1.    Professional Standards and Code of Conduct

2.    Communication and the professional relationship

Demonstrate an understanding of:

2.1         How to achieve effective communication through observation, sensitive questioning and listening

2.2         What forms of verbal and non-verbal communication are available and how to use these positively

2.3         How to check understanding with the client by reading and using a variety of signals

2.4         How to position self and client to encourage communication

2.5         How to recognise and overcome barriers to communication

2.6         Why certain environments can inhibit communication and how to minimise this

2.7         Why it is important to encourage the client (and any companion(s)) to ask questions, seek advice and express any concerns

2.8         The nature of a professional therapeutic relationship and how to develop it with clients

2.9         How to respond to conflicting advice which clients may receive from different practitioners

3.    Work role and practice - reflecting and developing

Demonstrate an understanding of:

3.1         Why it is important to reflect on your own practice and identify any development needs

3.2         How to evaluate the effectiveness of your own actions and learn from experience

3.3         How the models and concepts in your area of practice have evolved and developed, how these tend to change with time and the similarities and differences between different versions

4.    Confidentiality

Demonstrate an understanding of:

4.1         The importance of recognising and maintaining the client’s right to confidentiality

4.2         How to keep records to protect confidentiality and security of information

4.3         Who has the right of access to information held of records

5.    Consent

Demonstrate an understanding of:

5.1         What is meant by “implied” and “informed” consent and the circumstances in which these may arise

6.    Practice management

Demonstrate an understanding of:

6.1         What circumstances may indicate a need for an escort/presence of a third party

7.    Health, effective functioning and well-being

Demonstrate an understanding of:

7.1         Why it is important to recognise that the client’s previous and present care may affect their health, effective functioning and well-being

7.2         How the psychological and emotional balance of the client may affect their health, effective functioning and well-being

7.3         The nature of disability and your role in working with those who have disabilities

8.    The scope and methods of complementary healthcare

Demonstrate an understanding of:

8.1         The circumstances when you may choose not to accept a client:

8.2         The circumstances when you must not treat a client

8.3         The range, purpose and limitations of different methods which may be used for different clients with different needs

8.4         How to determine the most appropriate method(s) for different clients and their particular needs

8.5         How to recognise conditions for which hypnotherapy is incomplete in itself and for which the client should seek advice from other sources

8.6         How to judge whether self-care is appropriate for the client

9.    Anatomy & Physiology

Demonstrate an understanding of:

9.1         Conscious and unconscious processes

9.2         The Stress response

9.3         Psychosis

10. Induction, deepening and reviving techniques

Demonstrate an understanding of:

10.1      Direct, indirect, confusion, eye fixation, fractionalisation, trigger, metaphoric, physical induction techniques

10.2      How to select appropriate technique(s) to suit the client

11. Psychology

Demonstrate an understanding of:

11.1    The main theories of psychology e.g. psychodynamic, humanistic/existential, cognitive and behavioural

11.2     How these influence your own practice

12. The therapeutic process

Demonstrate an understanding of:

12.1      How key theories and approaches to treatment can be utilised in therapy

12.2      How to be aware of and manage transference and counter-transference

12.3      How to be aware of and manage resistance

12.4      How to develop a working alliance with your client

13. Intervention methods

Demonstrate an understanding of:

13.1      Direct suggestions

13.2      Indirect suggestions

13.3      Metaphors

13.4      Neuro linguistic programming (NLP)

13.5      Eriksonian therapy

13.6      Analytical therapy

13.7      Cognitive behavioural therapy

13.8      Regression therapy

13.9      Self help (including self-hypnosis and tasking)

13.10   The correct use of the different methods

14. Abreactions

Demonstrate an understanding of:

14.1      Induced and spontaneous abreactions

14.2      How to manage appropriately both types of abreactions

15. Ethical practice

Demonstrate an understanding of:

15.1      The importance of maintaining your own development and keeping up to date with current practice in your profession

15.2      Maintaining a professional appearance

15.3      Ensuring a professional approach is apparent from the client’s first contact with you

15.4      When to touch the client and when not

15.5      The problems with guarantees and success rates

15.6      Where the therapist’s responsibility starts and ends

16. Interview and assessment techniques

Demonstrate an understanding of:

16.1      The importance of recording client information accurately and in sufficient detail to use for assessment purposes

16.2      The importance of fostering a rapport with your client

16.3      How to utilise appropriate self-disclosure

16.4      The different questioning techniques which may be used – open questioning and closed questioning, direct and non-direct

16.5      Suggestibility tests

16.6      Subjective unit of distress (SUDS)

16.7      Depth scales

16.8      How to select the appropriate assessment method for your client

17. Assessing the client’s needs and the appropriateness of hypnotherapy

Demonstrate an understanding of:

17.1      How to provide an appropriate assessment environment for the client and the importance of doing so

17.2      How to clarify and confirm the client’s (and any companion’s) understanding of the assessment process

17.3      How to interpret the client’s initial approach and manner and identify their needs

17.4      How to establish valid and reliable information about the client, determine its importance and formulate your initial hypothesis

18. Providing treatment

Demonstrate an understanding of:

18.1      How to explain hypnosis to the client

18.2      The importance of agreeing aims and staged goals to meet those aims with the client

18.3      The role which the client (and others) may take, and may need to take, if the hypnotherapy treatment is to be successful and how to explain and agree them with the client (and any companion(s))

18.4      The importance of agreeing the logistics (eg costs, location, timings) of the hypnotherapy treatments with the client and the factors which may intervene and alter plans

18.5      How feedback from the client can be utilised to amend the treatment programme

18.6      How to terminate trance

18.7      How to terminate sessions

18.8      The variety of reasons there may be for discontinuing the hypnotherapy treatment programme with the client