Welcome, to the British Institute of Hypnotherapy & NLP (BIH). My name is Stephanie Kirke and my role here is Executive Director of the BIH. This involves working with a small team to ensure that the organisation effectively represents the best of what our profession has to offer the UK public.
The professional standards of our practitioner members are monitored both in terms of their initial training and then measured against best practise when qualified. Only students qualifying from BIH accredited training courses are offered membership. A practitioner qualified by any other route, is asked to supply evidence of training to at least our minimum standards. ALL practitioners need to have relevant and adequate insurance in place and a solid record of Continued Professional Development. ALL BIH practitioners renewing their annual membership, need to provide evidence of insurance and the mandatory annual CPD before renewal is accepted.
Since qualifying as a hypnotherapy practitioner in 1992, I have served in a variety of roles within the profession. Such roles include Director of Supervision for National Council for Hypnotherapy, (NCH) and the National Association of Counselling, Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy(NACHP). Chair of the NCH and Chair of UK Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations (UKCHO) (2003-4). Recently I stepped down as Secretary of UKCHO (2021-22). Both my practitioner experience of 28 years, and experience of serving in various organisational roles has been invaluable. I believe that leading by example is essential for any profession but especially so, when it comes to working with vulnerable people as we do so often in our work with the public.
I hope you can find a suitable practitioner from our membership listing – if you have any concerns about our profession do contact me at the office – I will gladly find some time to speak with you.
Stephanie Kirke MSc., AccHypSup., DipCAH, HPD, MBPsyS., MBIH, ASCH (Int.)
BIH Executive Director
