As our understanding of the impact of mental wellbeing grows, as a society we are becoming more likely to engage the services of a mental health professional to help us achieve our goals to feel better and enjoy life more. Complementary therapy in the UK, from counselling to coaching to mindfulness is largely unregulated; anyone who chooses to can call themselves a therapist or coach without any training or background checks. What this means is that the burden on selecting a trained and competent therapist falls to the consumer.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy was established in 1973 to bring clarity to this unregulated environment. The NCH is the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy Professional Association, representing over 2,000 professional hypnotherapists.
All hypnotherapists who are members of the NCH have completed training which meets National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the field. They also agree to adhere to a code of conduct and ethics in which they commit to maintaining high standards of personal conduct and not to do anything that would adversely affect their clients. In addition to this, all members are required to be insured, undertake regular continuing professional development training, and attend supervision.
All members of the NCH meet the requirements laid out for registration with the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) – a council set up by the government to protect the public. Whether our members have chosen to join the CNHC or not, they have voluntarily agreed to meet these standards because they are committed to providing a high level of care to their clients within stringent ethical boundaries.
Effective therapy outcomes rely on well trained, caring, ethical, people following best practice. As a consumer it pays to be wary of anyone making claims that seem too good to be true, or any promises of a ‘cure’. We recommend that you speak to any therapist about their training and qualifications, as well as which organisations they belong to. By doing this you can gain a clear picture of the depth and breadth of their education and their commitment to uphold ethical standards of practice which protect their clients.
Hypnotherapy can be helpful for many different problems from mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression and stress to physical issues such as insomnia, weight management, or skin conditions. There’s a large body of research that has investigated the effectiveness of hypnotherapy, leading to several NHS trusts introducing hypnobirthing as part of their antenatal classes. Hypnotherapy is regularly used in dentistry and is also recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to treat IBS.
To ensure that you are working with a trained, insured and registered hypnotherapist, please use our therapist finder, our therapists are located all over the UK and also many work online, so you’re sure to find the right therapist for you.