Body by body
What each one is, and what it asks of you
From each body's own pages, read on 27 October 2026. The letters in brackets are what you will see after practitioners' names.
Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
A voluntary regulator. Its register is accredited by the PSA.
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | Yes |
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| How you join | You apply through a professional body it works with (a "verifying organisation"). The training has to meet its core curriculum for hypnotherapy: 450 hours in total, at least 120 of them taught with you and the tutor in the same room, over at least nine months, at Level 4 or equivalent, with at least three case studies and a practical and written exam, the practical marked independently. |
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| What it costs | £75 to register (it covers 12 months), then £75 a year. Extra disciplines cost a little more. |
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| Each year | At least 15 hours of CPD a year, 10 of them about hypnotherapy. CNHC checks logs at random. It sets no supervision rule. |
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Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
National Hypnotherapy Society (HS)
A professional membership society that holds a PSA-accredited register, and approves courses. It is run by the same not-for-profit body as the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | Yes |
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| How you join | Registrant: finish a course the Society accredits, or an Ofqual Level 3 Certificate in Hypnotherapy Practice (or equivalent) that meets the national standards. Training done purely online is not accepted. Accredited grade: a Level 4 course, or Level 3 plus three years on a register, 100 client hours after qualifying, a supervisor's report, a reference, 30 hours of CPD and at least 120 guided hours in a physical classroom. |
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| What it costs | £95 a year, with a reduced fee for people on benefits. No separate joining fee is shown. |
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| Each year | 30 hours of CPD a year ("should"). Supervision is required: about an hour and a half a month for full-time practice. Insurance is required. |
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Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH)
A not-for-profit professional membership body with a register of members. It also runs the Hypnotherapy in Practice Diploma (HPD) with the awarding body NCFE.
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | No |
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| How you join | Show skills at the level of the National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy. Its own diploma (HPD) is preferred, not required. Other routes include a portfolio and viva, current CNHC registration, or membership of a CNHC-recognised association. It names no minimum hours or exam. |
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| What it costs | £145 a year, or £85 with the HPD. Students are free for 18 months on a course NCH accredits. |
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| Each year | At least 15 hours of CPD a year. An NCH-approved supervisor for the first three years after qualifying and until 300 client hours. |
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Worth knowing: NCH says the HPD is benchmarked at Level 4 and is not a nationally recognised qualification. It is not on Ofqual's register.
Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)
A voluntary register. Its standards council, the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC), sets course standards and handles complaints.
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | No |
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| How you join | Its published standard for a practitioner-level course is at least 450 hours overall, with at least 120 guided hours and 165 directed hours, including three case studies. |
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| What it costs | About £120 in its 2019 documents (£25 administration plus £95 for the first year). We could not confirm today's fee. |
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| Each year | 25 hours of CPD a year, and supervision for newly qualified practitioners: at least 2 hours in any 3 months for the first 2 years (2019 documents). |
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Worth knowing: We could not open its current site (it showed a bot check, which we did not try to get past), so these figures come from its 2019 documents and may be out of date.
Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP)
A professional membership association for hypnotherapists and psychotherapists. It approves schools. It has a sister body for counsellors, the NRPC.
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | No |
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| How you join | Its criteria for current training are 450 hours with at least 120 in class or live face to face, the rest coursework and home study. Other applicants are assessed one by one. You need proof of your diploma, hours, teachers, a supervisor and insurance. |
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| What it costs | £85 a year, or £120 joint with its sister body. |
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| Each year | At least 15 hours of CPD a year before moving up a grade, and a supervision agreement. |
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Worth knowing: For its own entry APHP counts live online teaching as classroom. For CNHC it says applicants need 120 hours in the same place as the tutor.
Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH)
A non-profit that keeps a register of approved Solution Focused Hypnotherapists.
| On the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) list? | No |
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| How you join | You must be qualified and insured, and follow its code. |
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| What it costs | Fees are not shown on the page we read. |
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| Each year | At least 21 hours of professional development a year, including regular supervision. |
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Source: their own site. Read 27 October 2026.
Also in this field: the UK Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations (UKCHO) is an umbrella group, not a register you join as a practitioner. British Society of Clinical Hypnosis (BSCH), British Association of Therapeutic Hypnotists (BAThH), National Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists (NACHP), National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists (NCIP) and National Society of Talking Therapies (NSTT) are named by CNHC as organisations that can verify your training. None is on the PSA list, and we could not read their own pages, so we give no figures for them.