Choosing a Hypnotherapy Course
Please also see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
If you are considering studying hypnosis, especially if you want to train as a hypnotherapist, it is important to find a course that suits you and is of an adequate professional standard. We work hard to try and make sure our own hypnotherapy training programme is the very best available anywhere in the UK or elsewhere in the world.
When choosing a training course, we strongly recommend that you consider the points below.
"One-year Diplomas" & Course Length
Don't be fooled by courses which advertise themselves as being "one year" long. Traditionally many therapy courses ran one weekend per month, spaced out over roughly a year, totalling about 20 days of classroom training. This format of training is less popular now than in the past, as it takes more time and means more travel and expense for many students. Spacing the training days so far apart helps some students find time to study at home but others may find they forget some of the material they studied the previous month and "lose momentum."
Most of our students prefer to train in an "intensive" format, composed of three stages of seven consecutive days each, totalling 21 days of classroom training. This means that our training programme is actually composed of more classroom attendance than most "one year" diploma courses, but takes place over a shorter period of time. We are therefore able to offer a higher level of independently-awarded qualification than many courses which take place over a longer period of time.
Diploma / Certificate / Advanced / Master
Students often become confused by course titles. It is important to realise that throughout UK education and training the terms "diploma" and "certificate" are not currently standardised. Our certificate course, e.g., is of a higher level than many "advanced diploma" courses. Likewise, terms like "advanced hypnotherapy", "advanced diploma", or "master hypnotist" is of no objective significance in the hypnotherapy field. Many courses describing themselves as "advanced" are actually of a very elementary level. Some "master hypnotist" training courses are only a few days long and teach hypnosis as an aside to other topics.
For this reason, in an attempt to standardise qualification descriptions across the UK, the Government have introduced the National Qualification Framework (NQF) which consists of numbered levels against which the standard of a course can be measured. You are strongly encouraged, when comparing courses, to ask course providers what level their training is classified as being on the national framework. Our diploma is classed as a level 4 qualification, making it one of the highest standard hypnotherapy training courses available in the UK.
UK Register of Learning Providers
You should ensure that the company providing your training course is formally registered with the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP). This is a database of legally constituted training organisations, maintained by the Government's Department for Education and Skills.
External Course Accreditation / UK and Overseas
There are also several independent national bodies which provide a system of voluntary regulation for the hypnotherapy field. For example, a good indication of the standard of a training course is that it is accredited at either 'Foundation' or 'Practitioner' level by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC), or at least meets the standards of such accreditation. Our diploma training has multiple accreditation from the GHSC, the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH), the Hypnotherapy Society (HS), and the Hypnotherapy Association (HA). Beware of courses which are only accredited by overseas organisations, such as American registers. Hypnotherapy courses should be accredited by professional bodies in their own country. Foreign organisations are not designed to serve the needs of UK residents or to handle the legal or professional issues relating to practice in this country. They are often used to confer credibility on training courses which do not meet UK standards.
Click here for further information of course accreditation.
Home Study / Distance Learning
People often ask us about "Home Study" or "Distance Learning" courses in hypnotherapy. We do not recommend that students undertake home study alone as a preparation for practice as a clinical hypnotherapist. In our view, hypnotism and therapy are both practical skills that are best learnt in a classroom setting through practical exercises and group interaction. As a new hypnotherapist it is important to both your self-confidence and professional credibility that you have received the highest quality experiential training.
Home study does, however, have an important role as an adjunct to practical, classroom training and some element of reading and homework is a requirement of any professional training which seeks to meet the standard criteria for full, independent hypnotherapy accreditation. Completion of a good quality home study course may be of benefit to those seeking a general understanding of hypnosis or as preparation for beginning a classroom training.