During the past year I have found my previous allegiance to some hypnotherapy associations and organisations waning. It is sad to say because a couple of organisations I have been closely involved with for over 10 years.

As with most things I guess, good times and lesser times occur in all our histories, but I have found many organisations to be bureaucratic, filled with self-serving committee members, a seeming inability to help its members with any depth, and very little inclination or ability to further the field of hypnotherapy… Then there are those set up simply to service the training school of the director or chairman, don’t get me started… It was starting to feel bleak.

So with a due sense of frustration and dread, I pursued an in depth line of enquiry, and following much investigation I joined the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) as a member… It was indeed like having smelling salts wafted under my nose.

To become a member is actually a thorough process that requires and demands the highest standards to be met, dealt with by committed individuals who seem to actually care for advancing this wonderful field of hypnotherapy. In my time as a member of this organisation, I have received really valuable publications with insight, research and a keen eye on developing and furthering the field of hypnotherapy.

I started to think that I wanted all my students and professional peers to have this experience, which was one of a much higher calibre than I was experiencing anywhere else.

So I began the process of communicating with the NCH approved schools co-ordinator and have spent some time getting my own training school accredited with the NCH and as such, my school now offers the fully approved Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD).

The NCH only accredit training schools that offer the Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) course. The HPD is externally verified and accredited by the NCFE, a National Awarding Body and it meets all the Learning Outcomes of the National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy in the UK. Having a qualification that meets the National Occupational Standards will undoubtedly give students that real competitive edge!

The Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) is a qualification instigated in June 2002 and accredited jointly by the NCH and NCFE. We believe the HPD to be the first open to all, nationally accredited Diploma in Hypnotherapy. The HPD also meets all the Learning Outcomes of the Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Hypnotherapy : National Occupational Standards.

Schools accredited by the NCH offer the HPD to their students and have satisfied all the criteria laid down by the NCH and NCFE for the award of the HPD.

As we already did here, schools must meet the UKCHO criteria for length of course, and suitability of trainers and must in addition commit to teaching the UKCHO core curriculum which has been adapted to create a series of learning outcomes which must be assessed in order for a student to obtain the HPD.

What’s more, the Open University has considered the Education and Training Programme from the National Council for Hypnotherapy and assigned a credit value to the Hypnotherapy PractitionerDiploma (HPD) as follows.

Open University Credits for Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD):
45 points at Undergraduate Level 1 (FHEQ Level 4/SCQF Level 7).

So yes, you get 45 points towards a degree study! This provides an endorsement of the quality, amount and level of the learning within the framework for Higher education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) and credits for the course.

I am delighted, absolutely delighted… Not just for myself, or for my school… But for the field of hypnotherapy. It is being progressed, incredibly well… And I am really proud to be part of that movement, it is invigorating.