The Launch of the Australian National Hypnotherapy Register (ANHR)

HypnosisAustralia, May 2009

By Gary Johnston, Grad Dip CH, MTLTP, MCCH, MAACHP, MISTSS.

Clinical hypnotherapy produces exceptional results for clients across a wide range of physical and emotional issues. Yet its acceptance as a unique profession has been limited in both the public and official view. With new challenges hovering on the horizon we need to take action as a unified profession to protect our profession and the wellbeing of the clients who rely on us.

It is no secret that the profession of clinical hypnosis has been fragmented for a long time.
Personal interests, rivalry among associations, schools and different methodologies and personality conflicts have plagued the profession since I entered it in the mid 1980s. During the early years of this century the Council of Clinical Hypnotherapists (CCH) was formed in an attempt to bring the associations together and act together in informing all levels of government. This achieved limited success due to the fact that it was perceived by many in the profession to be acting as an association itself, thereby limiting its ability to act for all associations. While that perception caused distrust, it was not how the CCH was set up, nor its intention.

In the interests of the future of the profession, CCH offered to step aside and pass the reigns over to any other body that could be set up with the full support of the profession as a whole. A working party to develop a uniform peak body, the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia (HCA) was formed. The HCA working group has been steadily working towards a constitution and structure over the past 18 months. The ultimate desire was to eventually set up a unified National Register of hypnotherapists that would allow the public a degree of confidence in the training, skills and ethics of chosen therapists.

Now, in light of moves made by various levels of government including the Council of Australian Governments (COAG 2008a, COAG 2008b) and the Department of Health and Aging it was decided by the CCH Executive that we could not afford to wait until HCA is up and running before we established the National Register. It is far more urgent than this. The Private Health Insurer (Accreditation) Rules 2008 (MHA 2008) will introduce new stringent conditions as of 1 July 2009 and we need to be ready to comply or miss out all together. Under Rule 10 applying to "allied health providers" (including hypnotherapists), therapists wanting recognition of provider status must conform to the following:

"(a) be a member of a professional organisation which covers health care providers who provide that type of treatment (the profession) and which:
i. Has a national registration requirement for the profession; and
ii. Assesses whether the health care provider has the appropriate level of training and education to practise in that profession; and
iii. Administers a continuing professional development scheme in which the health care provider is required, as a condition of membership, to participate; and
iv. Maintains a code of conduct by which the health care provider must abide in order to continue to be a member; and
v. Has a formal disciplinary procedure, including a process to expel (however described) members, and a complaints resolution procedure"

Unless applicants for provider status can conform to these requirements the insurers are not allowed to pay benefits. Whilst all associations can provide such reassurance for items (ii) to (v), the lack of a unified independent National Registry causes concern.

The CCH decision to immediately establish a unified National Register will help the profession conform to these requirements. It is important to note that when HCA finally does become operational and it is ready to take over, the National Register will transfer to its care and further development.

The Australian National Hypnotherapy Register (ANHR) has been incorporated, initially with CCH as its sole shareholder. This structure will include ownership by the associations once the new structure and operation of CCH settles down and the ongoing involvement of HCA is finalised.

A new website has been built to be the on-line presence of the Registry at anhregister.org.au. While sponsored by CCH, the Registry has its own 'life'. The website contains a simple explanation of the raison d'être behind it as a unified national registry, independent from any vested interests or single associations, with full support of all except one association at the time of writing. Also on the website is the register, searchable by state, therapist, association and location, a list of the associations that are members of CCH and additional information for members of the Register.

In the past CCH has received strong resistance from some associations to joining as a peak body, primarily because is has been perceived as acting as an association itself (and hence viewed as competition) rather than the intended purpose of being a peak body. It was therefore important that CCH change its operation in the perception of both the associations and government in order to move ahead. Now the only members that CCH will admit are approved associations, with colleges and other training organisations joining as Associate Members. This removes the view that CCH is competing with the associations, and removes objections to joining forces. The response from the associations and their members has been overwhelmingly supportive, including strong support from the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH) and other key groups.

CCH now acts only as a unifying peak body, consulting with and supporting the associations and providing advice and guidance when asked. The organisation also consults with the training bodies and other stakeholders to develop suitable training standards, Codes of Ethics and minimum professional standards. Notwithstanding, the associations are autonomous bodies responsible only to themselves, but with guidance available as necessary.

CCH is acting to lobby government and health insurance companies on the recognition of Clinical Hypnotherapy as a separate profession and to ensure compliance with legislative proposals. To this end CCH has provided submissions to the Social Development Committee regarding the deregulation of hypnosis in South Australia, and the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. We will be completing work on further submissions as a matter of urgency and continuing the lobbying process on behalf of its member associations and stakeholders. Furthermore, we are able to announce that through our negotiations with our insurance broker, Insurance Made Easy, the comprehensive professional indemnity insurance cover that was previously only available to CCH registered members is now available to all members of CCH Member Associations. This is a very tangible benefit for Member Associations, as the CCH policy was carefully tailored to meet the needs of Clinical Hypnotherapists and is inclusive of Regression and Past Life therapies (which are now exclusions on many insurance policies).

Membership of the Registry has been simplified, based on the requirements of the associations to ensure quality of training and conformance to high standards of ethics and professional behaviour. It involves downloading and completing the application form on the anhregister.org.au website, attaching a certified copy of the members current Certificate of Membership of an approved association and payment of the low registry fee. While at the time of writing the AHA is the only association that has not committed to the Register, its members are eligible because CCH has accepted and applaud the AHA's professional standards for members.

These are critical times for the profession of clinical hypnotherapy that demand the putting aside of self-interest and the development of ongoing high professional standards of therapy and behaviour. The Council of Clinical Hypnotherapists welcomes all of its member associations and training bodies and looks forward to further advancing the profile and credibility of a unified profession for the benefit of the entire profession and its valued clients. The Executive of CCH supports the development of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia and looks forward to its final operational launch.

References

COAG (2008a) Intergovernmental Agreement for a National Registration And Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions, Council of Australian Governments March 2008

COAG (2008b) Council of Australian Governments National Action Plan for Mental Health 2006-2011 Progress Report 2006-07, Published Feb 2008 Australian Health Ministers' Conference
MHA (2008) Private Health Insurance (Accreditation) Rules 2008, Minister of Health and Aging, Australian Government June 2008

Gary Johnston is the Acting President of the Council of Clinical Hypnotherapists. He has 25 years of clinical and teaching experience in clinical hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy. He currently specialises in Acute Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and pain, and is working with DSE on the Critical Incident trauma response following the recent Victorian fires. He is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Australian Association of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. His clinic website is at http://www.gmfint.com.

©HypnosisAustralia, May 2009