Hypno-Psychotherapy Section

Modality Specific

Standards of Education and Training

Agreed by Section 18/11/08

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Section values
3. Staff
4. Training requirements
5. Accreditation of Prior / Experiential Learning
6. Theory and practice
7. Core curriculum
8. Supervised practice
9. Mental health placement
10. Assessment
11. Qualification and registration

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
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.