View Full Version : New UK member seeks advice
Hi there,
I am writing this post in the hope that I can get some feedback ref training for Hypnotherapy.
I became interested in this in the summer after watching Paul McKenna's program, (can't remember the name of it) I was extremely impressed by his approach and results with the clients shown, as I have only ever seen him as a stage Hypnotist before, this program showed a whole different side to him that I found intriguing. It was then that I decided to look into training in it myself.
I have had an interest in alternative therapy in general for a number of years and I practise Indian Head Massage part time at a local Herbalist shop.
While investigating training courses in the NW Eng, I found X number of 'colleges' offering training, all purporting to be the best with all sorts of accreditations after their names.
I found all these to be extremely confusing, also one of my colleagues in the shop advised me to ensure that the training centre was recognised by the NHS (National Health Service) to ensure a referral clientele from the medical profession would be available on completion.
She recommended the The London College of Clinical Hypnosis (LCCH) and I have spoken to them and in my limited knowledge they seem to be what I need.
Would any of the UK members on this forum be willing to provide their opinion on 2 points
If they are aware of this training center and if so would they recommend it.
What are the best accreditations/qualifications I should be looking for to practice in the UK
Thanks in anticipation.
(btw I have been viewing this forum for a few weeks and am really impressed)
Ice_9
12-15-2005, 02:10 PM
Hi Meg,
I am fron the UK too. Hopefully, I can give you some insight - though it may not be what you are looking for.
When I looked into accreditation, I quickly became aware of a number of associations offering accreditation and that there is no one "main" body. Hence, some may not be worth the paper they are printed on. Therefore, look for one that is trusted. Some basic research on your part should give some insight.
As Bruce Lee said, "belts are to hold your pants up, nothing more". By this, I mean to illustrate that it is not certificates that make a successful hypnotist. It's the hypnotist himself. Any certificate will only be the start of your journey and you will have lots more to learn and practice - irrespective of the letters after your name.
As for Paul Mckenna, I have some news for you which may be significant for you. His TV show was called "I Can Change Your Life" and you should be aware that for the majority of the time, Paul was using NLP techniques rather than the hypnosis he made his name with. The two are closely linked but bear in mind that most of his change work was via NLP so maybe look at a course that trains you in both rather than exclusively one or the other.
Paul McKenna has his own training school and runs courses in hypnosis, NLP and both combined. In addition, the founder of NLP (Richard Bandler) speaks on the course and you receive a certificate from the Society of NLP - the founding body. Also the biggest.
Sounds great, eh? Two of the biggest names in the business and the most prestigious governing body.
But.....in my opinion.......I would steer clear. My mother, after seeing me take my training in NLP and hypnosis, went for the McKenna training but was sorely disappointed. Despite the quality of the trainers, she was one of over a thousand who were all trained together. That's right, one man talking to many, many people. Just talking. No course material. She knew nothing before she turned up.
And when the trainees were asked to practice on each other, there were not enough assistants to help and watch over. In addition, there often wasn't time to practice all that was being taught.
I have nothing against McKenna. I think he is great. Popular consensus though, was that the beneift of the course was quite poor. Bandler was amazing by all accounts but the whole thing was quite impersonal and when you're one of a thousand, it's hard to get your query in or get the help you need.
On my course, I was one of 20. There were 2 main instructors and 6 assistants, all Master Prac and above. Whenever we split up, each group had an expert to turn to and we had plenty of time to practice. I received a comprehensive pack that I had to work through to give me a good grounding, prior to attending the course too.
You wouldn't recognise the trainer. She isn't famous. But the quality was excellent.
Whoever you go with, don't be swayed by celebrity status of the awardee of the certificate. Just go for quality. A quality start to your career.
Hi Ice, thanks for your reply.
I had a feeling that his technique was not strictly Hypnosis but I wasn’t too sure never having heard of NLP at that point. However the research I have done since leads me towards wanting to learn Hypnotherapy first and maybe NLP and possibly Time Line later on.
Your insight into McKenna’s training course was very interesting. The course I have looked at seems to be ‘fairly’ small classes of 20 – 40 students, it starts with a foundation course over 4 weekends spread over 4 months, going on to a certificate course over 14 weekends spread over 12 months with exams at the end of each.
There are further courses on offer ‘Practitioner’ and ‘Master’ but I am not looking that far ahead just yet.
On the point of accreditations you say look for associations that are ‘trusted’, not sure how I would know which were trusted or who they would be trusted by.
Would you agree for instance that recommendations on hypnosis/medical sites could be trusted. I am a little concerned that their recommendations may be biased.
Ice_9
12-15-2005, 03:14 PM
Hi Meg,
I cannot comment on the course you are taking as it is wildly different to the one my mother attended. Similarly, my course wasn't as long as the one you have spotted so maybe it will be different, better and more informative.
As for trusted, check out some of the names you've found. I quizzed my trainer for weeks before I signed up. And I always received impartial advice in return. In addition, I got out the Yellow Pages and phoned up professional practitioners and asked their opinion too.
Look at Tad James (who owns this site). He is a leading member of the American Board of Hypnotherapy. That is also who I received my certificates from. At the end, it's all a risk (as my motehr found out) but I knew that Tad was respected in the field and if he is linked to the ABH then.......
You get my drift?
I only qualified myself in June so I am no expert on who to turn to. I just know what you are going though. Try the wbsites but don't be so literal as some sites may be dodgy (I saw some, believe me). As for medical sites, you are right and not everyone looks favourably on hypnosis and NLP so take their advice with a pinch of salt. Maybe it's a numbers game, if you ask 20 people about one body and you only get 3 positives, then I'd bear that in mind.
My belief is that be it McKenna or whoever, the body you belong to will not decide your quality. That is down to the initial training and then down to you. On my course, I met a lady who had spent £1500 on hypnosis training but felt she hadn't benefitted. Then there is the position my mother is in after training with Bandler and McKenna.
What you do is up to you and I wish you good luck. Me personally, I chose to train with one of the UK's leading trainers and do all three: hypno, TLT and NLP. All at the same time and for the one price. As they are all interlinked, you are learning qualities of all three at the same time.
If you choose to do them individually, at greater cost and length, then good luck to you. Bear in mind most training is done in a week at NLP/TLT practitioner level and on the same course so you won't neeed to do them individually.
Feel free to send me a private message if you want.
David Laing
12-16-2005, 01:03 AM
Hi Meg
I also did the McKenna NLP practicioner and would agree entirely with Iceman's report. There were over 500 people there. The thought that this might be the case never even occurred to me - particularly considering how much it cost!
I did learn a few techniques to add to my Hypnosis but to be honest I learnt far more from Bandler's books and DVD stuff such as Omni Hypnosis' training.
I live and practice in Liverpool and although there are Hypnosis training schools nearer I chose to go to Cardiff for my initial training as the course is accredited by Cardiff university.
I intend to do the NLP Master Prac but i'll almost certainly do it somewhere with much smaller classes next time.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Hi David, thanks for your post. :)
I have seen some of your previous postings and I must admit I was hoping you would input into my thread as we live so close, I hoped you might have a closer insite in to what's available in our area. My main drawback at the moment is that I don't drive so have to rely on public transport to get to any training center.
That was partly what was so appealing about this course being based in Manchester and held at weekends so I can keep my current job untill I finish training.
Hello Meg,
The LCCH is a a repected training provider, my only proviso would be that it issues diplomas through it's own organisation without external verification.
The prime organisation for hypnotherapists in this country is the National Council for Hypnotherapy. www.hypnotherapists.org (http://www.hypnotherapists.org) If you visit their site you will see a number of training providers accredited by the NCH. The Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) is a diploma verified by the Department for Further Education and members of the NCH are encouraged to posess it, although at this time it is not a requirement of entry. To join the NCH you must have certification from an accredited provider and you must have public liability insurance.
Paul McKenna's courses are ok but remember that if you want to be an hypnotherapist, Paul's background is in entertainment and not in therapy which is a fairly recent addition for him. There are many providers who have clinical therapy backgrounds, and one I can think of in Manchester right now which might be suitable for you.
The foregoing is an opinion only.
A word of advice: don't throw your current employment away until you have established yourself as the local hypnotherapist. It is not easy to make a living from this profession, but it can be rewarding in many other ways.
Jack
David Laing
12-16-2005, 03:41 AM
Hi Meg
I would absolutely agree with Jack's comment about not quitting your job immediately.
I would also definitely confirm that the non financial rewards are huge. As part of another course i am currently undergoing I needed to complete some case studies which meant me going back through my records for the past couple of years. To say I was buzzing afterwards is an understatement!
It's not until you sit down and look back that you realise the real positive difference you have made to peoples lives. It's a pretty wonderful feeling!
By the way i'm in the yellow pages if you ever want to chat.
Dave
Hi Jack,
Thanks for your input,
I had a quick look at the site you recommended and it was very helpful.
On there it recommends a training centre that I had already considered as it is reasonably close to home, but had put to one side once the point of NHS approval had been put to me. However having said that I didn't actually contact them so I suppose that would be my next step to see if they are approved by the NHS.
ICEMAN, thanks for the offer of letting me bell you, I may take you up on that in the near future. :)
Meg, the stuff about the NHS is not important. If you can show you have attended a course and received a certificate of some kind you can apply for an NHS Provider Number which means that you can check if your local medical practice would refer clients to you.
It is very unlikely that many practices will do this since hypnotherapy is not taken seriously by many members of the medical profession. In 30 years of practice I have only dealt with a handful of NHS referrals. A BUPA provider number demands two references from medical doctors, but it is easier to get referrals.
Finally, find a course that you are happy with and meet your instructors before paying over the dosh.
Jack
Thanks Jack for that,
I wont get so hung up about the NHS then.
>>>What you do is up to you and I wish you good luck. Me personally, I chose to train with one of the UK's leading trainers and do all three: hypno, TLT and NLP. All at the same time and for the one price. As they are all interlinked, you are learning qualities of all three at the same time.
If you choose to do them individually, at greater cost and length, then good luck to you. Bear in mind most training is done in a week at NLP/TLT practitioner level and on the same course so you won't neeed to do them individually. <<<<
Would you be so kind please as to PM me the details of the course you did.
Jakey
12-19-2005, 12:26 AM
Meg
I have to agree with the points mentioned above regarding Paul McKenna's training course, and that it is important to check out a reputable training school to attend.
One other point I feel is worth considering, which has only become apparent whilst researching a new school for my M Prac is course material. I have noticed that the majority of schools cover the same basic material, which I think is important in having a common standard the the NLP world. I have seen a couple of schools that have veered from the standard, and have introduced their own teachings.
My view is to have a teacher who expands on the foundations is acceptable, however, if the student is missing out on the basics, and learn some alternative technique, my worry would be that they don't have the basics to develop themselves in their own direction. As an extra to the class, I think that is always good to get a stronger perspective in possibilities.
Jakey
thackaray
12-19-2005, 01:45 AM
Hello Meg.
I trained with the Wakefield School of Hypnotherapy. Since you are the in the NW of the UK, I would put forward the name Shaun Brookhouse. I didn't train with him, but he's been able to answer some of my questions that I had very quickly and very well that I understood them.
I don't know how many people go on his courses, but my guess is about 15-30.
Have look and maybe some people here have more interaction with him or knowledge about his courses.
Hi Thackery,
Thank you so much for your post
It has helped with another question I have had since yesterday when I came across details of Shaun's training center, and have requested more details, as I think this may be a more viable option after all. Your post has confirmed that I may be looking in the right direction.
Shaun is respected as a trainer, but be aware that he is very large, loud and American (in a stereotypical way) so if you want gentle English training he is not your man (sorry Shaun)! However he works with Fiona, who is a very nice woman, so I can forgive him! Kate and Heather at the Wakefield School are also worth a look, but that would involve travelling.
You could do a lot worse with either!:)
Jack
thackaray
12-19-2005, 11:24 AM
Jack is correct that Shaun has a very big presence literally in the field of Hypnotherapy :D.
If you need information on the Wakefield School, I can give you the low down on the course, the teachers Heather and Kate.
Hi thackaray,
Thanks for the offer that would be great, if you would like to pm me then maybe we could chat.
btw what did you mean?
>>>> Shaun has a very big presence literally in the field of Hypnotherapy <<<<<<
Ice_9
12-20-2005, 01:51 PM
Sorry to hijack the post but as this post is aimed at the UK market 0 and is seeking advice - I would really appreciate it if anybody would be interested in chats/meets/advice about hyno and NLP.
As a recent newbie myself, trading ideas, picking up hints and what not would be extremely useful to me - especially as I am looking at starting up as a therapist myself.
Email and web boards are fine but aren't as interactive, obvisouly, as real time interaction and it takes far longer to write than it does to speak.
I am based in Manchester and if anybody is up for it, over a beer, coffee or what not, please let me know.
Many thanks
Ice_9
12-20-2005, 01:52 PM
And even on the phone......
:-)
Ice,
That would be a great idea, I have already had a phone chat with David, and would love to speak with yourself, as another newbie I think having somebody else to share ideas with would be useful.
Drop me a pm with a contact No and I will try and give you a bell.
David Laing
12-21-2005, 03:30 AM
Hi Ice
I'd also be interested in chatting too. Perhaps we might arrange something after Christmas?
Dave
annqldau
12-22-2005, 01:54 AM
I am in Australia now but trained in the UK. I did my UK course with http://www.elestialtraining.org.uk/introduction.htm[/url] an excellent course. Held with only small groups of around 10 people to one trainer and option of intensive course over 5 days rather than 2 days a month for months on end. Also, option of course at selected stay over venues. I did mine in castle in Wales and we all had a good time on the night as well.
You are given info about getting NHS and BUPA numbers on the course but like someone else said, anyone can apply for them.
Lots of helpful material given as part of the course for use afterwards for memory jogging in written, audio and visual format. Covers starting own business and legal aspects etc. of doing so as well.
I looked like you at loads of UK courses and found this to be the most intensive but reasonable priced that didn't make loads of grand claims but just got on with the training.
As a Nurse I found the course very through and very professional.