BCH Ethics, Safety & Professional Conduct 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client discloses during hypnosis that they are currently experiencing suicidal ideation. What is the hypnotist's primary obligation?
- Continue the session and address it therapeutically
- Immediately refer the client to a licensed mental health professional (Correct answer)
- Terminate the session and tell the client to call a friend
- Document the disclosure and resume at the next appointment
Correct answer: Immediately refer the client to a licensed mental health professional
BCH ethics require hypnotists to refer clients with mental health emergencies such as suicidal ideation to licensed mental health professionals immediately.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'scope of practice' for a Board Certified Hypnotist?
- The hypnotist may treat any condition if the client provides written consent
- The hypnotist works only within areas for which they are trained and avoids diagnosing or treating medical/mental disorders (Correct answer)
- Scope of practice is defined solely by state licensing laws
- BCH certification grants authority to practice psychotherapy using hypnosis
Correct answer: The hypnotist works only within areas for which they are trained and avoids diagnosing or treating medical/mental disorders
Scope of practice for a BCH means working within hypnosis-specific competencies and not diagnosing or treating conditions that require licensed medical or mental health credentials.
Question 3: A potential client asks a hypnotist to guarantee that hypnosis will cure their chronic pain. The ethical response is to:
- Offer a conditional guarantee based on the number of sessions
- Explain that outcomes vary and no cure can be guaranteed (Correct answer)
- Provide a written guarantee to secure the client relationship
- Agree verbally but avoid putting the guarantee in writing
Correct answer: Explain that outcomes vary and no cure can be guaranteed
Making therapeutic guarantees is unethical; hypnotists must present realistic expectations about possible outcomes.
Question 4: When is it appropriate for a hypnotist to use leading or directive questions during a client intake?
- Whenever they suspect the client is not being fully honest
- Never — intake questions should be open-ended to avoid influencing the client's responses (Correct answer)
- Only when working with children
- When the client has signed a directive questioning consent form
Correct answer: Never — intake questions should be open-ended to avoid influencing the client's responses
Leading questions during intake can contaminate the client's narrative and undermine informed, unbiased case formulation.
Question 5: A hypnotist receives a subpoena for a client's session records. The most appropriate first step is to:
- Immediately release all records to comply with the legal order
- Notify the client and consult with an attorney before releasing any records (Correct answer)
- Destroy the records to protect client confidentiality
- Provide a summary rather than the actual records
Correct answer: Notify the client and consult with an attorney before releasing any records
Upon receiving a subpoena, the hypnotist should notify the client and seek legal counsel before disclosing confidential records.
Question 6: Which action would constitute a dual relationship that must be avoided by a BCH?
- Providing hypnosis to a professional colleague in a separate practice
- Entering into a business partnership with a current hypnosis client (Correct answer)
- Accepting a referral from a former client's physician
- Charging a sliding-scale fee to a low-income client
Correct answer: Entering into a business partnership with a current hypnosis client
Business partnerships with current clients create dual relationships that compromise professional objectivity and should be avoided.
Question 7: A client who completed hypnosis six months ago contacts the hypnotist for a date. Under NGH ethics, this situation calls for:
- Acceptance, because the professional relationship has ended
- Caution and likely refusal, as the power dynamic from the therapeutic relationship may persist (Correct answer)
- Immediate acceptance if both parties consent in writing
- Referral to an ethics board before making any decision
Correct answer: Caution and likely refusal, as the power dynamic from the therapeutic relationship may persist
NGH ethics caution that the power dynamic established during a hypnotic relationship may persist after termination, making romantic relationships inadvisable.
BCH Ethics, Safety & Professional Conduct 2
A client discloses during hypnosis that they are currently experiencing suicidal ideation.
What is the hypnotist's primary obligation?