Hypnotherapy and Regulation
One of the more common questions I get asked is whether hypnotherapy is a regulated profession. My answer can seem a little evasive as is it yes and no. What do I mean by this, well yes it is. Hypnotherapy has is a self regulated profession which professional bodies have taken it on themselves to regulate since the early 1970’s. Since then, the Professional Standards Authority has created an accreditation scheme which most hypnotherapy bodies subscribe to either through a body like the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council or the Federation of Holistic Therapists or individual practitioners go through through organisations like the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy or British Association for Psychotherapy.
The no, answer is because this regulatory structure is not statutory, which means that the state does not regulate hypnotherapy and that because of this, practitioners can be expelled from one organisation and then join another or even in some cases start their own professional body. The lack of statutory control means that practitioners can pretty well work with whomever they want without legal oversight. This is particularly relevant when looking at working with children. Children are a unique group of clients and it is a must that practitioners are appropriately trained in order to work with them. Sadly, all to often, practitioners are not trained to properly work with children and this can lead to difficulties.
When consulting a hypnotherapist for the first time be sure to ask them with whom they are regulated, it is your way to guarantee the practitioner’s code of ethics and practice.
