{{Short description|Unaccredited degree in hypnotherapy in the United States}} {{third-party|date=May 2015}}
The '''Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy''' ('''DCH''') degree is an [[educational accreditation|unaccredited]] degree in [[hypnotherapy]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hypnosis "Degrees" and Schools|url=http://www.minnesota-institute-of-advanced-communication-skills.com/Hypnosis-Degrees-and-Schools.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.minnesota-institute-of-advanced-communication-skills.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328010355/http://www.minnesota-institute-of-advanced-communication-skills.com:80/Hypnosis-Degrees-and-Schools.htm |archive-date=2008-03-28 }}</ref> When such a degree is available, it is often granted by schools offering distance education, usually in conjunction with existing hypnotherapy certification programs. Because the majority of hypnotherapy degrees are offered through programs that are unaccredited in nature, they do not have to meet any requirements established by national licensing standards.
==Consumer concerns== Accredited doctorate degrees in mental health, such as [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]], [[Doctor of Psychology|Psy.D.]], and [[Doctor of Education|Ed.D.]], are tightly controlled by state and federal laws. The D.C.H. degree is largely unregulated. There is a growing concern among these professionals that hypnotists are misleading consumers.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021|reason=previous citation was to http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/psychotherapy/a/initials.htm, run by Verywell Mind, a website that is blacklisted by Wikipedia}} Some have illegally attempted to offer psychotherapy under generic titles such as "doctor" or "psychotherapist", without proper training or background.
==Hypnotherapy training== There are several professional membership organizations in the United States that require minimum standards in specialized hypnotherapy education to become members as well as certified as a hypnotherapist (C.Ht.).<ref>[[Hypnotherapy]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hypnoseinstitut.de/hypnose-hannover/|title=Hypnose Hannover >> Effektive Tiefenhypnosen im Hypnoseinstitut}}</ref> Most of these organizations certify vocational hypnotherapists, and do not require health care training or experience for certification.
==American Institute of Hypnotherapy (AIH)==
Originally approved by the State of California to grant degrees in early 1980s, the American Institute of Hypnotherapy offered unaccredited bachelors and doctorate degrees in clinical hypnotherapy. The program could be completed by distance learning and directed independent study (DIS) but required reading and essays as well as attendance at seminars, practicals and workshops. The degree became known as a DCH after state regulators prohibited the AIH from referring to their degree as a PhD. <ref>{{cite web|title=American Institute of Hypnotherapy|url=http://www.healthrestoration.ie/american_institute_of_hypnothera.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012232712/http://www.healthrestoration.ie/american_institute_of_hypnothera.htm|archive-date=2011-10-12|access-date=2011-04-20}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Hypnotherapy in the United Kingdom]] * [[Hypnosis]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
[[Category:Hypnotherapy]] [[Category:Degrees offered by unaccredited institutions of higher education]]