The Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy (DCH) degree is an unrecognized degree in the United States. When such a degree is available, it is often granted by schools offering distance education, usually in conjunction with existing hypnotherapy certification programs.
Because the majority of hypnotherapy degrees are offered through programs that are unaccredited in nature, they do not have to meet any requirements established by national licensing standards.
In most USA states, it is a criminal offence to use the title “Doctor” if the doctorate is received from an unaccredited institution.
The Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy (DCH) degree was an unaccredited doctoral degree offered in the United States, which provided in-depth theory and training in applied clinical hypnotherapy. Individual programs offered by institutions in the US vary but generally combine distance learning with local practicum training. Because some hypnotherapy degrees are offered through programs that are unaccredited in nature, they do not have to meet any requirements established by national licensing standards. However, the American Institute of Hypnotherapy (AIH) was approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary & Vocational Education. But the former FBI consultant Dr John Bear said there was a world of difference between “approval” and “accreditation”. BPPVE do not accredit programmes. According to the BPPVE database, (as of 25 May 2010) The American Institute of Hypnotherapy is now located at 27105 Arriba Way, Carmel, CA 93923 but indicate that they no longer offer degree training in clinical hypnotherapy.
Originally approved by the State of California in California to grant degrees in early 1980s, the American Institute of Hypnotherapy offered unaccredited Bachelors and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Hypnotherapy (DCH) which served a way point as there were no accredited programs available in the specialization at the time. AIH sought to establish Hypnotherapy as a separate field. The program could be completed by distance learning and directed independent study (DIS) but required attendance at seminars, practicals, workshops, studying a range of relevant texts and developing a 20-30 pp page academic paper on each course/text. These were graded by faculty for content and analysis of the topic. The program modeled a Psy.D program, offering the opportunity to study many diverse authors, researchers and applications in hypnosis including pain control.
As to the matter of Accreditation in the United States, in the Case of McKenna v MGN Ltd, Court of Appeal – Queen’s Bench Division, July 28, 2006, [2006] EWHC 1996 (QB), Neutral Citation Number: [2006] EWHC 1996 (QB) Case No: HQ04X03313, IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, QUEEN’S BENCH DIVISION, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL, the Honourable Mr Justice Eady in Paragraph 9 of the summing up of his Approved Judgement in the case of McKenna v Mirror Group Newspapers when referring to Accreditation in the United States stated: “The notion of “accreditation” in the context of university degrees is by no means as straightforward as one might imagine. There is no federal system. Practice varies, so I understand, from state to state. There are a large number of private bodies who take responsibility for investigating institutions and, where appropriate, giving accreditation. It is by no means an essential pre-requisite for granting degrees, although it is plainly an important factor for the purpose of recognition by other academic institutions in the United States and by potential employers”
There are several accrediting professional bodies in the United States that require minimum standards in specialized hypnotherapy education to become certified as a hypnotherapist (C.Ht.).[2] Most of these organizations certify “lay hypnotherapists,” and do not require health care training or experience for certification. Two accrediting bodies in the U.S. are The National Guild of Hypnotists and International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA). Both are educational organizations dedicated to standards and practice efforts in understanding and extending applications in hypnotherapy. In addition, the venerable Hypnosis Society of Pennsylvania has a process of recognition of training programs in conjunction with the Hypnotist Union as a Service Employee Union credential in the USA.
However, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH)has long been accepted as the “gold-standard” of organizations which train and certify health care professionals in the art of hypnotherapy. Health care professionals (doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc.) with a masters degree or higher can receive certification through a rigorous application process and training. Training and certification may be provided at several local branches of ASCH throughout the United States (i.e. Philadelphia area is the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis.)
The Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI), based in Tarzana, California, is the only nationally accredited college dedicated exclusively to teaching hypnosis and hypnotic techniques. HMI offers both local classes on its campus in Tarzana, as well as a comprehensive distance learning based program, one which is unique from other online/distance programs because of its required clinical interatcion. HMI is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) and the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) (both accrediting agenies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education) and is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), the Dental Board of California (DBC) and the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) to provide continuing education credits for ongoing licensing requirements
