The Australian Hypnotherapists' Association members are recognised by state and federal governments, private health funds and industry bodies as the largest hypnotherapy association in Australia since 1949. The purpose of this register is to provide the public with a reliable, up-to-date resource when seeking a qualified hypnotherapist.
In a social environment in which credentials and qualifications are becoming increasingly important, the question as to what constitutes an acceptable basic “professional” level of training in hypnotherapy is one that is frequently asked. There has been no agreed answer up until now. Those who claim to be “trained”, “qualified” or “accredited” undertake programs that vary from a few weekend workshops and/or a limited amount of reading, through to those who have five or more years of tertiary study in related areas followed by an intensive hypnotherapy course and several years of clinical supervision with an accredited supervisor through a professional hypnotherapy association such as the AHA. To address this issue the practitioner directory has adopted a minimum set of training standards for the professional practice of Hypnotherapy and review them regularly.
The contemporary social ethos makes issues of accountability and public protection in clinical services particularly important. The AHA practitioner directory retrieves information directly from the AHA member database, ensuring that all members are current and up to date professionally. Should a member lapse in renewing and updating professional requirements yearly, that member will not appear on the directory. The purpose of the AHA is to maintain appropriately qualified professional hypnotherapists who meet the required standards, and to work toward raising standards and the continuing professionalisation of hypnotherapy as a modality. Suitably qualified practitioners are invited to apply for membership and therefore inclusion on the directory whether in Australia or overseas.
Each therapist whose name appears on the directory must have demonstrated that he or she meets requirements in ethics and training standards as well as yearly membership requirements. The directory provides an authoritative guide to the qualifications and standards of training of hypnotherapists in Australia. All members listed in the directory have undergone a rigorous application process in which their qualifications, relevant training and supervised experience have been verified. It also confirms that they meet requirements for on-going supervision and professional development, and that they belong to a recognised professional hypnotherapy association.
This emphasis on standards and verification of qualifications distinguishes the AHA from other hypnotherapy listings and directories. Other listings of therapists serve a different purpose related more to promoting awareness of and promoting of a service, modality or profession. Often such directories have not undertaken a rigorous process of verifying qualifications and claims about practice and competence, and do not serve a regulatory function such as providing a mechanism for investigating complaints. The aim of the AHA directory is to fill this gap by providing the public with an authoritative listing of professional hypnotherapists.