Lot's of people ask the question, "what is the difference between a hypnotist and a hypnotherapist?"  Well, that answer is pretty easy but there are also grey areas involved.  A hypnotist can be anyone who can use hypnosis for a variety of things such as for fun, amusement, and even for show, such as showbiz.  A hypnotist may have little or no training at all.  They may even be self taught. 

A hypnotherapist, on the other hand, would be well trained and versed in hypnosis, and use it for therapeutic reasons to help clients with issues and/or to reach goals.  There are three types of hypnotherapists;  hypnotherapists,  clinical hypnotherapists, and trans-personal hypnotherapists.   Some may be trained in all three specialty areas.  Hypnotherapists use the many different modalities of hypnosis, as well as some forms of NLP.  Most of the modalities that reside in a hypnotherapists tool box are beyond what a non-professional should attempt without training. 

Although, there is a grey area, where sometimes hypnotherapists may uses they're skills outside of the office for fun, entertainment, or to perform at functions and venues for other means.  Similiar to places where a hypnotist may perform.