The ASA holds hypnotherapy advertising to the CAP Code: no claiming or implying that minor addictions or bad habits can be treated "without effort from those suffering" (rule 12.8) without robust clinical evidence, and claims about treating serious conditions — depression, eating disorders, addiction — must make clear they need "supervision of a suitably qualified health professional" (rule 12.2), a hypnotherapy qualification alone isn't treated as sufficient.
Hypnotherapy isn't a profession regulated by law in the UK — practitioners aren't legally required to join a register. Two registers for this profession currently hold Accredited Register status from the Professional Standards Authority: CNHC and the National Hypnotherapy Society. The General Hypnotherapy Register isn't itself PSA-accredited; its members can reach PSA-accredited status only by also registering with CNHC.
In practice, this means never presenting "hypnotherapist" as a legally controlled qualification, and avoiding the words "regulated" or "licensed" in advertising without making clear it refers to a voluntary register, not a state authorisation.
VAT registration with HMRC becomes required once rolling 12-month turnover passes £90,000; below that threshold, no VAT step is needed.
CNHC's Code of Conduct makes current professional indemnity insurance a condition of registration, and the National Council for Hypnotherapy's Code of Ethical Conduct and Performance holds members personally accountable for their practice — neither body guarantees the outcome of a member's treatment.
