Questions about Accreditation in Training

The Society is often asked questions about the difference between Accreditited Training and Non-Accredited Training.

Questions such as:

What is accredited training?

What is the difference between a government accredited course and a non-accredited course?

What is the difference in terms of my professional membership and becoming a hypnotherapist?

What if my course was accredited and is now no longer accredited - do I lose my accreditation?

Conclusion

What is accredited training?

Accredited Training is training which provides a person with a nationally recognised qualification on completion. It is sometimes referred to as Nationally Recognised Training and has been developed based on the National Training Package for the given industry or where a Training Package does not exist and a course has been accredited for national recognition. Currently there is no Hypnotherapy Training Package however; there are various courses that have been accredited for national recognition.

An accredited course must meet the standards outlined in the Australian Quality Training Framework and it must be delivered by a Registered Training Organisation. What this means in practice is the training course has been submitted to external state government assessment, which included review and advice from a panel of hypnotherapy industry experts and has been judged to provide the necessary skills training and assessment to make the successful student a competent hypnotherapist.

What is the difference between a government accredited course and an non-accredited course?

An accredited course means the course has been independently evaluated and found to meet strict government and industry standards. (see above) A student may also gain credit for their studies should s/he wish to go on to further training in a similar subject area with a higher education provider.

Completing an accredited training course in hypnosis would lead to formal qualification, such as a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy or an Advanced Diploma of Hypnosis. The training course is only available through Registered Training Organisation and would include formal assessment of students undertaking training.

Please note calling a training course a Certificate or a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma does not automatically mean it is nationally accredited. It is always important to ask the course provider whether their course is accredited or not. An accredited training course will display the following logo

An unaccredited course does not lead to a formal academic qualification and it is not nationally recognised, however it may still be accepted by Industry Associations or Peak Bodies.

In hypnotherapy there are a variety of unaccredited courses available from different training providers. Please check under the listing of approved courses to see whether the course meets the Society’s educational standards. If it does then the student would be eligible for membership of the Society.

What is the difference in terms of my professional membership and becoming a hypnotherapist?

Individuals who meet the Society’s educational standards are able to join the Society as a professional member. Currently in Australia there are no registration requirements to be a clinical hypnotherapist. However, usually an individual will need to be a member of a professional association to be able to access health fund provider status and be able to obtain professional indemnity insurance.

What if my course was accredited and is now no longer accredited - do I lose my accreditation?

No, if you were issued a nationally recognised qualification you will always retain your qualification. Over time qualifications and the subjects that are taught do change to reflect the change in knowledge and understanding but that does not affect previously issued awards.

Conclusion

The Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists must move with the changes in the field of vocational education and we are preparing for a future that is challenging, exciting and moving directly into the field of energetic approaches to health. We will continue to ensure that our high educational standards are maintained.

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