or compliment them on their sessions. It's a slippery slope.....that is, the concept of professional cuddling. I wonder how many file as such with the IRS. I wonder how many seek out further "training" to become better at their craft. And I wonder how many look at the profession as a career that they will continue to engage in for many years.
All of this can shift, of course, in the coming years....but if professional licensing is down the road as a requirement to offer cuddling services, I would hazard a guess that most of the present professionals advertising on CC would not qualify. I do think that engaging in workshops to gather communication skills, understand grief, learn anatomy, perhaps even to become adept at the 17 major cuddling positions.....can all be helpful, perhaps even set someone up to be a cut above most in the professional cuddling universe. However, I also think that we are still a distance away from a certificated professional cuddling training (thankfully)......we judge how able our pros are individually, based upon our connection, what we like as clients, and how well our favorites continue to provide awesome sessions.
I, for one, like it that way