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Clinical Hypnosis, Language and Communication Techniques in Healthcare - AdvProfDip / BSc / GradCert / PgCert

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

Do you want to learn the theory and application of clinical hypnosis? This course will help you gain theoretical and practical knowledge of hypnosis and related techniques. You will improve and enhance your consultation skills and widen your approaches to common mental health problems....

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Part Time
  • Award AdvProfDip / BSc / GradCert / PgCert
  • Start date September 2025

This course is:

Overview

Do you want to learn the theory and application of clinical hypnosis? This course will help you gain theoretical and practical knowledge of hypnosis and related techniques. You will improve and enhance your consultation skills and widen your approaches to common mental health problems.

This programme can be studied part-time at a variety of levels and is run in partnership with the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH). 

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

You will be taught by experienced practicing clinicians and academics from medicine, dentistry, psychology and nursing who are accredited by BSCAH. Students enrolled on this blended course will engage in a mix of online and face to face activities. For the online learning you will engage in synchronous and asynchronous activities, small group sessions and individual tutorials, covering scheduled 4 days over the duration of the course. You will be provided with podcasts that are delivered asynchronously, followed with opportunities to discuss these during synchronous online events. In addition to this you will attend BCU City South Campus for 4 days of face-to-face activities/practicals. This will provide you with an opportunity to meet your tutors and peers face to face. 

Accredited By

Run in partnership with:

  • BSCAH logo

I've enjoyed the weekends and it’s fired my enthusiasm. The prospect of doing the academic bit was a bit scary but… the teaching/admin team/academic team/tutorial support are superb, a brilliant skill/experience mix.
Previous student

Why Choose Us?

  • BSCAH is a non-profit making registered charity.
  • The team delivering the course are members of the Midlands branch of BSCAH, practising clinicians, and form part of a development programme that has been running for 20 years.
  • You will be learning with clinicians who are medically qualified and understand your day to day pressures of clinical work.
  • You will have plenty of time to complete your written assignments to help you balance alongside your work commitments.
  • The qualification you receive can be included on your professional plate/correspondence.
  • You will have full NUS membership.
  • You will learn how to reduce your own professional/personal stress levels.

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

UK students
Essential

Applicants must be a registrant with a professional regulatory body, for example the GMC, GDC, NMC, HCPC, BaDn, BABCP (Accredited) and BACP (Accredited). If you are not registered with these please send your CV to Hilary Walker at hilary.walker@bcu.ac.uk.

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: AdvProfDip

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 12 months
  • TBC

Award: BSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 12 months
  • TBC

Award: GradCert

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 12 months
  • TBC

Award: PgCert

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 12 months
  • TBC

International students

Sorry, this course is not available to International students.

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Personal stationery and study materials (optional)

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials.

Books (optional)

All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. You may choose to purchase a copy. We suggest budgeting approximately £300 for this.

Memberships (optional)

You may wish to join a union or professional body related to this course, such as British Society of Clinical & Academic Hypnosis membership for CPD, networking and peer support at a cost of £85 per annum.

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

How to apply

This course is run in partnership with the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis. Full details, including course fees, can be found on the BSCAH website. To apply, please email Hilary Walker to request an application form: hilary.walker@bcu.ac.uk

Fee payment

Fees should be paid directly to British Society Clinical and Academic Hypnosis.

Course in Depth

Level 6

Level 7

How you learn

You will study part time, tutorial support and supervision is available throughout the course and Moodle online resources supplement the face to face teaching.

Students enrolling on the course will have full access to the student support and our library and resources.

Teaching description

This course will involve group work. You will be invited to work in pairs/threes/ small groups to practice techniques that have been demonstrated. Supervision and advice will be to hand for help and guidance.

You will be invited to discuss cases with the class. These can be from your professional or personal experiences. All cases will be dealt with confidentially. There will be plenty of opportunity to discuss any work related problems you may have with implementation of your new skills with the other students/staff.

Past students have reported favourably on the feedback from their fellow clinicians when dealing with professional or personal matters.

Accreditation

After graduating from this course, you will have the opportunity to and achieve professional accreditation with BSCAH.

BSCAH logo
British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis

Employability

Enhancing your employability skills

This course will give you enhanced communication skills with patients and clients.

You will also be able to support patients with relaxation and stress reduction strategies.

Previous students who have successfully integrated Clinical Hypnosis into their practice include:

  • Consultant psychiatrist
  • Dentist
  • Hospital based clinical psychologist
  • Consultant anaesthetist
  • GP
  • Nurse
  • Physiotherapist
  • Paediatric nurse

They have gone on to educate their respective teams about the benefits of communication techniques within clinical practice.

Facilities & Staff

 

Our Facilities

Our Nursing and Midwifery courses are based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.

We’ve spent £41million expanding our facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice.

In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that you learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. Alongside physical spaces such as a mock operating theatre and wards, we also make use of online and virtual technology, such as our virtual ward and virtual case creator.

See more of our skills facilities at City South

Centre for Skills and Simulation

The Centre for Skills and Simulation offers a range of different spaces which replicate situations that you will encounter in practice. These include hospital wards, an operating theatre and a home environment room.

Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. The hospital wards can be adapted from low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.

The home environment room is the perfect space for teaching communications skills and allows us to simulate a community setting for our students. It is particularly useful for mental health nurses, learning disability nurses and midwives.

Simulation Manikins

We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and simulation babies (SIM babies) which are anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills. The manikins contain software which replicates real symptoms, and can manipulate indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM man can even ‘talk’ to the students as they are treating him, to add another dimension to learning.

Computer Facilities

The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.

Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:

  • Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
  • Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Research and statistical software
  • Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home

Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.

Our staff

Dr Simon Barnett

Course Leader for Clinical Hypnosis and Related Techniques

After working and teaching for 25 years both in practice and in a hospital environment I had come to learn that stress for the patient and the clinician seemed to be a daily event. I looked for a way to relieve this and signed up for a clinical hypnosis course. I quickly understood the potential for stress reduction within the professional...

More about Simon

Jean Rogerson RGN AdvDipCH

Former Outpatient and Theatre Manager and regularly uses hypnosis in a hospital OPD. Jean teaches Clinical Hypnosis to medical professionals around the UK and is a member of the BSCAH Academic and accreditation Committee and is an accreditation assessor for the society.

More about Jean

Kathy Kinmond

Chartered Psychologist

Kathy is a Chartered Psychologist, Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist, she is also accredited by BSCAH having completed the BSCAH/Staffordshire University course in Clinical Hypnosis. She has been an academic in Higher education for over 25 years, during which time she has been module leader for several UG modules, programme leader for the MRes;...

More about Kathy