Foundation Diploma in Hypnotherapy Birmingham
Start Your Hypnotherapy Training in Birmingham
Four months of practical, accredited hypnotherapy and coaching training.
Learn face to face in Birmingham with your local Piece of Mind trainer while connecting live with our main training centre and teaching team in Glasgow.
No previous experience needed.
Just an interest in people, change and learning how to help.
Become a Certified Hypnotherapist
If you’ve been thinking about training in hypnotherapy but you’re not ready to commit to a full nine month Diploma, start here.
Our Foundation Diploma gives you four months to learn, practise and experience what working therapeutically with people is actually like.
You’ll learn the foundations of hypnotherapy alongside coaching, NLP, therapeutic communication and an understanding of how thoughts, emotions and behaviour connect.
And you’ll practise what you’re learning throughout the course.
At the end of the four months, you have a choice.
- Finish with your Foundation Diploma and coaching qualification.
- Or continue your training towards our full Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Coaching.
How Does the Birmingham Training Work?
Your training takes place in a real classroom in Birmingham.
Ian, your local Piece of Mind trainer, is there in the room teaching, supporting your practical work and helping you develop your skills.
At the same time, your classroom connects live with Andy Griffiths and our main Piece of Mind training centre in Glasgow.
- Both classrooms train together.
- Watch demonstrations.
- Take part in discussions.
- Ask questions.
- Interact with students and trainers across both locations.
- Practise face to face in Birmingham.
- Trainer physically present to support you.
How the Foundation Diploma Works
You don’t need any previous experience.
The course includes:
4 training weekends over 4 months
More than 55 hours of classroom training
Face to face training in Birmingham
Live connection with our Glasgow training centre
Practical exercises throughout the course
Accredited hypnotherapy training
A recognised coaching qualification
Access to our online student learning platform
Student workbook and supporting resources
Online student community
Ongoing support throughout your training
Option to progress onto the full 9 Month Diploma
You’ll also begin learning the Piece of Mind Method, our approach to combining hypnotherapy with psychotherapy techniques, neuroscience, coaching and practical change work.
Is the Foundation Diploma Right for You?
People come into hypnotherapy training for very different reasons.
You might already know you want to become a therapist.
You might work with people already and want another set of skills.
You might be thinking about changing career but don’t know whether you’re ready to make that jump.
Or maybe you’ve become fascinated by how people think, feel and behave and you want to understand more.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start.
That’s one of the reasons the Foundation exists.
It gives you four months to experience the training properly before deciding whether you want to take it further.
What You'll Learn
Over four training weekends you’ll begin developing the core skills used in hypnotherapy and coaching.
You’ll learn about:
- Hypnosis and how trance actually works
- Relaxation and hypnotic inductions
- Therapeutic language and suggestion
- Direct and indirect approaches to hypnosis
- How beliefs influence thoughts, feelings and behaviour
- NLP techniques for behavioural and emotional change
- Coaching skills and questioning
- Working with stress, confidence and habits
- Understanding emotional responses
- Planning and structuring sessions
- Working safely and ethically
- Developing confidence when working with another person
But we don’t want you to simply understand these things.
We want you to practise them.
That’s why practical work is built throughout the course.
Course Contents
The Foundation Diploma consists of four training weekends spread across four months, providing more than 55 hours of classroom training.
Discover what hypnosis really is—and what it isn’t. In this opening module, you’ll learn how to guide someone into hypnosis confidently and safely, using powerful yet simple tools to help the body relax and the mind shift. We’ll explore how the brain works under hypnosis and the foundations of effective therapeutic language, with real-world skills you can apply straight away.
- How to explain hypnosis in a grounded, client-friendly way
- What hypnosis feels like and how to deepen it effectively
- The brain’s left/right functions and why they matter in therapy
- Induction techniques you can personalise to each client
- Types of hypnotic inductions and how to choose the right one
- Suggestibility tests (yes, you’ll be doing the famous ice bucket!)
- Building progressive relaxation and linking techniques
- Exploring the work of Milton Erickson and the Ericksonian style
- The role of metaphor and the power of language in change work
- How to use visualisation to shift emotional and physical state
You’ll leave this module knowing how to safely guide someone into hypnosis—and how to make that moment feel like the start of something powerful and purposeful.
This module goes deeper into the change work. You’ll learn how language shapes the brain, how to listen like a counsellor, and how to begin working with the unconscious mind in a way that feels both structured and human. You’ll start to recognise what hypnosis looks like in the real world—and how to create the conditions for it without overcomplicating the process.
- How to use direct and indirect suggestion like a pro
- Full ego-strengthening sequences that build confidence and internal safety
- Ericksonian language patterns—and how to use them naturally
- How to bypass the critical faculty and access the unconscious mind
- Spotting the signs of hypnosis (even subtle ones)
- Listening as a counsellor: how to hear what’s not being said
- Understanding the positive intention behind every symptom
- NLP foundations: clean language, representational systems, and more
- Taking a case history that actually helps the work
- Contraindications and when not to treat
- Managing abreactions with calm confidence
- How to close a session with clarity and containment
By the end of this module, you’ll feel more confident using your voice, your presence, and your language to guide real therapeutic change through hypnosis.
This module is where theory starts turning into solid practice. You’ll explore how belief systems are formed—and how to shift them. You’ll learn how to work with clients ethically, safely, and confidently, and how to begin using advanced tools like NLP, clean language, and client metaphors to make deep change possible.
- How belief systems are formed—and how to shift them
- Using clean language to uncover unconscious patterns
- Recognising and interrupting behaviour loops
- How to reverse or reframe a client’s metaphor
- NLP techniques for change and emotional flexibility
- Eye referencing: what to look for and how to use it
- The structure of post-hypnotic suggestions that stick
- Working with weight loss and eating behaviours
- Parts therapy basics: how to speak to “the part of me that…”
- Anchoring safety and emotional regulation
- When to use regression, and when not to
- Confidentiality, ethics, and professional boundaries
- Good practice: paperwork, records, and knowing your limits
You’ll leave this module with real tools to help real people—confident in both the techniques you’re using and the professional standards you’re holding
This module brings everything together combining the therapeutic tools, client confidence, and professional know-how you need to start working with real clients. You’ll learn how to tackle common issues like smoking, weight loss, stress and performance anxiety, while also deepening your ability to hold emotional space, reflect on your practice, and run a professional, ethical service.
- Creating and installing new, positive belief systems
- EFT tapping: techniques for emotional release and regulation
- Working with stress and the nervous system
- Smoking cessation: how to do it without scripts or scare tactics
- Hypnosis for pain relief: realistic tools and ethical use
- Confidence, public speaking, and performance anxiety
- Post-hypnotic suggestions for long-term behavioural change
- Future pacing and visualisation to reinforce results
- Reflective practice: learning and growing from every session
- Supervision: how to get support and stay grounded
- What to say (and not say) in your early client sessions
- Boundaries, safeguarding, and emotional containment
- Managing expectations and knowing your professional limits
- Setting up in practice: records, policies, referrals, and marketing
- Ethical frameworks and staying within scope of practice
By the end of this module, you won’t just feel ready to help people you’ll feel ready to build a safe, ethical, and effective practice that reflects your own values, skills, and voice.
Not every client needs deep therapy. Some are stuck in habits, choices, or lack of direction—and what they need is clarity, accountability, and support. This module teaches you how to step confidently into the role of coach, helping clients move forward, take action, and reconnect with their potential.
You’ll learn how to spot when someone is ready for coaching over therapy—and how to guide meaningful change without needing to “fix” the past.
- The difference between therapy and coaching (and how to combine them safely)
- Values-based coaching: how to help clients connect with what truly matters
- Setting goals that are meaningful—not just measurable
- Identifying resistance, self-sabotage, and fear of change
- Building emotional accountability and realistic action plans
- Coaching language: empowering, clean, and forward-focused
- How to track progress (even when the client can’t see it yet)
- When not to coach: recognising when deeper work is needed
- The role of challenge, reflection, and support in lasting growth
- Blending coaching with hypnosis, NLP, and therapeutic insight
You’ll leave this module able to support clients who are ready to move forward—not by fixing them, but by walking alongside them as they do the work to change their own lives.
Fully Accredited Training
Your Foundation Diploma is externally accredited and provides a recognised starting point in your hypnotherapy training.
Recognised Organisations
- General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC)
- The Hypnotherapy Association
- Association for Coaching & Counselling Professionals (ACCPH)
If you continue through the full Diploma pathway, you’ll progress towards the professional training required for wider professional registration and practice.
What Happens Between Training Weekends?
Four weekends doesn’t mean you only think about hypnotherapy four times. A lot of your development happens between modules. You’ll have access to our online learning platform where you can revisit subjects, watch additional training and continue developing your understanding.
Student Workbook
Capture notes, exercises and practical learning.
Online Learning Portal
Access training lessons, videos and supporting material.
Student Community
Connect with other students and ask questions.
Additional Support
Continue asking questions between training weekends.
Practical Experience
Practise what you've learned and return ready to build on it.
You learn it. You practise it. You come back. Then we build another layer.
What Happens Between Training Weekends?
It’s easy to watch someone demonstrate hypnosis and think:
It’s different when somebody sits down in front of you and says:
That’s where confidence actually gets built.
You’ll practise with other students throughout your training.
You’ll experience being the therapist.
You’ll experience being the client.
You’ll watch other people work.
You’ll make mistakes.
You’ll ask questions.
And you’ll gradually stop thinking about every individual step and start understanding what you’re actually doing.
That’s the point of classroom training.
Your Birmingham Training Team
Andy Griffiths
Your Birmingham classroom will also connect live with Andy Griffiths and the training team at our main Piece of Mind training centre in Glasgow.
Andy is a practising Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist and developed the Piece of Mind Method through his work with thousands of therapy clients.
Ian Young
You’ll train face to face in Birmingham with Ian, a practising Clinical Hypnotherapist and qualified trainer who works with clients using the Piece of Mind Method.
Ian brings his real-world therapeutic experience into the classroom, helping you understand not just the theory, but how these techniques are used with real people and real problems.
Throughout your classroom training, Ian will teach, demonstrate techniques, supervise your practice and support you as your confidence and skills develop.
This means your training isn’t limited to one classroom or one trainer.
You become part of the wider Piece of Mind training community.
Upcoming Training Dates
February 2027 – Foundation Diploma - Click here for more details
- Sat 27 – Sun 28 Feb 2027
- Sat 27 – Sun 28 Mar 2027
- Sat 3 – Sun 4 Apr 2027
- Sat 24 – Sun 25 Apr 2027
- Duration: 4 weekends
- Certificate
- From £995 (payment options available)
What Our Students Say...
Learn More Than Hypnotherapy
Being a good hypnotherapist isn’t about having a collection of protocols. Professional Here2Serve hospitality staff supporting a warm holiday celebration while family, friends, or colleagues enjoy time together.
People are messy.
Their problems overlap. What they say the problem is isn’t always what’s keeping the problem going.
That’s why we teach you to think therapeutically rather than simply follow instructions.
During the Foundation you’ll begin learning what we call the Piece of Mind Method.
It brings together:
- Hypnotherapy
- Coaching
- Psychotherapy techniques
- NLP
- Neuroscience
The deeper you go into the training, the more these pieces start fitting together.
What Happens After the Foundation Diploma?
This is where you get to decide what happens next. Some students complete the Foundation because it gives them the level of training they wanted. Others reach month four and realise:
Continue to Full Diploma
If that’s you, you can continue onto the remaining modules of our 9 Month Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Coaching.
That’s where we take everything you’ve learned during the Foundation and go deeper.
The Foundation is the first four months of that same training journey.
Course Fees
To make enrolling as easy as possible, we have 3 payment options.
Click on the course dates below for payment options and prices.
Any questions?
What Our Students Say...
“One of the best training courses I have been on. So glad I signed up for it as I learned so much and can’t wait to do the Diploma!! Would highly recommend this course to anyone, not only because it is accredited and great value for money but because of the support during and after the course too.”
Norrina Meechan
“I have just completed the first part of my hypnotherapy course, it was amazing! I would highly recommend learning with Andy, he is very professional, helpful and friendly at the same time.”
Carol Mcbride
Not Sure Whether to Start With the Foundation or Diploma?
That’s completely fine. The first four months are the same training pathway. The difference is how much you want to commit to at the beginning.
Foundation
Build your skills and Confidence
If you’d rather experience the first four months before deciding, enrol on the Foundation.
- 4 months of training (same pathway)
- Gain core hypnotherapy skills
- Build confidence in your practice
- Decide if you want to continue to the full diploma
Full Diploma
Take your skills further
If you already know you want to become professionally qualified, you can enrol directly onto the full 9 Month Diploma.
- 9 months of advanced training
- Deepen your clinical and therapeutic skills
- Gain a recognised qualification
- More career and client opportunities