What is a DHP
I was doing my usual internet routine this morning when I came across a distance learning organisation which was offering a DHP via online training. Now you may well be thinking, “What is a DHP?” Simply put the DHP is a Diploma in Hypnosis and Psychotherapy and it is the original qualification in hypnotherapy in the UK.
The qualification was created in the early 1970’s by Dr Peter Blythe who founded the Blythe Tutorial College which eventually became the National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy. There is an importance that a qualification maintain it’s integrity, and in the early 1980’s as schools began to award this qualification for much less work than required by the National College, it began to append (NC) to the end of its qualifications to denote that the qualification was awarded by the National College. The National College currently awards the Certificate in Hypno-Psychotherapy (CHP(NC)) and Advanced Diploma in Hypno-Psychotherapy (ADHP(NC)), the latter qualification which leads to UKCP registration.
Why do I mention this today, well if you are looking for a hypnotherapist you should know that all DHP’s are not created equally, which is a shame. If a person has an MA from a British University you can assume that it is on a par with all other MA’s awarded here. It would be great if training providers could look towards the standardisation of qualification levels rather than just creating a qualification and appending DHP to it without knowing or in many cases caring what that award was meant to denote.