Depending on the laws and regulations where you live, there may be certain requirements for a practitioner to call themselves either a hypnotist or hypnotherapist. In some places, the profession is not regulated at all. Generally speaking, a hypnotherapist has university or college level training in psychology, mental health and/or counselling in addition to hypnosis training, while a hypnotist typically does not. Depending where you live, this is not always true. Sometimes certified hypnotherapists prefer to call themselves hypnotists as the term is more recognizable. Some people who call themselves certified hypnotists and hypnotherapists have as little as one day of training in hypnosis and/or were certified via an online course without any practical experience; and others have trained for hundreds of hours. Check credentials if this is important to you. In terms of the services you receive from a hypnotherapist compared to a hypnotist, it depends on the challenge you are working on. For something like smoking cessation, there may not be any difference at all. If you are seeking help with a concern like anxiety, a practitioner with a mental health background may provide counselling and/or use other modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with hypnosis. An educated and ethical practitioner will refer you to another professional if they do not have adequate skills or training to help you with the challenge you are seeking services for. They will never work outside of their scope of practice, and they'll be honest with you about the limits of their professional expertise. This is especially important if you are seeking services to help you heal from trauma. Learn more about my credentials