Kelly McDermott-Burns has been practicing Reiki since 2004 and teaching since 2006.
She is a Teacher/Practitioner trained in the Japanese Art of Reiki by the International House of Reiki and trained in the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki by Animal Reiki Source.
Kelly is a Founding and Teaching Member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA) as well as the East Coast Director of Operations and is the Chair of the Ethics Committee. Kelly is a long time Reiki volunteer at Rutland County Humane Society.
Kelly worked for several years to bring Reiki to Rutland Regional Medical Center, and became their Reiki program coordinator. She continues to be a trained hospice and palliative care volunteer.
Educating the public and private sector about the benefits of Reiki is a major focus of Kelly’s work leading to the first Reiki programs at Gifford Medical Center and Rutland Regional Medical Center. Her students are as diverse as doctors, nurses, senior groups, alternative medical practitioners, hospice workers, children, and animal shelter employees in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland. Kelly speaks on Reiki frequently to a variety of groups including cancer centers, hospice, community groups and animal caregivers.
In 2016 Kelly traveled to India as a SARA ambassador sharing Reiki with the animals of TOLFA, India, Animal Aid, LTD, and Wildlife S.O.S. In 2019, she joined SARA VP Leah D’Ambrosio to bring the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki to Keepers of the Wild in Arizona.