The Health and Social Care Act 2012, as amending the Health Care Professions Act 2002, provides for the Professional Standards Authority to accredit Registers of health and social care practitioners which meet the Authority's standards.
The National Hypnotherapy Society holds the first and only current hypnotherapy register to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under its Accredited Registers programme.
An Accredited Register is the result of the programme set up by the Department of Health, and administered by the Professional Standards Authority who are an independent body, accountable to Parliament. The Professional Standards Authority accredits registers of people working in a variety of health and social care occupations. The Authority also oversees statutory registers such as the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The programme was set up to provide assurance on the standards of voluntary registers, and is the best way to promote quality within the field of Hypnotherapy.
Being accredited under the Accredited Register programme offers enhanced protection to anyone looking for Hypnotherapy services which includes:
- Members of the public seeking a Registered Hypnotherapist
- Qualified Hypnotherapists seeking to become Registrants
Hypnotherapists on our register, also known as registrants, will be able to display the Accredited Register quality mark, as a sign that they belong to a register which meets the Authority's rigorous standards.
Members of the public will, from now on, be encouraged to choose a practitioner who belongs to a register which has been vetted and approved by the Authority. The Accredited Register programme was set up by the Department of Health to ensure that the public are able to choose safe, ethical and competent professionals for their health and social care needs.
The National Hypnotherapy Society believes that all Accredited Registers should be seen as equal. Recognition of the programme is growing:
- NHS Employers has added content encouraging the use and detailing the benefits of Accredited Registers.
- The GMC highlights Accredited Registers as relevant to delegation and referral.
The Society's position on standards
Hypnotherapy is a modality of psychotherapy or counselling.
Hypnotherapy is a unique talking therapy which has much in common with counselling and psychotherapy, although it should be seen as a distinct discipline and profession. We support hypnotherapists who develop knowledge of psychotherapeutic or counselling practice and hypnotherapy training which provides knowledge of these issues.
National Recognition
The Society's standards of entry to the Register are now benchmarked against Ofqual levels, where a Level 4 Diploma is required for entry to the Register and further training is required for progression in membership. By benchmarking against Ofqual Levels the Society is demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that hypnotherapy training is independently verifiable as meeting national standards.
In addition, standards are benchmarked against Skills for Health National Occupational Standards.
History of the Society's involvement in Regulation
Before becoming the first register accredited by the Authority, the Society has been represented at numerous meetings over the years including at the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, Skills for Health and others. We co-founded the Working Group for Hypnotherapy Regulation and were central to the establishment of National Occupational Standards. We also have a cooperation agreement with the Royal Society for Public Health.
What does Accredited Register mean when you’re looking for a therapist?
If you're looking for a therapist, you should now only choose one on an Accredited Register approved by the Professional Standards Authority.
The National Hypnotherapy Society's register has been accredited under a programme set up by the Department of Health and administered by an independent body, accountable to Parliament. The Accreditation Mark is recognisable to the general public to enable them to identify a competent therapist.
As a member of the public, the National Hypnotherapy Society's Accredited Register offers you a way to search and contact therapists who are on our Accredited Register. This means we are responsible for ensuring that the accredited therapists on our register meet our high standards and offers peace of mind and enhanced protection to you the client, that the therapist you are seeking is on a register that has been vetted and approved.
The National Hypnotherapy Society's Accredited Register will bring hypnotherapists into a broad framework of assurance. It is good for patients, service users and the public, and is the best way to promote quality within the sector.
Search for a therapist on our Accredited Register
What does Accredited Register mean for you as a therapist?
Hypnotherapists should now belong to an Accredited Register
Clients will increasingly become aware of the programme and will wish to choose the added public safeguards of seeing a therapist on such a register. In addition, it will be a mark of your professional standing and commitment, as well as a useful way to inform potential clients of your regulated status.
The National Hypnotherapy Society's register is the first and only current hypnotherapy register to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under its Accredited Register programme. We believe that the Accreditation Mark will set a bench mark for professional standards in Hypnotherapy.
Join the National Hypnotherapy Society
We are a professional yet personable society, an organisation with heart; we avoid a needlessly complicated style of application in preference to a holistic approach based on your experience, practice and qualifications.
The National Hypnotherapy Society recognises the experience and skills that each individual can bring to our profession and this is reflected in our application process.
Here is what you will stand to gain from joining our Society as an Accredited Member, Professional Member or Fellow and being on our Accredited Register:
- Registrants of the HS will be able to display the Accredited Register quality mark, a sign that they belong to a register which meets the Professional Standards Authority's robust standards
- Accreditation offers practitioners working in hypnotherapy a means of demonstrating their personal commitment to meeting high standards by joining The National Hypnotherapy Society accredited register
- Professionally you will be able to use the phrase ‘I am on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority'
- You will be able to tell potential clients that the Accredited Register programme was set up by the Government to improve standards and safety for the benefit of the public
- Enables you to emphasise that accreditation demonstrates your commitment to high professional standards, to enhancing safety and delivering a better service
There are a wealth of member benefitsin addition to being on the HS Accredited Register.
Page last reviewed: 08 April 2022
Next review due: 08 April 2023