ASCH joins ACA

HypnosisAustralia, November 2007

By Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Editorial Director of HypnosisAustralia Online.

The Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH), at the beginning of November announced that it is joining the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) to form a College of Hypnotherapy within the ACA. Lyndall Briggs, representing ASCH at the recent forum for a national hypnotherapy organisation in Melbourne October 2007, said: "We have made this decision because we believe it is in the best interest of our members at the moment. The ACA is an established body and already speaking with the government."

Some dangers of organisations based in hypnotherapy getting major bodies like the ACA, Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS) to represent them is that hypnotherapy can be seen as an adjunct therapy. This would mean that hypnotherapy is seen as just some form of counselling or psychotherapy and those major organisations, without hypnotherapy in their titles, will not truly represent the specific needs of the hypnotherapy profession. This would also mean that after training as a hypnotherapist and using direct suggestion, that might be in contradiction of counselling organisations based on Rogerian principles of not directing the client's actions.

Briggs did, however, go on to say: "We at ASCH are interested in what a national body for hypnotherapy might be doing and we may wish to be involved at a later date. It just for the moment we are trying to avoid re-inventing the wheel."

There is no reason why ASCH could not be involved in both ACA and a national body; just as the Australian Hypnotherapy Association (AHA) will remain a member organisation of PACFA while still being involved in a national body for hypnotherapy.

©HypnosisAustralia, November 2007