Everyone learns in a different way. And hypnotherapy is no different.
As many types of schools there are for learning hypnotherapy, there are many options to learn hypnosis as well.
The educational schools for hypnotherapy vary from online to in person to hybrid and to all lengths of time. They also vary in the level of credentials that you would obtain.
The most common type of school is the online school. Everything you will learn in hypnosis you will learn from a video or a book where you’ll answer a few questions and do some case work.
An “in person” school is where you will do all of your training and studying in the classroom. This is not so common anymore.
The hybrid school where there is some online learning and some in person learning. History and the theory of hypnosis can be easily learned online where the advanced work can be learned in person.
The interactive zoom school where students meet and study interactively with the instructor is also another good way to learn hypnotherapy as the option of breakout rooms and one on one work is available.
Another consideration to think about is the length of time in the school. The hours it takes for you to learn a specific skill. To become a certified hypnotherapist the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association requires a minimum of 220 hours of training that is 150 hours in person and 70 hours of online or study time. Other associations require 100 hours of training.
When choosing a school, one might consider what the agenda of the school.
- Do they focus on what you want to focus on?
- Do they support their students after the learning is done?
- Is there a focus on doing business?
At Y.O.U. Academy of Advanced Hypnotherapy we have taught hypnotherapy classes in many different formats, 4 week full day trainings, 8 month courses, and 4 month courses. We have chosen the 4 month model as the best way since it allows the student to integrate what they have learned in their life. They get to experience fully what they have learned which allows for a richer learning experience.
Since there is no accreditation process or regulatory body in British Columbia or Canada for that matter, it is really difficult to figure out whether the school has merit or not. In BC, even counselling is not regulated yet which is very hard to believe.
I often look at the associations that the school belongs to and what support the student will have after the training is done. I am looking for how long the association has been in effect, who owns the association, what support they have, the type of ethics practices they have, and the continuing education they ask for.
I was quite shocked when I discovered some school owners have their own association so they are accrediting their own students, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me since there is no regulation except that you take their course and you pay their tuition.
One last thing to think about is the instructors and do they have their own private practice. The saying, If you do not know how to do it, you teach it, is not a great motto in hypnotherapy training. If your instructor does not know how to run a private practice, and this is what you want to do, I would suggest you keep looking for a school that offers what you really want.
Your career in hypnotherapy will depend greatly on the education that you receive. If you are looking for a career, then finding an instructor that has a career in hypnotherapy is your best bet.
