April
2007 Hypnotherapy Industry Meeting
HypnosisAustralia,
May 2007
By
Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist &
Counsellor
Editorial Director of HypnosisAustralia Online.
It would
be safe to say that the spurring for this meeting was initiated by the
horror of many hypnotherapy associations and schools about the recent
proposals to the SA Psychological Bill alteration that proposed to exclude
hypnotherapies from practising. The emails that flew around between those
bodies during March and April formed the most communication many of them
had had with each other for years. There emerged a general realisation
and concern that the industry was so fragmented that it was vulnerable
to attacks by many bodies.
The meeting
coordinator was Chris Visman and delegations from different organisations
flew in from interstate to the Y Hotel Conference Centre, Sydney. The
Australian Hypnotherapists Association, in a gesture of good faith, even
offered to foot some of the cost of the morning attendance fees. Some
bodies, however, were unable to get delegates to attend because of the
short lead-in time of three weeks. The event also clashed with the World
Sexology Conference, one of the most important calendar events of the
year.
Proposed
advance notice discussion included who and what constitutes the hypnotherapy
industry; what would be the role of a hypnotherapy federation if one could
be launched; who would benefit from such a federation; what would be the
name of such a federation; how it would be financed; what would be such
an association's structure; whether such a federation should be called
a council or delegate of its members associations; how a board might be
elected; if the board should include a member who is not a hypnotherapist;
directors' insurance; a website; minimum level of training; ethical standards
and complaints procedures; strategies for developing contact with the
government; and election of committees and sub-committees.
It has to
said, the name of the meeting seemed at odds with its proposed agenda
as it looked like focusing on forming a large organisation from many small
organisations as opposed to being a conference on the industry. There
are, of course, associations who are not interested in surrendering sovereignty
at this stage. The journal spoke to a representative from one association
who said that they would not be interested in joining but would be interested
in an all-Australian conference, at least as an engagement period while
they found out what they might be getting themselves into, and if they
wanted to commit at any level at all.
The organiser
did not want to identify the attendees and said there would be another
meeting in June in Brisbane. Hopefully at the next meeting, the delegates
will publicly identify themselves, to help foster a level of trust - more
meetings with secret attendees we don't need.
©HypnosisAustralia,
May 2007
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