Voluntary Self-Regulation
Since 2010 the Health Professions Council in the UK has regulated the practice of, amongst others, medicine, psychology, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. They ensure that practitioners are genuine, registered, and meet national standards. There are move for psychotherapists and counsellors to be regulated by the HPC in the near future. Hypnotherapy is not covered by HPC regulation.
Hypnotherapy is currently unregulated in the UK. However, following recommendations made by the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology (1999), discussions have taken place into the voluntary self-regulation (VSR) of hypnotherapy. This process was originally overseen by The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, which closed down permanently in May 2010. The Prince's Foundation supported the endeavours of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council who have been involved in discussion with UKCHO and WGHR over the voluntary self-regulation of hypnotherapy in the UK. It is claimed by WGHR that in a survey they conducted it determined that only 7% of the profession want to see VSR via the CNHC and that the majority of hypnotherapists do not see themselves as "complementary therapists" and want to see discrete regulation for the profession. WGHR has not published the survey. UKCHO has conducted no such survey, but is a democratic body that represents the views and policies of its constituent organisations.
Major concerns are raised over hypnotherapy entering the CNHC. Notable among them is that hypnotherapy is a talking therapy such as counselling rather than a complementary therapy like reflexology. The CHNC also has been widely criticised for registering therapies and therapists without reference to the evidence base for their practice. In addition, the CNHC complaints procedure would allow for hypnotherapists to be complained about by other hypnotherapists, irrespective of whether the complaint relates to actual therapy with a client, and that this complaint could then be made public. Finally, many hypnotherapists question the validity of "VSR" arguing that if it's voluntary, it offers no public protection.
Read more about this topic: Hypnotherapy In The United Kingdom
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