FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS

While we are aware that some people operate without insurance coverage, ISPA would always recommend you have at least public liability, and malpractice insurance.

All ISPA Members can use their ISPA membership number to secure affordable malpractice and public liability insurance. This, along with a solid understanding of what is an ethical and legal practice, is all you need to protect your psychotherapy business. Please CLICK HERE for more specific information.

ISPA has colleges because the strategic approach can be employed in a number of ways. It can be used in coaching, a range of psychotherapies, and hypnotherapy. Each college has its own membership criteria, and its own emphasis, and at the same time, many have crossovers. For instance, if you are a Clinical Hypnotherapist, you are also eligible for the College of Strategic Psychotherapists without further study.

The easiest way to determine which colleges you can join is to read the entry criteria on the college page. You are allowed to join a maximum of three colleges with your standard membership fee.

Two colleges are held exclusively for those who have done specific training.

The two colleges are:

1. The College of Strategic Hypnotherapists
2. The College of Gordian Therapists

Membership in these colleges affords you the right to use these trademarked terms to distinguish yourself from other therapists.  It also means you will be legally protected from competing therapists claiming they “do the same thing” as you.

Yes, you can. If you are a Clinical Hypnotherapist but not a Strategic Hypnotherapist, you can join the College of Clinical Hypnotherapists. Our minimum education standard requires over 1000 hours of training (the equivalent of an RTO Diploma AQF Level 5) This could be assessed on experience, supervision and CPD hours as well.

On enrolment, ISPA will assist you to get your head around the strategic model. You will be provided with a short course on strategic approaches. We want to be inclusive, and want to help everyone gain exposure to this wonderful approach.

Yes. The Hypnotherapy Council of Australia (HCA) was established as the Peak Body for Hypnotherapy back in 2011. ISPA is a member organization of the HCA. Jonathan Smith (ISPA’s representative) is in fact the HCA Treasurer, and Gordon Young (ISPA Vice President) is the current President of the HCA.

ISPA encourages the use of their own ISPA-accredited supervisors because they will help you advance your strategic skills, but as a member of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia (HCA), any supervisor listed with an HCA Member Association is recognized by ISPA.

Having said that, we strongly advise that at least 50% of your annual supervision should be strategic in nature. You may use other supervisors, especially if your practice is multi-disciplined, but supervisors outside of the HCA umbrella need to be approved by the ISPA board.

Supervision requirements vary between the colleges.

College of Psychotherapists, Clinical Hypnotherapists, Gordian Therapists, and Strategic Hypnotherapists

1. Accredited Members are required to complete ten hours of supervision per year. Of these 10 hours, 4 hours need to be individual one-on-one with an ISPA-approved supervisor.
2. Accredited Clinical Members require a minimum of 18 hours of group supervision as long as at least one member of the group is an accredited supervisor. If you choose to do one-on-one supervision with a supervisor, one hour would equate to three hours of group supervision.

To maintain membership, ISPA requires you to attend a minimum of 20 hours per year of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

CPD Points are calculated using the following criteria:

1. LIVE interactive Events 1hr = 1 CPD Point (evidence required)
2. Recorded (essentially not interactive) events 1hr = 0.5 CPD Point (evidence required)
3. Independent Noninteractive e.g. research 1hr = 0.2 CPD Point (evidence required)

ISPA offers a range of online events and workshops throughout the year. CPD points will be automatically allocated to your member portal for All ISPA events.

ISPA has two focal points when it comes to ongoing development. The first is developing you as a therapist, and the second is developing your practice. The ISPA CPD programme includes international experts in strategic psychotherapy, as well as business-focused development in areas like digital marketing, web design, and social media.

We want any training we offer to be of high value to you as a practitioner. Your success is our success.

ISPA is one of the most user-friendly automated membership organizations in the world. Your Member Portal is the hub of all of your activity with ISPA. Membership renewals, the calculation of CPD, and supervision points can be uploaded directly into your member portal. No more endless scanning and sending of different documents to an administrator.

If you have a Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy 10450NAT or 10791NAT you are eligible. 

1) ISPA sends a monthly summary to the TM owner announcing any new applications. They cannot be provided by ISPA because they are individually numbered, and that number stays with you until you relinquish the license.

2) Individual licensing is significantly more time-consuming to organise, but it is significantly more valuable. Individual numbering adds to the exclusivity of the band.

3) Please allocate up to 4 weeks for these TM badges to be allocated.

All ISPA Hypnotherapists are also Hypnotherapy Council of Australia (HCA Accredited Practitioners)

In order for Hypnotherapy to remain self-managed as a profession the Australian Government requested the formation of a peak body (which has been HCA since 2011) and a National Register of practitioners. ISPA is a member of the HCA and subscribes to the HCA standards of education. Every ISPA Hypnotherapist who is an Accredited Member or higher must be listed on the HCA National Register.

The cost is an extra $50 on top of your ISPA membership. This nominal fee (less than 14 cents per day) pays for the maintenance and SEO of the website. The aims of the register are to elevate all hypnotherapists by adding to your digital footprint, satisfy government requirements, and provide you with greater exposure.

Many find that their register listing consistently outperforms their own personal website and provides extraordinary value.

No. HCA is not an individual member organisation. A peak body represents organisations like schools and associations. Your individual membership with HCA is represented through your member association.