NLP - Neuro-Linguistic Programming: training standards and qualifications

Pegasus NLP Mind-Body Health Site

The practical applications of NLP in your life

Updated 06 September 2008

Standards of training in NLP

There have been three levels of NLP training:

Certified Practitioner of NLP – this person will usually have taken a training of 125 hours in applying the essential skills in their own lives.
At the end of this time they will be assessed by two Certified Trainers of NLP to ensure they are able to demonstrate that they have the appropriate level of skill.
Certified Master Practitioners have already been certified as Practitioners and have then taken part in an additional training of 125 hours in the application of more advanced skills in their own lives and with others.
Again, they will receive full certification only if 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 125 hours training (or equivalent hands-on training hours) in the application of NLP to teaching the material in the first two levels.
Some training organisations additionally require the would-be trainer to spend up to a year 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 Association for NLP

In the UK membership of the independent and not-for-profit Association of Neuro-linguistic Programming (ANLP) 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 that the original requirement that would-be members must have completed a training of 125 attendance hours of training 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 125 hours.

In late 2002 ANLP stopped 'recognising' any trainings.

In March 2003 opened membership anyone who had attended any quality or length of 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.

As a consequence of this change in their membership requirements ANLP finalised its transformation from its original role of providing information about NLP and a gauge of training quality. It is now only a provider of information about NLP.

Standards & NLP Certification

The quality of NLP training varies considerably. You can to obtain a piece of paper proclaiming that you are a Certified Practitioner or Master Practitioner NLP by 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 call yourself a Certified NLP Trainer in a month!

But the actual piece of paper and the title Practitioner or Master Practitioner carry little weight outside the world of NLP. And there are no nationally or internationally recognised NLP training standards.

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 level of skill and proficiency in comparison with 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 can be a great and eye-opening experience and one that you will always be glad you took part in. It was certainly a turning point in my life attending the Practitioner Training the now-defunct NLP Training Program back in the 1980's - 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.

Ask around. And telephone your short-list of training providers and ask them some probing questions about the quality of their NLP Training.

These short and relatively low-priced events enable you to experience how the training body presents their material, how they communicate with their customers, how formal or informal they are, whether they 'train from the book' or based on practical experience of using the material, how effective they are, etc.

Information about NLP

NLP Courses in the New Forest

What is NLP + NLP FAQ

Why learn NLP

How to learn NLP

Where to learn NLP and how to choose a training provider

The NLP Practitioner Certification Programme

The NLP Master Practitioner Certification Programme

Features of Pegasus NLP Trainings

How we integrate NLP with outdoor activities

The Pegasus NLP Principles

Our main NLP section has now been re-located to http://www.nlp-now.co.uk - you will find more up-to-date information there.

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