NLP Certification Training Standards
If you decide to become highly skilled in NLP you have the option of moving through three levels of Certification Training:
- Certified Practitioner of NLP – the traditional format is the full-syllabus and full-length programme of 120 hours of hands-on training in which a Certified Trainer of NLP is continuously in attendance. At the end of the course there is a two-day assessment process in the presence of two Certified NLP Trainers to determine that you have reached the appropriate level of skill for certification as a Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
- Certified Master Practitioners have already been certified as Practitioners and have then taken part in an additional 120 hours' training in the application of more advanced skills in their own lives and with others. Again, they will receive full certification when two Certified Trainers agree that they are able to behaviourally demonstrate that they have attained the requisite standard.
- Certified Trainer in NLP - this person will first have been certified as a Practitioner and as a Master Practitioner and will then have attended an additional 120 hours training in how to train others in NLP at the first two levels.
Some training organisations additionally require the would-be trainer to spend some time as a Provisional Trainer, before receiving full certification, during which time they will be expected to attend and assist on further Practitioner and Master Practitioner certification programmes.
Nowadays these standards are not always adhered to by training organisations.
The original Association for NLP (ANLP)
In the UK the original democratic and not-for-profit Association of Neuro-linguistic Programming used to be a starting point when looking for quality training.
Membership of ANLP was formerly only open to (1) individuals who held certificates from organisations that provide full-syllabus, full-length trainings and (2) organisations which provided full-syllabus, full-length trainings.
In 2001 ANLP dropped the original requirement that would-be members must have completed a training of 120 attendance hours by a Certified NLP Trainer. Membership was opened to people who had attended the shorter 'accelerated' NLP trainings provided that would-be members announced that they had spent the extra time listening at home to audio tapes to make up the 120 hours.
In late 2002 ANLP stopped 'recognising' any trainings.
In March 2003 they opened membership to anyone who had attended any form of NLP training as long as they held a certificate. This certificate need only be signed by two people that the same training organisation recognised as Trainers of NLP. ANLP was later dissolved as a democratic and not-for-profit organisation owned by its members - was subsequently resurrected as a private commercial company.
Important: ANLP has been changing radically in recent years and has now re-establishing itself as a certification body.
The Professional Guild of NLP
As a result of the change in the role of ANLP it was considered that it had become less relevant to those training providers who wanted an independent central body overseeing standards and giving potential NLP students guidance of how to select a reliable and professional training body.
As a result the Professional Guild of NLP was formed at a meeting in May 2003 near Birmingham. Pegasus NLP along with 8 other of the UK's most respected and long established NLP training providers, founded the Guild to provide such a resource for the NLP community.
Members of the Professional Guild of NLP agree to adhere to common principles, share a common training approach and code of ethics, and recognise one another's trainings. The Guild now has around 20 Member organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Australia.
Standards & NLP Certification
The quality of NLP training available in the UK and worldwide varies considerably - from being exemplary to being quite mediocre - and regrettably standards do continue to drop. For example, you can obtain a piece of paper proclaiming that you are a Certified NLP Practitioner or NLP Master Practitioner by merely attending a course of just a few days and with minimal or no skills' assessment at the end.
In fact it is possible to go through all three levels of training and become a Certified NLP Trainer in a month or two!
But the actual piece of paper and the title of NLP Practitioner or NLP Master Practitioner carry little weight outside the world of NLP. And until the advent of the Professional Guild of NLP there were no nationally recognised NLP training standards within the UK.
So why attend an NLP Certification Training?
Having a certificate announcing that you are a Practitioner or Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming has personal and professional benefits - providing that you can back up the title by demonstrating a significant level of NLP skill.
And those who have completed 120 hours of hands-on, coached and assessed training will have a quite different level of skill and proficiency in comparison to those who have spent a few days as part of an NLP audience.
It is likely that you will only attend one Practitioner Certification Training in your life. It should be a great, eye-opening experience and one that you will always be glad you took part in. It should leave you convinced of your own value and your potential. You should be more impressed with yourself at the end of the training than with the organisation or the trainer.
Attending the Practitioner Training back in the 1980's with the now-defunct NLP Training Program was certainly a turning point in my life - one of the best investments of time and money I have made.
So make sure you select well - and find the very best training organisation. That extra bit of effort to investigate and shop around is worth it!
Conclusion...
Caveat Emptor - buyer beware. Carefully research your prospective training organisations and trainers.
As one of the Founder Members of the Professional Guild of NLP we make no claims to being objective but we do, nevertheless, suggest that your minimum requirement when looking for a quality training provider should be that the organisation is a Member of the Guild.
In any case it is a good idea to ask the organisations on your short list some probing questions about the quality of their NLP Training.
Click on these links for more information about NLP
NLP FAQ
Why learn NLP
How to learn NLP
Where to learn NLP - and how to choose a training provider
NLP Core Skills - our course in the New Forest
What's special about Pegasus NLP Trainings
What people have said about our courses
How we integrate NLP with outdoor activities
