How do you choose a hypnotist certification program?

More people are entering the profession of hypnotism, and more professionals are adding hypnotism to their skill sets as doctors, nurses, and counselors.  How do you choose a training program?  What are the qualities of a good instructor?  Here's the skinny on becoming a Certified Hypnotist.

Hypnotism is getting more and more mainstream attention.  As more research validates the authenticity of hypnosis as a genuine health-improving modality, more doctors, nurses, dentists, and therapists are adding it to their toolkit.  Outside of the professions, lay people are also studying hypnotism and opening practices for personal coaching and habit managment services.  With over 300 million Americans as a potential client base, the list of applications for hypnosis leaves the door wide open for many, many more people to get into the profession.

How to join the profession is not widely understood.  I get the question from people everywhere I go: "How does one become a hypnotist?"  There are actually quite a few choices, and no one choice is the overwhelmingly best one for everybody.  Each person has to assess what she/he is trying to accomplish by adding hypnotism to his/her skill set, and then match a training program to those desired outcomes.

For example, if you have no background as a medical practitioner, psychologist, pyschiatrist, or licensed therapist, then joining the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis is not even an option for you, so training with them wouldn't make much sense.  Specialized associations exist for anesthetists, dentists, and others.  You can ususally belong to more than one association, so long as you have the appropriate credentials, but there are some who will ask you to only belong to them, so make sure you ask when you're thinking of joining.

If you're not looking for a specialized membership and highly specialized training, then there are several options out there for more generalized membership.  I belong to the National Guild of Hypnotists, and I also teach their approved curriculum in my training program.  One of the things I appreciate about the Guild is that it makes a consistent effort to be inclusive of all different kinds of hypnotists.  If you go to the national convention that is held each August, you'll meet hypnotists who specialize in athletics, or assisting cancer patients, or who are also doctors, or who also do acupuncture or massage.  There's a nice variety in the membership, which I think lends to the discussion of hypnotism not getting too narrow.

The Guild has a list of Certified Instructors on their website so that you can find one in your area.  You'll then want to contact that person and speak with them directly about their program.  Even though each of us teaches the approved curriculum, it's common for instructors to add on some bonus materials and perhaps specialize some additional instruction. 

Wherever you train, make sure that you are confident in the instructor's credentials.  Find out who trained that person.  Determine what kind of instructional skills they have.  How much experience does the person have?  You will be paying this person your hard-earned money; make sure they deserve it.

You'll also want to consider the time frame of the training.  Some programs are longer than others.  The Guild requires 100 hours to get your certification, then an additional 15 hours each year to keep your certification active.  There should be some flexibility with the offerings.  I teach one course each year that meets one weekend a month for four months, and one course that meets for eight straight days.  Explore the options so that you can fit it into your schedule.

You should ask about the class size and number of instructors.  You want to know that you're going to get a proper amount of attention and personal instruction.  Certification classes should not have more than 15 students per instructor, in my opinion. 

You need to consider your travel and hotel requirements, if any.  These are additional costs, and are not usually included in the price of the class.  Especially if your class is a week or more long, where you sleep and eat will have an affect on your energy and ability to focus in class, so you want to have a good set-up for the time you're there.

How much live instruction will you receive?  There are distance learning programs offered by some people, and while they are created with the best of intentions, they don't offer students the chance to get real-time experience doing inductions and suggestibility testing with someone observing you and providing feedback.  Like most learning, there's only so much you can read about or watch.  Eventually you've got to get out there and do it. 

Will your class have a final exam?  It's pretty standard, but not always the case.  Make sure you ask.  If there is an exam, it's the instructor's job to teach you so that you are properly prepared. 

Can you come back to future classes and sit-in?  Sometimes you may need a refresher, and being able to visit a future class for this can be helpful.  If so, would there be a fee, or would it be complimentary?

These are some of the things I think any potential student should be considering and asking about when thinking of becoming a certified hypnotist.  If you have additional questions, feel free to share them.