The Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) award is the highest-level, externally verified, vocational award in hypnotherapy currently recognised by the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH), as measured by its Level 4 classification on the Government's National Qualification Framework (NQF).  The UK College was one of the first training schools in the country to offer this level of qualification to its students.  

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If you are considering studying hypnosis, especially if you want to train as a hypnotherapist, it is important to find a course that suits you and is of an adequate professional standard.  We work hard to ensure that our own hypnotherapy training programme is the very best available anywhere in the UK or elsewhere in the world.  When choosing a training course, therefore, we recommend that you consider the points below.

By dividing our training programme into three stages or modules we believe we have provided a route whereby students can get started with basic hypnotherapy techniques in the shortest possible time, while still fulfilling the standard requirements for professional registration.

The hypnotherapy profession is currently led by a small group of independent, self-regulatory organisations.  Contrary to speculation, there are no plans for it to be regulated by law.  Click here for a press release from the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) explaining the current state of hypnotherapy regulation in more detail.  It states, "All training schools that are accredited by the NCH are in a good position to be able to adhere to any structures and requirements when and if these are created."  The best guide to obtaining an authoritative qualification in hypnotherapy, therefore, are the National Occupational Standards, described below...

The National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy

Our training programme is based upon the new National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Hypnotherapy published in 2002 by Skills for Health, the Government's Sector Skills Council for the UK health industry.

Many older courses run by other training providers do not meet these industry standards. 

The National Qualification Award (Level 4)

By ensuring that our course meets these criteria, we are able to offer students the externally awarded Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) jointly issued by NCH and NCFE.  NCFE, formerly the Northern Council for Further Education, is a registered educational charity and officially recognised as a National Awarding Body by the Government's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). 

The HPD is classed as a "Level 4" vocational qualification on the National Qualifications Framework, defined as follows,

Level 4 qualifications recognise specialist learning and involve detailed analysis of a high level of information and knowledge in an area of work or study.  Learning at this level is appropriate for people working in technical and professional jobs, and/or managing and developing others.  Level 4 qualifications are at a level equivalent to Certificates of Higher Education.  (The Qualifications & Curriculum Authority)

By comparison, this is the same level as a Level 4 NVQ, BTEC Professional Diploma, or a university Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE).  The National Occupational Standard units have been correlated against the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) by Skills for Health. 

Many people in the hypnotherapy profession now consider the HPD to be the current "gold standard" in training and we are proud to be one of the first training providers in the UK to be able to offer this qualification.

"One-year Diplomas" & Course Length

Don't be fooled by courses that advertise as being "one year" long.  Traditionally many therapy courses ran one weekend a month spaced out over roughly a year, totalling about 20 days of classroom training.  This format of training is less popular now than in the past, as it takes more time and means more travel for most students.  Spacing the training days so far apart helps some students take time to study while at home but others may find it means they forget some of the material they studied the previous month and "lose momentum."

Most of our students prefer to train in an "intensive" format, composed of three stages of seven consecutive days each, totalling 21 days of classroom training, approximately .  This means that our training programme is actually composed of more classroom attendance than most "one year" diploma courses, but takes place over a shorter period of time.  We are therefore able to offer a higher level of independently-awarded qualification than many courses which take place over a longer period of time.

Diploma / Certificate / Advanced / Master

Students often become confused by course titles.  It is important to realise that throughout UK education and training the terms "diploma" and "certificate" are not standardised.  Our certificate course, e.g., is of a higher level than many "advanced diploma" courses.  Likewise, terms like "advanced hypnotherapy", "advanced diploma", or "master hypnotist" is of no objective significance in the hypnotherapy field.  Many courses describing themselves as "advanced" are actually of a very elementary level.  Some "master hypnotist" training courses are only a few days long and teach hypnosis as an aside to other topics.

For this reason, in an attempt to standardise qualification descriptions across the UK, the Government have introduced the National Qualification Framework (NQF) which consists of numbered levels against which the standard of a course can be measured.  You are strongly encouraged, when comparing courses, to ask course providers what level their training is classified as being on the national framework.  As explained above, our diploma is classed as a level 4 qualification, making it one of the highest standard hypnotherapy training courses available in the UK.

UK Register of Learning Providers

You should ensure that the company providing your training course is formally registered with the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP).  This is a database of legally constituted training organisations, maintained by the Government's Department for Education and Skills.

External Course Accreditation

There are also several independent national bodies which provide a system of voluntary regulation for the hypnotherapy field. For example, a good indication of the standard of a training course is that it is accredited at either 'Foundation' or 'Practitioner' level by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC), or at least meets the standards of such accreditation.  Our diploma training has multiple accreditation from the GHSC, the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH), the Hypnotherapy Society (HS), and the Hypnotherapy Association (HA).  Beware of courses which are only accredited by overseas organisations, such as American registers.  Hypnotherapy courses should be accredited by professional bodies in their own country.  Foreign organisations are not designed to serve the needs of UK residents or to handle the legal or professional issues relating to practice in this country.  They are often used to confer credibility on training courses which do not meet UK standards.

Stage I: Hypnotherapy Practitioner Certificate (HPC)
Seven Days

The Stage I, our Hypnotherapy Practitioner Certificate (HPC), consists of one week of intensive study and is externally accredited by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC) at 'Foundation' level. This means that our HPC graduates are eligible to apply for professional registration as a hypnotherapist at 'Affiliate' level with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR).

Stage II: Advanced Hypnotherapy Practitioner Certificate (AHPC)
Seven Days

The AHPC is an intermediate qualification designed to help students build upon their basic hypnotherapy training and bridge the gap to full diploma qualification.

Stage III: Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD)
Seven Days

The Stage III, our Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD), consists of an additional week of further, advanced study and, when combined with the previous stages, is externally accredited by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC) at 'Practitioner' level. This means that our HPD graduates are eligible to apply for professional registration as a hypnotherapist at full 'Registered' level with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR).  Graduates are also eligible for registration with the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH).

Home Study

People often ask us about "Home Study" or "Distance Learning" courses in hypnotherapy. We do not recommend that students undertake home study alone as a preparation for practice as a clinical hypnotherapist. In our view, hypnotism and therapy are both practical skills that are best learnt in a classroom setting through practical exercises and group interaction. As a new hypnotherapist it is important to both your self-confidence and professional credibility that you have received the highest quality experiential training.

Home study does, however, have an important role as an adjunct to practical, classroom training and some element of reading and homework is a requirement of any professional training which seeks to meet the standard criteria for full, independent hypnotherapy accreditation.  Completion of a good quality home study course may be of benefit to those seeking a general understanding of hypnosis or as preparation for beginning a classroom training.

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HypnoSynthesis® is a trading name of Donald Robertson Training Ltd., Registered in England as Company No. 05499462