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Navigating the hypnotherapy training minefield
You know, or think, that you want to become a hypnotherapist. What do you do next?
At first glance, it can be a bit of a minefield trying to find the right hypnotherapy training course for you. You will soon find that there are a multitude of hypnotherapy trainers and companies out there offering a wide range of different training options. However, if you are uninformed, it can come down to luck (getting the right school by chance) or caveat emptor (buyer beware).
You might find it curious (or scary) to know that your neighbour could set up as a hypnotherapy training provider, with a snazzy website, in about an hour, even if they know absolutely nothing about hypnosis or hypnotherapy.
Before you start to learn to be a hypnotherapist, it is truly important that you choose to undertake your hypnotherapy certification with the best hypnotherapy training company that you can find/ afford. This blog will offer you some useful tips, so that even if you train elsewhere, hopefully you end up with the right hypnotherapy course for your goals and needs.
You do deserve the best training for you. Taking the time to search for the right course will pay off; your time, efforts and resources are valuable. By making an informed search, you will be able to avoid paying out for a sub-par hypnotherapy training course, because you deserve the best.
Even if you do your research and end up training with another course provider, so long as they’re GOOD that’s all that truly matters, because as hypnotherapists ourselves, and knowing how powerful effective change can be, we really want to avoid poorly trained hypnotherapists out there, weakening the profession, putting people off having hypnotherapy and giving the rest of us a bad name!
Before you read further, if you want to become a professional hypnotherapist or upskill, we recommend you check our award-winning HypnoTC Hypnotherapy Diploma course.
Find out more about our Hypnotherapy Diploma course
There are so many contributing factors that come together to make superb training. We have carefully chosen four of the most important considerations that will help you in your search, so that you can choose the very best hypnotherapy training course for you, and become a professional, confident and competent hypnotherapist.
Tip 1: Don’t sign up to the first hypnotherapy training course you see
Even if you are really interested in our Professional Hypnotherapy Diploma Course at HypnoTC (which is awesome!), it is good to be confident of your choice.
Do take time to explore what is out there. Get a feel for who is offering what.
Google searches
The most common way to find anything, including a hypnotherapy training course would be… Google!
Generally, the “organic” entries listed at the top of Google (or on the first page), are well established or may have a lot of referring links. However, being on page 1 of Google doesn’t necessarily make a training company good, it just means their website is more easily found by Google.
Google ads
If you cannot get to the top of a Google listing naturally, a shortcut is to use Google ads. These can be popular with training providers as it can imply the company is well-established and catches people who may not be interested in a thorough search. These ads are quite easy to spot, if you know what to look for. So, if you notice a small box with “Ad” next to a Google entry, this indicates that the training company wants to grab your attention and is willing to pay for it. We suggest you avoid these distractions and carry on with your search.
Facebook ads
Training companies can also pay to advertise on social media, such as Facebook. These can show as ‘Sponsored’ posts.
Social media
There are hypnotherapy-related groups on Facebook and in LinkedIn, and these can be a good way to get individual perspectives. People are often willing to share ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of training and whilst some of their experiences won’t be relevant for you, others may be really helpful.
Do be aware though, that sometimes people have an agenda and may strongly promote someone who turns out to be their friend.
Creating your hypnotherapy training shortlist
At the start of your research journey, it can be good to make notes about what you are finding. Once you’ve done some research, you are then able to notice key criteria and may you are ready to compare the differences.
These may include:
- Cost of course (and required extras)
- Course duration
- Method of delivery
- Qualifications
- Syllabus
The syllabus is particularly important. It is essential that you are able to find out the detail of what you’re actually going to learn. This will show that the training provider is organised and enables you to make a proper comparison.
Tip 2: This is not the time or place for “cheap”
Sadly, it seems a lot of hypnotherapists think that teaching hypnotherapy is a quick way to make money (it isn’t – it is a lot of work to do a good job).
However, some low-level trainers are able to attract people onto their courses by massively undercutting the professional companies (who put in more work and have higher overheads). If you see something super cheap, ask yourself if that “half-price diploma” is even worth the paper you will print the emailed certificate on.
There are times when it makes sense to economise, especially in these current times. Whilst going to an ‘own brand’ pasta instead of a well-known and more expensive brand may make little or no difference to the experience of the meal, it can make a big difference in terms of training.
For example, you might be given one hypnotherapy induction script to create hypnosis, rather than be taught several different ways of generating hypnosis (and what, why, how and when to use each).
In contrast, the most expensive course doesn’t always mean it is the best product out there, or the best for you.
Tip 3: Checking out the reviews and testimonials is important!
Do you look at the reviews on Amazon before you buy something? Many people are very influenced by reviews, so it is worth looking where negative reviews cannot be deleted (eg Trustpilot). Training businesses manage their own websites, so if they receive negative reviews, it is unlikely they will display them on their website. Some will. For example, at HypnoTC where a graduate talks about the challenges they faced (eg completing homework) we left that in, to ensure those considering our courses get a true feel of what our graduates really experienced.
When looking for feedback, look closely at the reviews and testimonials, whether in text form or a video.
Video
Where our students are happy to give a video, you get to see that it’s a real person leaving the review, just like this review of our professional hypnotherapy course:
Written
When it comes to “written reviews,” despite risking the wrath of advertising standards, a dishonest hypnotherapy training provider could easily create a load of fake reviews from non-existent students.
Spotting a fake review and recognising a real one
Fortunately, fake reviews can be fairly easy to spot if they all sound similar and are so glowing that they seem too good to be true. If you are not sure, simply Google the reviewers name (or image search) and explore whether they exist.
You will find that some hypnotherapy training course websites (including here at HypnoTC) post student pictures/ names/ jobs alongside their reviews, so that you can easily spot that the reviews given are genuine. If you were to Google these reviewers, you’d probably be able to find them (most people are visible on Google in some way):
You are welcome to have a good look at our full hypnotherapy training testimonials, to get an idea of the differences in style and content.
Finally, on this point, if you find a company that has no reviews, it might be best to dig deeper, or simply carry on looking.
Tip 4: Do ensure that your hypnotherapy qualification is relevant, real and meaningful
Remember the neighbour we mentioned at the start of this blog. He or she could create some very impressive looking certificates with fancy names. A ‘Master Advanced Super Wizard Hypnotherapy Diploma’ might sound better than a hypnotherapy certificate. You might even be invited to join the trainer’s own professional association, yet it is easy to make it all up. The certificate, the qualification and even the associated organisation may have no professional standing or relevance.
During your search, find out from your prospective hypnotherapy training providers whether their qualification(s) meets the requirements of any hypnotherapy regulators or training/ accrediting bodies. If they don’t, or they say such things don’t matter, you might like to find a new hypnotherapy trainer. These things DO matter. If the provider does give you the name of some company/ body, be sure to check it out online to see if it’s a respected, long-standing organisation.
As a bare minimum, you will do well to check the course meets (or exceeds) the hypnotherapy core curriculum. If a course has this (and they can prove it), it’s generally a good sign.
You will also find that there are a select few highly ranking national and international organisations that top quality hypnotherapy training companies will be linked to, and you will usually see the logos on their websites. As a rule, these organisations require their trainers to meet the hypnotherapy core curriculum (as previously mentioned) or their own mandatory curriculum. Here are some of the top ones.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy
The NCH is the UK’s leading not-for-profit Hypnotherapy Professional Association. NCH recognised schools offer the Hypnotherapy in Practice Diploma (HPD NCH), an externally qualified diploma. As HypnoTC is an NCH accredited school, you can be assured that your training will be robust and ethical, and will give you the foundations to be a highly skilled professional hypnotherapist.
The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH)
The NGH is one of the oldest hypnotherapy bodies worldwide, with members across the UK, USA, and in more than 25 countries. The NGH has trainers all over the world, and continues to offer some of the most comprehensive hypnotherapy training available.
The General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC)
The GHSC are comprised of representatives from both professional hypnotherapy organisations and schools who offer hypnotherapy training courses. Their job is to oversee the criteria for the accreditation of hypnotherapy training courses and the ongoing requirements for registration of practitioners within the General Hypnotherapy Register.
general-hypnotherapy-register.com
Now it’s time to act…
We hope that you have found this blog helpful. Do feel free to get in contact with us if you have any questions or would simply like to chat about our courses.
Whether you choose to train with us at HypnoTC: The Hypnotherapy Training Company or somewhere else, what is really important, is that you are trained to a high standard (not just theory, but practical too) and that you leave the course knowing what you’re doing. For us, the more well-trained hypnotherapists there are out there, doing great work, the better the public opinion of hypnotherapy will become!
We wish you every success on your journey towards becoming a professional qualified hypnotherapist. Be focused in your decision-making, ensure you are aware of the facts (and avoid the fiction), and know that you’re getting the best hypnotherapy training when you sign up to become a professional hypnotherapist.
Hypnotherapy training
Finally, if you would like to find out more about using hypnotherapy with clients, do visit our Diploma page and have a browse through the information about our world-class, award-winning training.
Contact Dr Kate for a chat about becoming a professional Hypnotherapist
– written by Dr Kate Beaven-Marks
(HypnoTC Director)
