Public Protection

If you have a general query about the NCH Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, then please contact the Ethics Director.

If you have concerns about a member of the NCH, or a School/Website claiming NCH accreditation, you can communicate these to the NCH by contacting the Standards Officer to trigger the Standards Enquiry Procedure (see below). Please note that the NCH does not determine allegations about the commercial aspects of its members and can only consider information that an NCH member has behaved contrary to the Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. You can confirm if a therapist is an NCH member by searching our Hypnotherapy Directory.

Please note also that NCH members will display the NCH Seal of Approval (see here for details). Use of the NCH logo does not indicate endorsement by the NCH and we would appreciate details of any site which you think is using it for this purpose.

The aim of the Standards Enquiry Procedure (SEP) is to;

1. Process information received by the Standards Officer of the NCH in an appropriate and timely manner
2. Provide a framework within which the Standards Officer can decide if the NCH Public Protection Procedure needs
   to be invoked

The SEP is carried out by the Standards Officer of the NCH. The NCH expects members to adhere to the Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics in their work as a hypnotherapist and in resolving ethical dilemmas.

The NCH does not determine allegations about the commercial aspects of its members.

The NCH will only consider information that a member has behaved contrary to the Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

The emphasis of the SEP is on informality, education and support to individuals and members with the objective of resolving problems quickly, simply and fairly.

If the enquiry is not within the remit of the NCH, this will be communicated.

The Standards Officer will process the information in accordance with the SEP and a resolution will be sought. In the case the Standards Officer considers there may be evidence of a serious breach of the Code, the Public Protection Procedure may be invoked.

Please note: The NCH is not responsible for any expenses incurred by any individual in connection with any stage of this process.

The objective of the NCH Public Protection Procedure is to protect the public by providing an effective and meaningful procedure for complaint against NCH members committing misconduct, and to protect the name of the profession of hypnotherapy as conducted by the members of the NCH.

The Standards Officer of the NCH invokes the Public Protection Procedure after seeking a second opinion from a Director of the NCH, in the course of the implementation of the Standards Enquiry Procedure, once a breach of the Code of Conduct, Performance & Ethics has been determined to be misconduct.

Examples of misconduct might include but are not limited to: