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The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association and UK’s General Hypnotherapy Standards Council form a significant strategic alliance

Australia is the home of one of the worlds oldest Hypnotherapy Associations. Founded in 1949, the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association (AHA) led the way in setting standards and aligning professional hypnotherapists to work together for the betterment of the profession, becoming the first hypnotherapy association of Australia.

True to its pioneering past, the AHA has once again displayed its forward thinking initiative by instigating a strategic alliance with the UK’s General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC).

The UK’s Standards Council currently comprises of one hundred and twenty different organisations (both professional bodies and training schools) dedicated to the advancement of Hypnotherapy throughout the UK.

The GHSC is currently part of the working group involved with hypnotherapy regulation in the UK that will lead the profession in a unified manner towards the status of Voluntary Self-Regulation (VSR). VSR will eventually be the validated standard for registration recognised by the British Government.

The Strategic Alliance formed between the AHA and Britain’s GHSC will acknowledge mutual and interactive recognition of registration, qualifications and association criteria. This will be invaluable to Australia to open negotiation with other groups, health funds and the Australian Government should Australia commence its own Voluntary Self Regulation (VSR) programme in the future.

Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association president Bruni Brewin was quoted as saying; “The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association looks forward to a closer working partnership with the UK and towards further uniform standards within the Hypnotherapy profession.

Negotiators on behalf of both associations, Mr Peter Richard-Herbert and Mr William Broom have announced that they now have a finalised strategic working alliance agreement in place, which will enable AHA members to establish links throughout the UK with the other organisations now in affiliation with the GHSC.

Negotiator for the AHA, Peter Richard-Herbert went on to say; "A viable everyday working agreement can be put in practice as each of our associations have similar requirements in regard to a minimum number of practical training hours, professional indemnity insurance, supervision, Continuing Professional Development, adherence to a Code of Ethics and acceptance of a Complaints Procedure etc. in reality, we are not greatly dissimilar.”

The General Hypnotherapy Standards Council, is at present participating within the UK’s Working Group for Hypnotherapy Regulation and the setting up and overseeing of criteria for validation of training and registration in the UK, and will shortly be commencing a national programme of voting on a whole range of key regulation issues.
 
The GHSC registrar William Broom in his correspondence stated;  “Such an affiliation is clearly a significant step forward for the Hypnotherapy profession at an International level, yet one that should also enhance the profession's progress within both Australia and the UK respectively.”

For further information please contact the Australian Hypnotherapists' Association on 1800 067 557 or www.ahahypnotherapy.org.au