Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Qualifications

There are a wide variety of qualifications in clinical hypnosis. Here we help you sort out the myriad of different acronyms to find out which are meaningful. Since the therapeutic use of hypnosis is not currently regulated in the UK it is useful to know whether someone calling themselves a hypnotherapist is also qualified in another profession such as psychology, counselling, or psychotherapy:

"A Professional Hypnotherapist is one who has been ... trained in hypnosis and hypnotherapy techniques, which they use with their mental health and medical training, as an additional treatment technique, after a careful psychosocial assessment and evaluation. A Lay Hypnotist is one who has learned how to help someone enter the trance state referred to as hypnosis.  They usually have no accredited training in medicine or mental health, although they may list credentials which have been "awarded" to them through a hypnosis school." (APMHA.com)

The way you learn hypnosis in the UK varies according to whether students have prior qualification in a mental health or medical profession - some courses are open to all, others only admit qualified doctors, dentists, and psychologists. Courses only open to professionals will not need to cover the basics of working with a therapeutic relationship whereas lay courses will often cover the basics of therapy before looking specifically at hypnosis.

Courses typically offer training at 'Certificate' and 'Diploma' level, which tend to differ simply in terms of how much time is needed to complete them. Once students have completed their core training many courses will offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses as 'top ups'.

There is no such thing as a generally recognised qualification in hypnosis or hypnotherapy in the UK. Different training schools often set up a society or awarding body, and these will 'recognise' students who have been on their hypnosis training courses. However, if you want to work therapeutically in the NHS a qualification in hypnosis is unlikely to be enough by itself. Doctors, dentists, counsellors, psychologists, nurses, and other health care staff often have hypnosis qualifications and use it clinically, but they work within the boundaries specified by their professional qualifications. 

 

What do all these qualifications mean?

Certificates

These are often introductory qualifications in hypnosis.

Diplomas

A diploma is often the next step up from a certificate.

Other

BSc / BA- Bachelor of Science / Arts, an undergraduate degree. Generally a three year (full time) university course. It is not possible to obtain an accredited degree in hypnosis, but some therapists may have a degree in psychology or a related mental-health subject.

MSc - Masters - Generally a one year (full time) or two year (part time) university course which involves a research component. University College London and Sheffield University used to offer MSc qualifications in hypnosis but these courses are no longer available.

DClinPsy - Doctorate in Clinical Psychology - A three year university course with practical and research components. Clinical psychologists learn to use many models in their work (e.g. cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic) and some use hypnosis as a technique in their toolbox.

DCounsPsych - Doctorate in Counselling Psychology - A three year university course with practical and research components. Within the NHS Counselling Psychologists hold similar roles to Clinical Psychologists.

PhD - Doctor of Philosophy - A three year university course. A PhD is a research degree and does not indicate that an individual is qualified to work in a clinical capacity. Many hypnosis researchers hold PhD's in Psychology. Some companies on the web offer PhD's in hypnosis but these aren't worth the paper they are written on.

Certificate, Diploma, or Degree in Counselling - There are a wide range of qualifications open to those interested in studying counselling. Many counsellors undertake additional training in hypnosis.

 

Professional Body Acronyms

UKCP.Reg - Registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy, denotes membership of a society and is not a qualification

GQHP - Indicates someone is on the General Hypnotherapy Register. This denotes membership of a society and is not a qualification