deutsche Version
Welcome to the ICP-NLP!
Quality & competence levels for NLP Practitioner providers
A detailed differentiation
by Peter Schütz
In the general public the image of NLP is mainly defined through the majority of ** and *** star providers. Legally speaking teaching is free in most countries. For NLP courses and NLP trainers there are no legally relevant recognized quality checks, entry criteria or disciplinary councils, as most qualified professions working with and having responsibility for people are proud to have them (eg. psychotherapists, dentists, opticians, architects, surgeons, flying schools, laywers, butchers, clinical, forensic and other regulated psychologists etc.).
So that lack of formal checks, qualifications and quality oversight in NLP and pushy marketing drives of minimally qualified persons regretably has led to many forms of abuse. *
On the other side professional NLP/NLPt, if trained and used correctly, is an highly efficient concept for applied psychology and psychotherapy, professionally based on well researched psychological findings (www.nlpt.at/r1).
The following differentiations are based on:
- 35 years of working with NLP
- having trained and presented NLP/NLPt in 12 European countries
- scientific publications on the efficacy of NLP/NLPt e.g. www.nlpt.at/res1.pdf
- serving in the executive of EANLPt, OeTZ-NLP&NLPt and EuCF
- my experience in the graduating comission of the OeTZ-NLP&NLPt and for groupdynamic trainers and grouppsychotherapy of the OeAGG
- many conservation with dear NLP colleguages from 5 NLP continents
Worldwide we can find 5 Levels of NLP practitioner courses with subsequent higher level trainings:
Level 5 ***** NLPt/NLP Psychotherapy
Level 4 **** Professional NLP (Practitioner courses): 30 - 37 days, externally accredited programms, max. 25 participants, highly accredited trainer teams with at least 4 trainer teams (m/f), university qualified (MSc/PhD), independent quality certifications, entry checks to filter out sociopaths, trainers belong to professional organizations (medical, psychology, psychotherapy, business consulters)
Level 3 *** Low level NLP: simple 10 - 18 day surface courses for the big mass, no entry checks
Level 2 ** Simploid NLP games: 5 - 10 days in large groups, the moneymaker and rippoff fiestas
Level 1 * Online NLP courses: well .. buy your diplomas :-(
Professional NLP combines models for managing the inner and the outer world. This "self management and methodology mix" is equivalent to fitness and techniques in many sports. Professional NLP is both cognitive/systemic/linguistic and psychodynamic/integrative/imaginative.
Professional NLP curricula and design were started in Vienna 1986 at the OeTZ-NLP&NLPt. Today there are professional centers in Zagreb and Bucarest, Poland who are on the same high level, with several more coming soon.
An upgrade program to NLP Psychotherapy is possibile along the EANLPt and NLPt-curricula.
* Google “the Bandler method” and you will better understand the position mentioned above and the valid criticism towards many NLP providers regarding missing ethics and competence. Speed seduction and pick up artist NLP based courses are not helpful either for a public appreciation of NLP.