Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion
Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - Printable Version

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Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - nykorn - 12-31-2023

Today I learned that in some US states and some countries, hypnotherapy is considered medical practice, some health insurance companies will pay for it (if circumstances are right), and you DO need a license to practice it. As a licensed medical practitioner, you might possibly qualify for medical practitioner discounts at various shops (which can be as much as 40%) via services like SheerID and ID.me. 

What is hypnotherapy? Go watch the movie "Office Space". In all seriousness, it is supposedly about helping the client relax and reach a state of focus such as when you get engrossed in a book or on the internet and lose all track of time and your surroundings, which then helps them change mindsets and behaviors or talk about painful feelings and memories. Is hypnotherapy academically/scientifically proven to do anything? Yeah, in the sense that stuff like deep breathing, stress relief and relaxation, meditation, positive "I can do it!" and "positive imagination" therapy, talk therapy, placebos (such as thinking you've been drinking alcohol when you haven't) and so on have all been academically proven to physically do something to the human body (including change your body temperature, reduce pain, improve your immune system, and increase your brain's grey matter density).

Depending on the state, the state hypnotherapist license is granted by either 1) the state Board of Health, 2) the state Board of Psychologists, 3) the state Board of Licensing, 4) the state Board of Hypnotherapists. You can get some certificate or diploma courses in hypnotherapy for less than $100. If you want a degree, you can find them in anywhere from the Associate's to the Doctorate's level, but accreditation is suspect.

As an example, the only qualifications to get a hypnotherapist license in Washington state (granted by the Department of Health) are:
 
1) proof that you have finished a course in hypnotherapy, ideally that grants a certificate (no mention of a minimum number of hours, of accreditation, or of needing any other education including college education - but 300 study hours is recommended, and your hypnotherapy qualification will be reviewed by a "specialist"),
2) a background check (they note that a permanent record doesn't automatically disqualify you from getting the license)
3) pay the modest licensing fees (around $160) and renew your license annually (around $80).
4) If you are going to practice hypnotherapy online, you need to complete "telemedicine" (telehealth) training, which in Washington state is a free 30-60 minute online course.

California is an example of a state where you don't need a license to practice hypnotherapy, but where if you don't have a license and you advertise that your hypnotherapy can cure or relieve an ailment - including stuff as small as "blemishes" or "anxiety" - you can get a fine of up to $10,000.

In some countries you cannot legally call it "hypnotherapy" or call yourself a "hypnotherapist" unless you have a separate medical license, because the word "therapist" itself is legally restricted to people with medical degrees and medical licenses - however you can remove the word "therapist" and just say you are a "hypnotist" who practices "hypnosis" and then you're perfectly fine.

Some places legally distinguish between "hypnotherapy" or "home hypnotherapy" versus "clinical hypnotherapy". As far as I could find, when a legal distinction exists, getting a "clinical hypnotherapy" license requires for you to already have at least a Bachelor's degree in Counseling, Psychology, Medicine, Nursing or Hypnotherapy, in some cases you must have been working as a medical or therapist professional at some sort of government-recognized clinic or hospital for (at maximum) at least 5 years, then you must take an accredited course on Hypnotherapy worth at least 200-300 hours. For those of you who think that sounds like a lot and have never taken a so-called 200 hour course online before - I have taken an accredited 120 hour one (so much "internationally recognized" that it enabled me to get work visas) in a totally unrelated field, and it only actually took me 7 hours to finish.

Some places distinguish between "hypnotherapy" and "stage hypnotherapy". In that case the former is the "medical" type, techniques aimed at stuff like curbing people's anxieties and addictions. The latter is pure TV/magician entertainment with no therapeutic aim, like "when I count to 3 you will be .

Finally, even if you take a hypnotherapy course that is not accredited in any way, you can attempt to get your certificate "validated" by a third party such as The International Hypnosis Association. In most cases this is purely to make yourself look better to clients and means absolutely nothing. However in states or countries where you need a license to practice, this validation might possibly help grant you the license.

Due to the fact that hypnotherapy is unlicensed and unregulated in many places, and "birds of a feather flock together", you will find a lot of certificates or schools that blend hypnotherapy with other topics that are unregulated and no-license-required in that particular state or country, such as NLP (NeuroLinguistic Programming), Mindfulness, Past Life Regression, Aromatherapy, and even Acupuncture. Obviously in other places some of this stuff (particularly acupuncture and aromatherapy) is a highly regulated field and counted as a medical profession. You will find that the majority of people and schools offering hypnotherapy classes have no formal medical or psychological training, and that the websites the courses are sold on feel like they were written by car salesmen back in the 1990s.

Note for courses taught in Spanish and other major languages: 
1) With modern technology, including pop-up dictionaries, speech translation for videos/sound, Chat-gpt4 correcting your written Spanish, Deepl text translation, online dictionaries that show you verb forms etc, Reverso Context which shows you phrases, you can successfully complete education like this in major languages like Spanish, French or German without knowing the language.

2) Spanish courses will always say they are "accredited" or have a "partnership" with something. This means literally nothing. One example of so-called accreditation I found is a "school" with 4 employees, 3 of whom are "translators" but NONE of the school's courses have been translated! Their so-called accredited diploma is "accredited" by nothing more than their own one-man schoolhouse! Another example is a "school" claiming to have a "partnership" with Google - that just meant they had put a Google search bar or Google Analytics on their website. Now, if you live in a place where your hypnotherapist education doesn't have to be accredited and you don't need a license, then none of that matters.

Examples of online courses and their price ranges (there are many, many more out there):


RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - bjcheung77 - 12-31-2023

These are more 'health/medical related' certificate programs, it's not really a certification program that they offer... Hmm, if the demand is high, outlook is bright, and the pay is good, these type of professions or similar ones with 'certificates' and those that don't really require a certification/license to practice, then by all means, you can do more research and see if it's for you... There are several that are not regulated and they make good money, many 'schools' out there that cash in on these people and their studies, some of the programs are in Hawaii and they are making a killing...

RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - nykorn - 01-01-2024

It's not exactly the same subject, but I have a friend who has deeply researched the income you can make from certain niche markets - which include things like "modern witches". Now, there is stuff selling on the internet which is, say, a $30 "spell" or "magic rock" on Ebay done by a "professional witch", and it's not just a joke, these things actually make money. Imagine if that person were a licensed witch with the official approval of New York State and an international witch association.

My thinking is more that if you could get the medical license, for some people the medical practitioner discounts would end up being worth the money it cost for the license and education.

I'm keeping it in the back of my head for now and may eventually try to get the license just for fun. Might be fun living in Hawaii!

RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - Johann - 01-05-2024

nykorn said "..may eventually try to get the license just for fun. Might be fun living in Hawaii."

"Licensed" fraud is still fraud. With your $30 training, you could seriously damage someone with real problems - you wouldn't even know what to avoid. Your "license" would not help you in a million-dollar lawsuit or a criminal charge, if someone died or you were found responsible for injuries. And yes, it might be fun living in Hawaii - but NOT in the Halawa Correctional Facility, in Honolulu.
(12-31-2023, 07:25 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: These are more 'health/medical related' certificate programs, it's not really a certification program that they offer... Hmm, if the demand is high, outlook is bright, and the pay is good, these type of professions or similar ones with 'certificates' and those that don't really require a certification/license to practice, then by all means, you can do more research and see if it's for you...  There are several that are not regulated and they make good money, many 'schools' out there that cash in on these people and their studies, some of the programs are in Hawaii and they are making a killing...
OMG!  I wonder what "Quackwatch" would make of this post!!! https://quackwatch.org/ They probably couldn't do much but I bet they'd sure SAY something!

RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - indigoshuffle - 01-06-2024

(01-05-2024, 12:00 AM)Johann Wrote: nykorn said "..may eventually try to get the license just for fun. Might be fun living in Hawaii."

"Licensed" fraud is still fraud. With your $30 training, you could seriously damage someone with real problems - you wouldn't even know what to avoid. Your "license" would not help you in a million-dollar lawsuit or a criminal charge, if someone died or you were found responsible for injuries. And yes, it might be fun living in Hawaii - but NOT in the Halawa Correctional Facility, in Honolulu.
(12-31-2023, 07:25 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: These are more 'health/medical related' certificate programs, it's not really a certification program that they offer... Hmm, if the demand is high, outlook is bright, and the pay is good, these type of professions or similar ones with 'certificates' and those that don't really require a certification/license to practice, then by all means, you can do more research and see if it's for you...  There are several that are not regulated and they make good money, many 'schools' out there that cash in on these people and their studies, some of the programs are in Hawaii and they are making a killing...
OMG!  I wonder what "Quackwatch" would make of this post!!!  https://quackwatch.org/ They probably couldn't do much but I bet they'd sure SAY something!

This applies to preachers, pastors, and priests who engage in psychotherapy. While they may not be licensed, people do turn to them for help with mental health issues. There is religious-based therapy available, and practitioners in this field are licensed. It's essential to remember that a license isn't just for the individual practicing; it's for the public's protection. You are correct; simply having a license doesn't shield you from potential issues.
This is why degree programs, such as those at Liberty University, grounded in creation rather than evolution, can be potentially risky. Nonetheless, it's worth noting that some individuals do find value in religious-based therapy; also, research suggests that hypnotherapy can be effective for things like smoking, trichotillomania, nail-biting. 
It's hyperbolic to claim that a hypnotherapist will wind up in prison for practicing within his/her scope and within state laws. Interestingly, there are cases of medical doctors (MDs), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs), and psychologists ending up in jail due to inappropriate relationships with their patients. Inappropriate contact with patients, not reporting threats, not reporting suicidal ideation to a crisis center: these are the things that can "land you in prison" regardless of whether you're a shaman or a psychotherapist.

RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - bjcheung77 - 01-06-2024

And here's a reference to a post I created about 'similar' professions... You really need to research the institution from Hawaii and the program they provide, before putting your hard earned cash, energy, time into the studies, that's all I am going to say - If the certs work for you, great, if not, leave it... Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-Would-you-tarnish-your-reputation-for-the-sake-of-getting-a-PhD

RE: Hypnotherapy + $30 course or $12,000 degree = Licensed "Medical" Profession - CenterSquarEd - 01-06-2024

(01-01-2024, 03:55 PM)nykorn Wrote: It's not exactly the same subject, but I have a friend who has deeply researched the income you can make from certain niche markets - which include things like "modern witches". Now, there is stuff selling on the internet which is, say, a $30 "spell" or "magic rock" on Ebay done by a "professional witch", and it's not just a joke, these things actually make money. Imagine if that person were a licensed witch with the official approval of New York State and an international witch association.

My thinking is more that if you could get the medical license, for some people the medical practitioner discounts would end up being worth the money it cost for the license and education.

I'm keeping it in the back of my head for now and may eventually try to get the license just for fun. Might be fun living in Hawaii!
Hypnotist doesn’t seem to be one of the professions licensed by NYS Department of Education. Medical doctors are. So are a wide variety of mental health practitioners all the way up to art therapists. New York seems to say that licensed mental health professionals can’t advertise themselves as hypnotists: https://op.nysed.gov/professions/mental-health-practitioners/professional-practice/maintaining-professional-competence. They do seem to tolerate the idea that a professional could incorporate hypnosis if they completed a program of study in it, so maybe that’s who could go for a certificate.

Being recognized as a hypnotist by the private organization of hypnotists doesn’t seem to get you any special status. Maybe some businesses would be willing to give you their discount, although it’s arguably fraudulent if you don’t have another qualification.

That’s not to say you couldn’t go into business as a hypnotist, just that there isn’t some loophole to get benefits easily.