The ASCH believes that clinical hypnotherapy is a distinct profession with clearly recognisable principles of practice and philosophy supported by a distinct body of knowledge.
This body of knowledge is addressed in three key learning areas:
- Profession-specific subjects, which include: history and philosophy, theories of hypnotherapy, basic understanding of the disease process, counselling skills, human behaviour and development.
- Professional studies, which include: legal and ethical requirements for practice. Business management, financial management, and marketing subjects are optional but recommended for individuals who wish to set up their own private practice.
- Clinical training (practicum), including 100 hours of face-to-face hypnotherapy skills and 30 hours face to face counselling skills training.
Requirements for professional membership
To achieve professional membership of the ASCH, you need to have completed either a government accredited diploma level qualification in hypnotherapy OR a non-accredited programme of at least 450 hours that addresses the three key learning areas described above. The training programme must include at least 100 hours of face-to-face teaching in hypnotherapy) plus 30 hours of face-to-face teaching in counselling to ensure the development of the required expertise.
Hypnotherapy Topics – 350 hours total
- History of hypnotic approaches
- Myths and misconceptions of hypnosis
- Specific theories for hypnotic phenomena
- Assessment of hypnotisability
- Contexts of hypnosis and hypnotherapy
- Human suggestibility
- The mind and how it works – conscious and unconscious processes
- Induction techniques (for adult and child subjects)
- Deepening techniques
- Structuring suggestions
- Hypnotic communication
- Indications for hypnosis and hypnotherapy
- Contraindications for hypnosis and hypnotherapy
- Limitations, complications and adverse effects
- Therapeutic implications of the hypnotic state
- Symptom removal
- Imagery techniques
- Self-hypnosis
- Hypnosis in the behavioural therapies
- Hypnosis in the psychodynamic therapies
- Specific techniques (e.g. of Hilgard, Spiegel, Erickson, Yapko, etc)
- Spontaneous trance-states
- Symptom remission
- Relaxation and methods of diversion of attention
The ASCH recommends Tranceworks by Dr. Michael Yapko as a foundation text.
Counselling topics – 100 hours total
- The counselling relationship
- Ethical and professional issues related to professional practice
- Multicultural issues in counselling
- Gender issues in counselling
- Developmental/lifespan issues in counselling.
- Attending skills and behaviour – empathic listening
- Use of questions and language – opening communication – timing in therapy
- Observation skills – individual styles and perception
- Encouraging, paraphrasing and summarising – reflection of clients’ feelings
- Structuring the counselling process – establishing rapport – gathering information and defining the problem – determining goals – exploring alternatives
- Use of confrontation
- Working with grief and loss
- Eliciting and reflecting meaning
- Exploring clients’ values and beliefs
- Interpersonal influencing skills and strategies (interpretation, feedback, advice, self-disclosure, directives)