The Way Forward conference which took place at the Royal Society of Medicine’s HQ in Wimpole Street, London. The NBH is one of the representative bodies on UKCHO’s committee.
UKCHO’s key role is ensuring that the highest of standards are met across all of the training academies and that a strong level of proficiency is maintained within the industry itself.
The Way Forward took saw attendees from a broad spectrum of representative professions, including members of the health profession. It opened with a presentation from UKCHO’s Chair, Georgina McKinnon.
Delegates received a written introduction about UKCHO as part of a ‘welcome pack.’ In it, Georgina explains that one of the key objectives of UKCHO is to ‘advocate for the recognition and integration of hypnotherapy into mainstream healthcare systems.’
She goes on to state that the team aims to raise awareness ‘of the benefits and effectiveness of hypnotherapy among healthcare professionals and the general public.’
With that aim in mind, UKCHO announced it’s launching a new research initiative for the hypnotherapy profession.
As such, a newly established UKCHO committee aims to provide a detailed structure for interested researchers to conduct quantitative and qualitative research.
The Head of Research and Ethics, Andrew Turnbull, provided a presentation which included the launch of the Hypnotherapy Research Pack.
‘Adding to the cumulative evidence’
The goal of the pack is ‘to encourage and guide academic researchers to add to the cumulative evidence base that hypnotherapy can diminish the symptoms of numerous psychological struggles.’
NBH members are automatically entitled to join our own ongoing research platform which allows for practitioners to measure the success of therapy based on a set of scaling questions which clients complete during sessions.
The UKCHO Research and Ethics Sub-committee has been set up to ensure research methodology is professionally conducted when examining the benefits of our work.
Andrew talked us through the Terms of Reference for Ethics which focused on the importance of clarity when producing a research proposal (the focus for researchers would be to write simply, briefly and clearly).
He discussed the importance of the literature review which would ensure the research is new – or at least contains a fresh approach when compared to any previous studies.
As you would expect, the ethics report cited in the meeting included the examination of key research processes, including: informed consent, online surveys – along with any potential benefits for participants.
Attendees read about the importance of sample methods to ensure that “significant bias” is avoided and that the sample size has been properly calculated – and justified.
As you’d expect, any studies into the effectiveness of hypnotherapy includes reference to inclusivity, data protection and confidentiality. All points are covered in the UKCHO report.
Submitting proposals for assessment
The central part of Andrew’s presentation examine the UKCHO Research Committee’s procedure where a proposal can be submitted for assessment.
If approved then the proposal can be either forwarded to an academic based research programme or can form the basis of a ‘Go Fund Me’ project.
Any research requires report updates every six months and the team emphasised the importance of ‘good ethics’ which requires ‘careful thought and consideration.’
Delegates saw the importance of an excellent research package with the Inspired to Change report on how a solution focused approach to therapy can support the wellbeing of police personnel.
The report found that all those who completed the treatment felt they were getting better. The average number of sessions spanned between eight to twelve. The vast majority (78%) said they felt they had completely recovered.
The report concluded that respondents had enjoyed ‘the structure, logical and positive nature of therapy sessions’ and that they had gained a number of tools to help them cope with stress and build resilience levels. They noted that participants had noticed a ‘ripple’ effect into their home life.
I am sure we can all relate to the ‘ripple effect’ being reported to us by our clients. A sense of a more settled feeling in the household and at work – and in themselves.