As at June 30th 2008:
There is no 'official body' & No 'official' regulations
There is no 'Official Link' to the UK government & no 'official' register
The simple truth is that Hypnotherapy has no regulations - yet. Every professional hypnotherapy body is a privately owned affair, though some are constructed as a 'collective' and there may be others who are registered as a charity. Some are managed on a 'not for profit' basis, while others provide an income for their owners. There is nothing wrong with any of the foregoing, of course, but some of those companies make misleading implications and statements.
There are those that would have you believe regulation is imminent, that the official register already exists, and if you do not have the right training or belong to the right association, council, society or whatever, then you may not be able to practice for very much longer. Some of the rumours state:
- You are soon going to need a license to be a hypnotherapist
- You must be registered with "XYZ" association/society/council to be allowed to practice
- You must train at schools registered with "XYZ" association/society/council to ensure your right to practice
- "XYZ" association/society/council is the link to the department of health
- "XYZ" association/society/council is the one the government has elected to regulate the profession
- "XYZ" association/society/council has been appointed to oversee the regulatory process
The truth is than nothing has yet even been decided as to the exact form that regulation will take, let alone who will be 'in charge' of it.
As at September 6th 2007, there has been no appointment of any association/society/council as being the official body who will set and oversee the regulations and/or be in control of the profession of hypnotherapy. There are some organisations laying claim to this 'title', or implying that they are the sole negotiators with government but this is not the case.
There is even a register that implies - but only implies - that it is the 'official' therapists' register. It definitely exists, it possibly has the number of therapists it claims to have, but it is not in any way 'government approved' or 'official'. Such official register will eventually exist, there is little doubt about that, but not for some time yet, and there is nothing to suppose that this one will be 'it'.
There are at least two groups attempting to create a sensible Voluntary Self Regulation (VSR) Process
These are:
- The Hypnotherapy Working Group
- The Working Group for Hypnotherapy Regulation
Both these groups are probably seeking the same outcome, though they are not working together; neither of them is or has been officially appointed. You can usefully think of them as political parties - both are viable and are seeking to govern, though the elections have not yet taken place. As a result, the hypnotherapy profession is still unregulated and will remain so for some time to come.
If you're seeking to train as a hypnotherapist and want to ensure that you will be able to practice after regulation is introduced, the most important thing is to enrol for a classroom-based course with:
- A minimum 120 hours of 'live' contact with a properly qualified teacher
- A requirement for 450 more hours of study at home
Although nothing has been announced, nor is about to be announced, it is likely that these will be very close to the minimum requirements. Fortunately, a search via the internet will reveal that there are many accredited UK schools who fulfil or exceed those requirements.
Click here for details of how to identify a good school.
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