Hypnotherapist Certification

Professional Hypnotherapy Certification Program

Certification in hypnotherapy is a desired outcome for many HMI students. There are no state or government certification agencies. Certification is not a legal requirement in order to practice.

Certification is strictly a voluntary process that many Hypnotherapists seek to establish an aura of confidence in their credentials.

There are many certification agencies to choose from. Many certification groups have official sounding names that would lead you to believe they are government agencies. They are not.

HMI recommends the Hypnotherapist's Union Local 472.

The Hypnotherapists Union Local 472

The Hypnotherapist's Union is a non-profit organization, governed by a Board of Directors, elected by the Hypnotherapist members they represent. The Hypnotherapist's Union is not a privately owned organization where membership dues can be put into an individual's pocket. It does not serve as a collective bargaining organization, nor does it organize strikes. The Hypnotherapist's Union is organized to create recognition and acceptance of hypnosis, and to lobby to prevent restrictions to the open and free practice of Hypnotherapists.

By affiliating with the AFL/CIO, Hypnotherapists have gained much greater political strength and bargaining power then they ever could on their own. The Hypnotherapists Union was organized to protect your career in hypnotherapy. It is the vanguard against restrictive legislation.

Almost everyone has heard of the AFL-CIO and knows that it is here to stay. Let us compare membership statistics with three of the most widely recognized professional associations.

1. The American Medical Association has approximately 26,000 members in the State of California.
2. The California Dental Association has approximately 12,000 members.
3. The American Psychological Association has approximately 4,575 members in California.

The AFL-CIO, of which we are a member, has between 600,000 and 700,000 members in California alone.

The Hypnotherapists Union Local 472 conducts elections every three years. The Hypnotherapist Union was founded in 1972 by HMI Founder, Dr. John Kappas. HMI Director, George Kappas has served two terms as past president from 1997 to 2003. HMI executives, employees and instructional staff, if members of The Hypnotherapists Union Local 472, are eligible for election and may serve on the board if elected.

Hypnotherapist Certification Requirements

The Hypnotherapists Union Local 472 is known for seeking quality before quantity in its membership. It has three distinct membership classifications based on the Hypnotist's schooling and experience in the field. This gives the member the confidence of being able to verify to the client they have earned their classification title, and will give added assurance to the client that they are seeing a professional and not just a self-proclaimed Hypnotherapist. The Hypnotherapists Union offers three levels of certification.

Level 1 - Certified Hypnotist

HMI students are eligible for the first level of certification, "Hypnotist" upon completion of the 101 Course (Resident School) or the Foundations Course/Volume One (Distance Education Program).

Level 2 - Certified Master Hypnotist

HMI's Resident school students are eligible for "Master Hypnotist" upon completion of 101-301. HMI Distance education students are eligible after completion of Volumes 1-9.

Level 3 - Certified Hypnotherapist

HMI students are eligible for the highest level of certification, "Hypnotherapist", once they have completed the requirements for "Master Hypnotist" and completed an additional 200 hours of supervised practical experience, which Resident school students do in the HMI 501 Internship Program, or Distance Education students do by seeing clients and working with HMI clinical supervisors over the phone. Supervised hours for the Union can be earned in any clinical setting that is supervised by an appropriate professional (Doctor, Psychologist, Marriage and Family Counselor, Chiropractor or Union Hypnotherapist).

Hypnotherapists Union Local 472 Membership

• Hypnotherapist's Union Local 472 Membership Application
• Hypnotherapists Union Local 472 Upgrade and/or Badge Order (.xls 20k)

Last modified: 2008-04-07T12:17:38-0700