The Practice of Hypnotherapy Internationally
I have just returned from one of my frequent visits abroad. I love soaking up new cultures and reacquainting myself with cultures I have previously been exposed to. One thing that I have noticed, the practice of psychotherapy and hypnotherapy varies so much in other places. I often say to colleagues and students that we should be grateful that we practice in a country which values free choice in whom clients choose to see for their issues.
There are places on the continent, where psychotherapy and hypnotherapy cannot be practised by anyone other than a physician. There are places in the United States, where the practice of hypnotherapy is considered practising medicine without a license.
For hypnotherapy and psychotherapy to continue to flourish in the UK, I genuinely believe that this is almost totally in the hands of the profession itself. If we continue to play with a straight bat and not make claims we cannot back up, if we avoid getting into senseless turf laws with other providers of mental health care I believe that we will continue to grow and flourish. One thing, we can do better with is recognising where our own limitations lie, and this means that hypnotherapists need to seriously consider whether it is in their professional interest to pass themselves off as psychotherapists when they are not properly qualified.
