9. Stage 4 & Further Training

Advanced Diploma in Hypno-Psychotherapy and Registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

The Advanced Diploma (ADHP [NC]) (which is Stage 4 of our training programme) is awarded to NCHP graduates who have fulfilled the requirements for recommendation to membership of the UKCP's National Register of Psycho-therapists. This programme is also available to persons who completed a UKCP recognised Diploma in Hypno-Psychotherapy, but have not completed the requirements for UKCP Registration. Upon completion of this programme, students are eligible for Fellowship of the National College Student and Alumni Guild-FNCSAG.

The UKCP is a registered charity which acts as the major regulatory body for psychotherapy training and registering organisations throughout the UK. UKCP recognition is becoming increasingly important for psychotherapists, whether they intend to follow a career in the public or private sectors or some combination of the two. Both the NCHP and the NRHP are members of the Hypno-Psychotherapy Section of UKCP. We are able to offer our graduates the opportunity to apply for registration with the UKCP, via the NCHP, subject to fulfilling their requirements.

Amongst the training requirements specified by UKCP are the acquisition of a critical understanding of the relevance of studies in human development, psychopathology, sexuality, ethics, research and social science. Consistent with any reputable psychotherapy training, NCHP has included such elements within its training even before the creation of UKCP. Psychotherapy is, itself, one of the social sciences. The study of human relationships is, of course, central to what we do in much of our training. Of necessity, therefore, human development and sexuality are addressed throughout training as well as through a discrete package as mentioned below. Similarly, the topic of ethics is addressed on numerous occasions, either within the course proper (e.g., practice ethics, addressed as early as weekend four of Stage One), or through supplementary elements (e.g., ethics, the ethics of research - see below, the therapeutic relationship via interactive counselling skills, also below, ethics governing submission of dissertations via the Joint Committee on Ethical Research, and the Code of Ethics and Practice, by which we are all bound).

Where we consider that our central training might usefully be supplemented, as for example in Research or Psychopathology, separate provision is made (see below).

UKCP Registration Requirements

1. Introduction

This document is to be seen in conjunction with the UKCP Standards of Education and Training (2008): The Minimum Core Criteria. Psychotherapy with Adults. It provides modality specific criteria which are in addition to all the criteria within the central document. Within this document we refer to the central document as SETS.

2. Section values

SETS paragraph 2.9 states that "courses must be congruent with the values, principles, knowledge base and underpinning philosophical approach / approaches laid out by the relevant UKCP section". These are as defined in the Hypno-Psychotherapy Governance document.

3. Staff

SETS paragraph 3.12 states that "courses should be led by appropriately qualified and experienced individuals, as defined by the relevant section". Normally core training staff would be expected to be UKCP registered hypno-psychotherapists who maintain a private practice and/or employment as a hypno-psychotherapist. Psychotherapists from other modalities may be utilised for specialised elements of the training. Training staff would normally be expected to have additional training and/or experience in Training in addition to psychotherapy qualifications and to be subject to regular monitoring, including trainee feedback.

4. Training requirements

Training hours should be a minimum of 1800 hours over four years. This should include:

1. a minimum of 625 hours of theoretical / methodological / practical training of which there should be a minimum of 500 classroom hours (NB: our course includes 525 hours of classroom hours. All hours are face to face during stages one to three, leading to qualification, and then a mixture of face to face and online collaborative classroom learning in stage four)
2. 250 hours personal development of which a minimum of 48 hours must be contracted psychotherapy, on an individual basis with a UKCP registered psychotherapist or equivalent. The purpose of all developmental processes, in this context, is as a support to the student as they progress towards the goal of being a psychotherapist. It may be equally concerned with development of resilience and awareness than with the resolution of personal issues, when this best supports the practitioner's development towards effective and ethical practice. The contracted hours may be in any form or forms of psychotherapy recognised by UKCP or BACP or BPS. Recognised modality specific practices in personal development include:

· therapeutic tasking journalled by the individual and/or monitored by the contracted psychotherapist

· personal developmental quests journalled by the individual and monitored by the Training Organisation

· journalled utilisation of self-hypnosis within a structured personal development course eg. Mindfulness Training

· attendance of group therapy with a registered Psychotherapist

More hours may, of course, be conducted but only 250 hours count towards the 1800 total. All personal development hours are to be collated in a journal, counter-signed where appropriate (eg by therapists). NB training hours must be clearly delineated from personal development hours and no hour can be used twice.

3. 450 hours of clinical practice. More hours may, of course, be conducted but only 450 hours count towards the 1800 total. Clinical practice is defined as "time specifically contracted for the professional delivery of psychotherapeutic treatment, administered within the relevant codes of confidentiality, accountability and informed consent". Trainees must ensure clients are aware of their trainee status. Use of therapeutic skills within practices other than psychotherapy do not count towards the total. Training organisations should have a system of APL for practice hours up to a maximum of 25%. APLed hours should be commensurate with hypno-psychotherapy hours, eg hours conducted in another psychotherapy modality.

4. 1 hour of supervision per 6 hours of client work. For the 450 hours this would mean 75 hours would be expected. More hours may, of course, be conducted but only 75 hours count towards the 1800 total. The maximum number in a Supervision group should not normally exceed four.

5. Accreditation of Prior / Experiential Learning

Training organisations may, at their discretion, offer APL /APEL for suitably qualified candidates up to a maximum of 50% of the course content and 1 year of the 4 year process. This would normally be for either the hypnosis/hypnotherapy elements of the course OR a proportion of the psychotherapeutic elements. Procedures should be in line with QAA guidelines.

6. Theory and practice

SETS paragraph 2.1 requires there to be

a. a model of the person and the mind. This is as defined in the section governance document.

b. a model of gendered and culturally influenced human development. This is as defined in the section governance document.

1. a model of human change and ways in which change can be facilitated. Our modality's key difference to others is the method of facilitating change and therefore this must be a primary component of all trainings.
2. a set of clinical concepts to relate theory to practice. As with c, hypno-psychotherapy is rich in such clinical concepts and it would normally be expected that trainings include a wide range rather than relying heavily on one or two techniques.
3. an extensive literature which includes a critique of the model. Clearly, given the integrative nature of the modality, there is a plethora of literature to support the psychotherapeutic base, but also there is much to support the integration of hypnosis within the process.

7. Core curriculum

Training MOs are required to teach the minimum core curriculum as defined by section.

8. Supervised practice

Supervision is required at a ratio of 1:6 throughout the period of training. Section requires training organisations to approve the training supervisor for each student. At least one third of a student's supervision should normally be from a UKCP registered hypno-psychotherapist or equivalent. The other two thirds of approved supervision may be through work placements or from within other modalities, but it would still be expected that normally the supervision would be received from a UKCP registered psychotherapist or equivalent. Section recognises the use of cross-modality supervision for those post-registration, but feels it necessary that in during training the student has access to someone within the modality. It would not normally be acceptable for the supervision to be undertaken by the primary tutor.

Section recognises the range of practice settings within which a trainee may complete their practice hours, from private practice, to employment and voluntary placements. It is the responsibility of the Training Organisation, in communication with Supervisors, to ensure that the Trainee is practicing within a suitable practice environment, within their limits of knowledge and competence and for which their training has prepared them.

9. Mental health placement

In line with central UKCP policy, a mental health placement is a requirement for all students, with the exception of those who already have experience of working in this field. Training organisations are required to produce a policy, and ensure its adherence, which enables students to learn about the wider mental health field including obtaining an opportunity to develop the capacity to recognise severely disturbed clients (as per SETS paragraph 2.13). The placement does not necessarily have to be one in which the student practises as a psychotherapist within a mental health context.

10. Assessment

Assessment will be designed to ensure that the Trainee can demonstrate the appropriate levels in all three categories of Theoretical Understanding, Practical Ability and Psychological Maturity.

Assessment processes will be a combination of formative, staged and summative events, using multi-modal procedures supportive of best opportunity for the Trainee to demonstrate their learning and achievement. Combinations of assessment modes will normally include written pieces based on home study, practical examinations, written examinations (seen or unseen papers may be preferred) and individual and group tasks.

Each TO will make overt to Trainees the assessment processes and requirements of the course, with feedback processes to inform how performance can be improved to overcome shortfall as part of a meaningful learning journey. A Trainee who seems unable to reach requirements will be informed at the earliest reasonable stage of training to insure their investment is not wasted.

Supervisor's reports will form a part of any final assessment for Accreditation, and a monitoring process between Training Organisation and Supervisor will be practiced over the course of the Trainee's Clinical Practice.

A requirement of Accreditation shall be an original written dissertation of not less than 10,000 words, relevant to the practice of Hypno-Psychotherapy. This piece will be Internally and Externally assessed and will normally be submitted as a final stage of theoretical assessment.

SETS paragraph 4.11 states that "all assessment measures should be consistent with an effective and rigorous process through which it is possible to demonstrate compliance with external reference frameworks". Until there are National Occupational Standards for psychotherapy, section invokes the use of definitions provided by the European Association for Hypno-Psychotherapy and UKCP.

11. Qualification and registration

Within our modality students are considered qualified to practice, under supervision, in advance of their ability to register with UKCP. TOs must make it explicit in all materials as to what elements are contained in the pre-qualification section, and which in the post-qualification, and where and when these are covered.

Continued support should be offered to students as they work towards registration. Throughout the process it is necessary for the training organisation to ensure the clarity of the process for the student, and for the student to be clear with their clients as to where they are on the pathway.

Supplementary Training Ethics - 20 hrs CPD  £95.00 [concessions: NCHP students/graduates £80.00] An on-line course, complementing the ethics that typifies NCHP training and philosophy throughout.   Human Development and Sexuality - 40 hrs CPD  £170.00 [concessions: NCHP students/graduates £125] A very substantial on-line which, along with NCHP regular course content, represents a thorough coverage. Psychopathology (the scientific study of mental disorders) - 20 hrs CPD £95.00 [concessions: NCHP studs/grads £80.00] This on-line course helps therapists develop a good knowledge of psychopathology in order to, e.g.: liaise with medical and psychiatric colleagues; be in a position to assess whether the client's problem is within their limit of competence; create an effective treatment plan, avoiding contra-indicated approaches.   Research for Therapists in Practice - research methods- and ethical issues in the social sciences- 20 hrs CPD £95.00 [concessions: NCHP students/graduates £80.00] An on-line course introducing the relevance of applied psychological research for practising therapists, focusing on the skills and abilities of the social science researcher, as well as outlining the ethical considerations of applied research. Very useful for Stage Three students working towards their final dissertation. For further information on our on-line courses click here  Interactive Counselling Skills - forging the therapeutic alliance - 12 hrs CPD £170 [concessions: NCHP students/graduates £140] A practically oriented workshop aimed at enabling therapists to develop the counselling skills so essential to the development of a therapeutic climate. This workshop is particularly useful to those who have no previous counselling experience and is recommended to be taken prior to, or at an early stage of, training. The workshop is offered, at regular intervals, at NCHP training venues.  Note: The NCHP supports the use of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL). Therefore, students who have prior learning or experience in any of these areas (e.g: successful completion of a counselling course; experience of working in a psychiatric environment; study of research methodology as part of a psychology/social science degree) may apply for exemption from undertaking one or other of the elements. A preferential rate will apply if all supplementary training is purchased together.  Please contact the office for details.

Continuing Professional Development

Workshops and Seminars

The NCHP takes the view that learning is an ongoing experience. Even when fully trained, therapists still need the opportunity to keep up-to-date with specialist approaches and developments in the profession.

To this end, the NCHP provides a regular programme of one and two day workshops and seminars on a variety of subjects and, where appropriate, distance learning courses. The workshops are run by specialist tutors. All current students and members of the NRHP are notified of forthcoming training events. 

Examples of past training events are:

• Dealing with Pain Control
  
  
• Disorders of Sleep and Dreams
  
  
• Eating Disorders
  
  
• Ego State Short Term Therapy
  
  
• The Unconscious Mind (Ericksonian therapy)
  
  
• Gut Directed Therapy (for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, etc.)

Distance learning courses in Ethics, Human Development & Sexuality, Psychopathology, Research for Therapists in Practice (see above under UKCP Modules) and, recently, Certificate and Diploma courses in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Psychotherapy are offered.

An Interactive Counselling Skills and Communication weekend is offered on a regular basis at all venues, as part of the supplementary training required by UKCP for registration on their National Register of Psychotherapists. The weekend is also a very productive way of fulfilling CPD requirements and improving counselling skills.

Ongoing supervision

Supervision is considered to be an essential part of an ethically minded psychotherapist's practice. All practising members of NCSAG are required to be in, either, supervision (for Student, Licentiate or Full members) or peer supervision (for Fellows) as part of their CPD requirement. On a practical level, this means getting together with your supervisor for a minimum of two hours per month (or on a pro-rata basis for Students) to discuss, in a confidential manner, your current case load and treatment schedules, and talk over any problems you may be encountering. Documentary evidence of all supervision sessions will be kept in your CPD Portfolio. The NCSAG has a policy of random monitoring of supervision, as well as the five-yearly review of CPD Portfolios.

The therapeutic alliance is, perhaps, the most important aspect of any therapy, but it is all too easy for a therapist to be so involved in the therapeutic relationship that he or she cannot see it from a clear perspective. That is where supervision comes into its own, helping therapists to reflect constructively on their working relationships with clients. Details of supervision requirements are available to those applying to join the NCSAG.

Higher Degrees from British Universities

Most British universities have systems whereby students who do not have a first degree are offered access to Masters degree courses on the basis of recognised, non-degree, qualifications and professional experience. NCHP training is recognised by the UK Council for Psychotherapy as a post-graduate level of training and, as such, provides our graduates with a good basis on which to approach universities, with a view to studying at Masters level, or above. The NCHP is happy to assist such individual initiatives by providing graduates with academic and professional references. Above all, our external accreditation is via process and personnel similar to that applied to the universities themselves.

Students and graduates of the NCHP may be interested in pursuing further study with the Open University. (See p19 for details of OU-specific credit rating of all three stages of our training and refer to the OU's website: www. open. ac. uk/credit-transfer.) 

Even if applicants have no intention of undertaking an OU course in the immediate future, credits will be useful if circumstances change. Also, to be credit-rated by so prestigious an institution adds to the credibility of our, hence your, training.

(Back to Index)