VETAB
Trying to Make it Easier For RTO
HypnosisAustralia,
November 2008
By
Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist &
Counsellor
Editorial Director of HypnosisAustralia Online.
Training
standards for hypnotherapists in Australia have gone through different
evolutionary cycles. Training also depends on previous qualifications,
what different disciplines people come from or whether their first foot
into the health profession is through the hypnotherapy portal. For instance
if someone is already a psychiatrist, psychologist, doctor, nurse, counsellor,
psychotherapist or naturopath, their training requirements may be learning
hypnotherapy as a secondary or adjunct discipline. The person who is a
dentist, anaesthesiologist, nurse or doctor may require the use of hypnosis
as a medical aid to their already existing practices as opposed to a psychotherapeutic
tool. Many of those who are already health professionals do not do full
trainings in hypnosis but operate under their primary disciplines.
For the novice
to the healing professions, however, who is an uninitiated post-graduate
healthcare professional, training is very confusing because there are
no truly recognised government training standards since hypnotherapy is
not a government-registered profession. The Vocational Educational Training
Accreditation Board (VETAB)-accredited schools operating at undergraduate
levels are therefore now the only measure of training. When a training
organisation applies to VETAB its processes and teaching constructions
are vetted and should it be approved it will be able to advertise as a
Registered Training Organisation (RTO). RTOs under the Australian Quality
Training Framework (AQTF) are expected to gather data on learner engagement,
employee satisfaction and competency completion for the continuous improvement
on RTOs by state and federal bodies. Whilst there are trainings that are
not VETAB recognised the public cannot asses the quality of their training
in advance in any other measures than reputation or the quality of the
advertising. Since VETAB is a national system it does override the state
to state differentials.
Whilst PACFA
and ACA as well as ATMS are trying to recognise training courses, in reality
a uniform system has not arisen. The level for training required by a
hypnotherapist is a matter for conjecture because it depends on the level
at which a practitioner intends to practise and the complexity of conditions
they intend to treat. It has to be stated, however, that VETAB is not
a guarantee of quality of training just as a university is not the guarantee
of the level being taught at its university, it is simply a measure of
hours spent training and academic review. VETAB does offer workshops to
help RTOs comply to expected standards and understand their obligations.
Certainly people trained only to VETAB-accredited levels in hypnotherapy
should not be treating complex conditions such as psychosis except under
the supervision of post-graduate mental health professionals.
VETAB has
now made its newsletter available online, making it easier for schools
to keep up to date with requirements and changing requirements for continued
registration and accreditation. One of the great problems with accreditation
bodies internationally is that accrediting boards frequently operate in
secret and fail to widely publish their true standards for accreditation
so it is important that both the public and schools have access to stated
training standards information.
http://online.vetab.nsw.gov.au/enews/default.aspx
©HypnosisAustralia,
November 2008
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