Level 5 Assessment Questions

General Notes - have you watched the Level 5 pathway video?  If not we would recommend you watch that now, you can access the video here:  LINK

Format

Your responses should be 400-600 words, this is the total wordcount for the question including parts a, b etc.   Detailed references are not required because the emphasis is on your own reflection and common sense solutions to everyday problems in clinical practice, etc.  However, where texts are cited references should be given in Harvard style at the end of the question.

Generally, you should be showing evidence of evaluation at this level and some analysis.  You should therefore go beyond simply "listing" information, and instead to evaluate the pros and cons of different ideas or techniques, and think through the more subtle implications in different contexts.  You should try to spot exceptions to rules and ways of dealing with potential problems associated with certain situations or techniques, etc.  Quotations are the words of another person and cannot contribute much to your mark so given the word-limit, we encourage you to paraphrase ("put things in your own words") to show comprehension rather than including direct quotations.

Some questions have more than one part to them.  Take care to review your answer before submission to ensure you have answered each part of the question.  The 400 - 600 word count is for the whole question, not per sub part.

You will receive comprehensive feedback on all your answers.

Once you have paid for your assessment you'll be sent the link for the unit 1 questions - there are 6 of these.  You need to complete these and pass before you can complete the unit 2 - 5 questions.  Once you have completed Stage 3 you can then submit your unit 2 - 5 questions.

Sources

It is not appropriate to reference the course manuals or handouts in your answers, all references should be to published books, journal articles, etc. The main recommended course textbook is Hartland’s Medical and Dental Hypnosis 4th Edition - by Heap and Aravind.

References

Please provide a bibliography at the end of your assessment, you will find a section within the assessment portal for this purpose.

Citations

Citations are not a requirement for this assessment and are not included in your word count. If you do choose to include citations please use the Harvard Style of Referencing.

Plagiarism

All plagiarism is cheating and will result in an instant fail. See the Student Handbook for more information.

AI

Papers are routinely checked with an AI checker. If questions have already been marked and failed these will count as resubmissions.

Once the use of AI has been detected the marker will cease marking, the paper will be returned to you and you will be contacted by the assessment team.

Dependent on the extent of the use of AI you will be given the opportunity to re-write your answers. In the most severe cases the paper may be failed with no opportunity for a resubmission.

Quotations

Keep quotations from other sources to an absolute minimum for these short questions. You will not receive any marks for material quoted directly from another source, so try to put things in your own words where possible.

National Occupational Standards Unit 1: Assess Client’s Needs

1.1 a) Evaluate the factors that determine whether a client is suitable for hypnotherapy in terms of their goals, personal circumstances, etc.

b) Provide three examples of unsuitable clients or requests (other than common contra-indications).

NB: This question is distinguished from psychiatric contra-indications to treatment, which falls under another NOS heading.

1.2 a) What did you learn about interviewing and assessing clients from the initial consultation classroom exercise?

b) Reviewing your documentation, identify and evaluate five key aspects of the initial consultation.

1.3 a) Evaluate the role of rapport and the working alliance in therapy,

b) Factors that contribute to its development and

c) Factors that might undermine or interfere with the working alliance. 

d) Evaluate your own ability to cultivate a therapeutic alliance. 

e) Outline your understanding of a rupture and

f) Outline how you might handle any ruptures or problems? 

1.4 Evaluate the pros and cons of using different scales and tests to assess your client’s hypnotic responsiveness in a therapy session.  Specifically:

a) Identify one scale;

b) Would you use a scale to assess hypnotic responsiveness in a therapy session?  Why/not?

c) Identify and evaluate the use of three different suggestion tests to assess hypnotic responsiveness in a therapy session.

1.5  Hypnotic Skills Training, to teach clients about hypnosis and to teach them self-hypnosis is an important aspect of CBH. 

a) Summarise your understanding of Hypnotic Skills Training approaches and methods and

b) Discuss how you intend to use these to facilitate your client's responsiveness to hypnotic suggestion.

1.6 a) Evaluate the respective roles and responsibilities of therapist and client in successful hypnotherapy.

b) Provide an example of how you would describe these roles to the client and

c) Explain the rationale for hypnosis and suggestion to them.

National Occupational Standards Unit 2: Conduct Hypnotherapy Treatment

2.1 a) Reviewing your feedback forms from classroom practical sessions, evaluate the role of hypnotic induction, deepening and emerging techniques and

b) Describe three different induction techniques and three deepening techniques used in hypnotherapy.

2.2  a) Reviewing your classroom practical forms, summarise and evaluate what you have learned about the range of techniques and strategies used to address different client presenting problems in hypnotherapy. 

b) Give examples of three distinctly different client presenting problems and

c) the methods you would use to treat them.

National Occupational Standards Unit 3: Teach Clients Self-Help

3.1 As part of your treatment plan you elect to teach your client self-hypnosis. 

a) How would you approach this and

b) evaluate which techniques you could use? 

c) What might be some common challenges the client has with learning self-hypnosis?

d) How would you address these?

3.2 a) What did you learn about assigning behavioural tasks to clients?

b) Provide at least three examples of situations where you would assign different types of behavioural homework to clients between sessions?

3.3 a) What did you learn about assigning cognitive ("thinking") tasks to clients?

b) Provide at least three examples of situations where you would assign different types of cognitive homework to clients between sessions.

National Occupational Standards Unit 4: Professional and Ethical Issues

4.1 Read the NCIP code of ethics.

a) Explain what relevance this document has for your practice of hypnotherapy?

b) Evaluate clauses  32, 33 and 34 and reflect on any issues you may experience.

c) Critically evaluate two further clauses you think are most interesting or significant.

4.2 a) Describe those issues which fall within the basic sphere of competence of a hypnotherapist and

b) evaluate at least three exceptions or borderline (problematic) cases, these are cases that may be suitable for treatment by a CBH therapist, but not appropriate for you to treat in terms of your own sphere of competence and / or other training.

(commonly recognised contra-indications should not be used as examples)

4.3 a) Evaluate the role of reflective practice in hypnotherapy. 

b) How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your approach with individual clients? 

c) Describe a “critical incident” (an event in your practice which requires careful evaluation).

d) And the specific steps you would take in reflecting on the incident.

4.4 a) What is clinical supervision?

b) What are the pros and cons of the different forms it can take?

c) Explain exactly what obligations you have to a professional body, such as NCIP, in terms of supervision.

4.5 a)  Evaluate the role of client confidentiality in hypnotherapy.

b) What limitations or exceptions apply to confidentiality?

c) What problems might maintaining confidentiality present?   

4.6 a) Evaluate the implications of the main laws which affect the practice of hypnotherapy.

b) Explain and evaluate your duty of care and

c) the role of informed consent in treatment.

4.7 a) Evaluate the risks associated with false memory syndrome and spontaneous or deliberate “abreaction” in hypnotherapy.

b) How would you reduce those risks or manage their consequences.

c) Outline the College position on the use of regression in therapy,

d) What further risks and contra-indications are associated with hypnotherapy in general?

National Occupational Standards Unit 5: Apply Theory to Hypnotherapy

5.1 a) Evaluate the similarities and differences between these four approaches to hypnotherapy; cognitive, behavioural, Ericksonian and hypno-analytic. 

b) Describe three specific therapeutic techniques used in cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapy.

c) Evaluate the pros and cons of each.

5.2 a) Explain the difference between neurosis and psychosis and

b) why this is relevant to hypnotherapy.

c) Describe the major categories of anxiety disorder.  For each major category,

d) evaluate whether hypnotherapy is advisable and, if so

e) how the disorder may be treated with hypnotherapy.

5.3 a) Explain the difference between state and nonstate theories of hypnosis and

b) evaluate the practical implications for effective hypnotherapy.

c) Provide an account of the factors emphasised in nonstate models.

5.4 a) Evaluate the role of evidence-based practice in hypnotherapy. 

b) How do you propose to stay up to date with this evidence? 

c) What sources of evidence do you plan to draw upon in your practice and why?

5.5 a) Summarise and evaluate the typical “rules of suggestion” and

b) other factors contributing to effective use of suggestion.

c) Explain the different forms which suggestion can take.

5.6 a) Evaluate the rationale, function, and application of the traditional hypnotic eye-fixation induction.

5.7 a) Discuss and evaluate the historical relationship between hypnotism and mesmerism.

b) How does this relate to modern hypnotherapy?

5.8 a) Critically evaluate the relationship between stage hypnosis and modern hypnotherapy.

b) What strategies and techniques are used in stage hypnosis to create the stage show for the audience?

c) What can hypnotherapists usefully learn from stage hypnosis?