Ethics II. Advanced Ethical Principles for Hypnosis Practice

The second segment in the ethics workshops covers the unique ethical considerations in using hypnosis in telehealth practice, using hypnosis with diverse groups, and ethics related to exaggerated claims for hypnosis and the use of hypnosis for memory retrieval. The availability of tools for delivering unsupervised hypnosis sessions to patients or clients raises some thorny ethical issues. However, central to the use of hypnosis is the therapeutic relationship. The ethics of multiple relationships and the unique therapeutic relationship in hypnosis will be explored.

The intersection between how hypnosis is conceptualized by the clinician and others, and how ethical considerations are addressed will be a recurring theme in this presentation.

After attending this intermediate-level program, participants will be able to:

• Identify guidelines and issues around hypnosis-based telehealth and quality of care.
• Discuss the use of digital resources to support hypnosis practice.
• Explain current guidelines on diversity sensitivity, multicultural awareness and diversity, and clinical hypnosis practice.
• Identify guidelines for hypnotically based memory retrieval, and potential implications for pending litigation.
• Identify potential adverse effects of hypnotic treatment and discuss the management of adverse effects.

This program meets APA’s continuing education standard 1.2: Program content focuses on ethical, legal, statutory or regulatory policies, guidelines, and standards that influence psychological practice, education, or research.

This program meets APA’s continuing education goal 1: Program is relevant to psychological practice, education, and/or science.

General Admission: $65.00

SCEH Members: $55.00

Students: $15.00*

(Please email [email protected] for coupon code)

Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.

Donald Moss, PhD, Professor and Dean, Saybrook University

Dr. Donald Moss is Professor and Dean, College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, at Saybrook University, Pasadena, CA. He is a clinical health psychologist, certified in hypnosis and biofeedback. He is the education chair, publications chair, and president-elect for the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH). Moss is external relations chair for APA Division 30 (hypnosis) and the ethics chair for the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. He previously served as president of SCEH, president of Division 30, and president of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

Moss is co-editor with Patrick Steffen of Integrating Psychotherapy and Psychophysiology (Oxford University Press, in press) and with Angele McGrady of Your Pathway through Chronic Illness (Pavilion, in press) and Handbook of Mind-Body Medicine for Primary Care (Sage, 2003). He is also co-author with Fredric Shaffer of A Primer of Biofeedback (AAPB, 2022), and co-author with Angele McGrady of Integrative Pathways: Navigating Chronic Illness with a Mind-Body-Spirit Approach (Springer, 2018), and Pathways to Illness, Pathways to Health (Springer, 2013).

Barbara S. McCann, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health Counseling and Hypnosis Endowed Chair at the University of Washington

Dr. McCann is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and holds the Mental Health Counseling and Hypnosis Endowed Chair at the University of Washington. She is the current President of SCEH and is Certified as an Approved Consultant by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. She serves on the Board of Editorial Consultants for the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Dr. McCann has worked with patients from primary care and specialty clinics at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for the past 30 years, drawing on brief cognitive behavioral interventions and hypnosis to address anxiety, depression, insomnia, and related problems. Her research and scholarly interests are in hypnosis, depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, mental health in athletes, and functional neurological disorders. She has published over 60 journal articles and book chapters.

American Psychological Association (2017a). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

American Psychological Association (2017b). Multicultural guidelines: An ecological approach to context, identity, and intersectionality. http://www.apa.org/about/policy/multicultural-guidelines.pdf

Bollinger J. W. (2018). The rate of adverse events related to hypnosis during clinical trials. The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 60(4), 357–366.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2017.1315927

Cuijpers, P., Reijnders, M., & Huibers, M. J. H. (2019). The role of common factors in psychotherapy outcomes. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 15, 207–231.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095424

Jesser, A., Muckenhuber, J., & Lunglmayr, B. (2022). Psychodynamic therapist’s subjective experiences with remote psychotherapy during the COVID-19-Pandemic: A qualitative study with therapists practicing guided affective imagery, hypnosis, and Autogenic Relaxation. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 777102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.777102

Luxton, D. D., Nelson, E.-L., & Maheu, M. M. (2024). A practitionerʼs guide to telemental health: How to conduct legal, ethical, and evidence-based telepractice (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000374-000

Lynn, S. J., Krackow, E., Loftus, E. F., Locke, T. G., & Lilenfeld, S. O. (2015). Constructing the past: Problematic memory recovery techniques in psychotherapy. In S. O. Lilienfeld, S. J. Lynn, & J. M. Lohr (Eds.), Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology (Second ed., pp. 210-244). Guilford.

Myers, B., Johnson, S., Shoemake, R., & Myers, J. (2017). Perceptions of recovered memory therapy: Hindsight bias effects on judgments of memory veracity and therapist competence and responsibility. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(4), 396-413. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000133

Nagy, T. F. (2005). Ethics in plain English (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.

Palsson, O. S., Kekecs, Z., De Benedittis, G., Moss, D., Elkins, G. R., Terhune, D. B., Varga, K., Shenefelt, P. D., & Whorwell, P. J. (2023). Current practices, experiences, and views in clinical hypnosis: Findings of an international survey. The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 71(2), 92–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2023.2183862

Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (2023). Code of ethics. https://mam.memberclicks.net/assets/SCEHCodeofEthics.pdf

Sucala, M., Schnur, J. B., Glazier, K., Miller, S. J., Green, J. P., & Montgomery, G. H. (2013). Hypnosis–there’s an app for that: A systematic review of hypnosis apps. The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 61(4), 463–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2013.810482

Target Audience: Health professionals, mental health professionals, hypnosis practitioners, researchers, educators, and students.

Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.5 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. 

Counselors/Clinical Counselors. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.5 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for counselors and clinical counselors. License Number: 197.000159

Social Workers. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.5 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for social workers. License Number: 159.001036

MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Course meets the qualifications for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. If you are licensed outside of California please check with your local licensing agency to to determine if they will accept these CEUs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to offer continuing education programming for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an accredited or approved postsecondary institution that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 4980.54(f)(1), 4989.34, 4996.22(d)(1), or 4999.76(d) of the Code.

Non-Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.

*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.

If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.