Fast Track Hypnotherapy Training: Can You Really Learn It in a Weekend?

When people ring about training, one of the most common questions is some version of this: what’s the quickest way to become a hypnotherapist?

It’s a fair question. Most people are fitting training around a job, a family and everything else life throws at them. And there are plenty of courses out there promising to get you qualified in a weekend or two.

So here’s my honest answer, from someone who sees anything from 10 to 30 clients a week and has trained hundreds of hypnotherapists.

The short answer

We tried fast track ourselves

This might surprise you. We used to run fast track courses. They were rarely busy, and a lot of the dates ended up with nobody booked on at all.

I’m not completely sure why. Part of it may be that people find it hard to take a block of time off work. But I think part of it is that, when people actually stop and think about it, they don’t really want to rush something this important.

What a fast track course can give you

I don’t want to be unfair to fast track training. A short, intensive course can give you a real taste of hypnotherapy. You’ll see demonstrations, learn some core techniques and get a sense of whether this is something you’d love to do.

For some people, that’s exactly what they need at the start.

What it can’t give you

The trouble is the pace. It’s fast, and there’s very little time to embed what you’re learning before the next thing arrives.

If you want to learn something well, why rush it?

Hypnotherapy isn’t something you learn by watching. It’s something you learn by doing, getting it a bit wrong, reflecting, and doing it again. That takes weeks, not hours.

What happens between the weekends

On our courses, the time between the training weekends matters just as much as the weekends themselves.

Students are given homework and practice to do. Some of it is formal and part of the course. Some of it is guided learning that’s optional, for people who want to go further. Either way, it’s in those weeks that the skills start to become yours.

• In the classroom, you practise with each other, with a trainer watching and guiding you.
• Between weekends, you practise with friends and family, and bring your questions back.
• Later in the course, you work with people in real world conditions, so your first paying client isn’t your first real one.

On the full Diploma, that practice builds towards three case studies, an open book exam and a practical assessment. There’s more on how the two courses compare in Foundation Diploma or full Diploma: which is right for you?.

The students who come to us after training elsewhere

Here’s the number that tells me the most. Around a quarter of our students have already trained somewhere else before they come to us.

They’ve got a certificate. But when it came to sitting with a real client, they felt poorly equipped. They had the theory, but not the confidence that only comes from practice.

That’s not a criticism of them. It’s what happens when the learning doesn’t have time to land.

So how long does it really take?

With us, the Foundation Diploma is four weekends over four months. Because the weekends aren’t back to back, it usually works out at six or seven months, which gives you that time to practise. You’re assessed in the classroom, it’s recognised by the GHSC and ACCPH, and you can register with the ACCPH once you complete it.

The full Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy is nine weekends over nine months, closer to eleven in practice. It’s accredited by the GHSC, recognised nationally and internationally, and it’s what you need to register with the GHSC and the CNHC.

You can attend in person at our Orchard Park training centre in Glasgow, or live online over Zoom. And if neither fits your life, talk to us. We do offer training outside the scheduled courses for people who need to train differently.

For the bigger picture, read our complete guide to becoming a hypnotherapist.

Common questions