Certified NLP Practitioner Programme with Neuroscience
Be at your best more of the time, and help change lives for the better.
An internationally recognised certification combining the power of NLP with the rigour of neuroscience.
Live and online · Six 2-day modules over five months · Starts 11th September 2026
Overview
The power of NLP. The rigour of neuroscience.
This programme equips you to become an effective NLP Practitioner, guiding and inspiring others to make real and lasting change. By combining the power of NLP with the rigour of neuroscience, our internationally recognised trainers show you exactly what works, why it works, and how to apply it across your life and work.
New to NLP? What is an NLP Practitioner?
NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming: practical tools for understanding how people think, communicate and change. An NLP Practitioner is someone skilled in applying these tools, guiding others to harness them to enhance their emotional wellbeing, relationships, creativity and productivity at work.
No prior experience or knowledge is required to join this programme. If you're brand new to the field and want to get your bearings first, start here:
What is NLP? Explore the NLP learning zoneWhy this programme
What makes it different.
No prior experience needed. Whether you're new to NLP or deepening skills you already have, this programme meets you where you are.
NLP plus neuroscience
Not just what works, but why it works, grounded in the science of the brain.
World-class trainers
Led by Ian McDermott and Professor Patricia Riddell, pioneers in the field.
Integrated between modules
Six 2-day modules over five months, so the learning lands in real life.
Live demonstrations daily
See every technique in action with Ian, who teaches on every day of the programme.
Support all the way
A Resource Team of experienced graduates to support your practice, a printed manual, and permanent access to ITS Connect, our alumni community and learning hub.
No prior experience
Start from wherever you are. The tools apply to every part of life.
Outcomes
What you'll walk away able to do.
- Build and maintain rapport, the key to every relationship
- Generate well-formed outcomes, and actually achieve them
- Create your own state of excellence, on demand
- Change unwanted behaviours, in yourself and others
- Communicate clearly and influence with integrity
- Use language and metaphor the way great communicators do
- Notice far more of what's going on around you
- Overcome the fears and obstacles standing in your way
- Set clear, achievable goals
- Feel more at peace with yourself
The learning journey
Six modules, over five months.
Each 2-day module runs on a Friday and Saturday, with time between to put the learning into practice in real life.
Creating a Learning Mindset
How you can open a world of new possibilities+What do you believe is possible for you and for others? Most people underestimate their own, and others', potential. There are two main reasons for this: little understanding of the way the human brain learns, and little familiarity with the tools and techniques which can activate this potential. That's why we start by laying the foundations: what NLP is, how it can work for us and how to achieve excellence. Once you learn what's possible and you have some practical how-to's to make it real, everything changes. Welcome to the learning journey of a lifetime!
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- The NLP Mindset, learning from excellence
- Steps to Competence and dealing with confusion
- The Four Pillars of NLP and Logical Levels
- The secrets of building rapport
- Learning to think strategically
- Creating compelling futures with future pacing
- Heartfelt NLP, how to develop empathy for yourself and others
- The neuroscience behind NLP, neuroplasticity and the Four Pillars
Understanding the Structure of Human Experience
How you can get to the heart of what makes people tick+People are different! Understanding how you and they tick will make your life a whole lot easier. Ever been struck by how differently people come at things? They don't just behave differently, they actually think differently. Some people are really good at making decisions, others not so much. What they do on the inside makes all the difference. Certain thinking strategies work better than others, and while some people have developed these naturally, anyone can learn them at any age. These are the how-to's that provide the 'magic' of NLP, and they can also help us deal with challenging relationships. NLP has spent 40+ years exploring the strategies of success. We'll be learning some of the most important and impactful ones, and improving your performance and relationships by using them.
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- How to recognise people's different processing styles
- How to read non-verbal signals
- Techniques for removing barriers and creating new possibilities
- The power of association and dissociation
- The New Behaviour Generator
- Memory enhancement
- The neuroscience of behaviour change
Being at our Most Resourceful
How you can be at your best and overcome challenges+The importance of being in the right state shows up every single day of our lives, whether we see it or not. We all know that some days we're more able to rise to the challenge of what comes our way than others. So much of this is down to our internal state. The state you and your team are in can have a massive impact on what you can achieve, on your self-esteem, and even on what you believe is possible. This holds true for individuals, teams, organisations and families. Being able to be at your best and deal with what can get in the way is a learnable skill. It's time to master it.
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- The power of anchoring
- Achieving optimal performance
- Techniques for performance enhancement and personal wellbeing
- Building resourcefulness and resilience
- Strategic planning with the Sequenced States Model
- The power of sub-modalities
- The neuroscience of excellence
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
How you make meaning of the world, for better or worse+What's your model of the world, and is it serving you? To make some kind of sense of the world, each of us has to create an internal model of how it all hangs together. While each of us has our own model, the tools we use to build it are universal. Understand how people do this and you can engage much more effectively with them. You can also make changes in your model, and theirs, if something's not working. That means you don't get stuck with last year's model, which frees up your creativity. Get ready to make some new connections, experience more of your creative potential, and know how to do the same for others.
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- The importance of modelling
- The Meta Model, the engine which drives NLP
- Understanding the structure of change
- Everyday trance
- The work of Milton Erickson and why it's important for you
- Why storytelling is so important: how to do it and how to use it, professionally and personally
- The neuroscience of metaphor and storytelling
Designing Compelling Futures
How you can feel more in control and stop the past running the present+You could say NLP is the study of how we make our life Heaven or Hell on a daily basis. Want an example? You have a specific way of organising time so that you can separate the past from the present and the future. Most people have no idea how they do this. Equally, they don't know that it affects whether they'll be a good timekeeper or always running late, or whether they come across as present or slightly distant. This is the module where you learn what you've been doing, and get to decide what will work best for you going forward. We'll unpack the mystery of your Time Line and explore how these work in organisations too. This will enable us to construct powerful narratives and metaphors for the future. But first, learn how to code your life narrative so that it makes sense to you and can help you achieve your goals. When you can do this for you, you'll know how to do it for others.
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- How to clean up the past
- How to create a new future
- How to construct compelling narratives
- Working with Time Lines: yours, others' and the organisation's
- The secrets of effective learning, the basis of all successful change
- The power of language and metaphor
- The importance of chunking
- The neuroscience of belief change
Finding Inner Freedom
How you can feel more at home in your own skin and rise to the role you find yourself in+Other people's behaviour can sometimes drive us crazy. But we can also be frustrated by our own behaviour, especially if we're experiencing any internal conflict, that feeling of "on the one hand, but on the other hand...". Learning how to deal with these challenges and get out of your own way is one of the most useful skills any human being can develop. Get ready to feel more aligned and congruent, and learn to help others do the same. Be a more effective leader, and a better parent, as a result. Don't be surprised if you feel more at home in whatever role you're called upon to perform. And finally, learn how to use NLP to create successful New Year's Resolutions. Happy New Year!
Some of the key content points from this module include:
- How to change unwanted behaviours
- Dealing with conflict between people and within organisations
- Dealing with conflict within yourself
- The power of framing
- Congruence and incongruence
- Techniques to access the wisdom within
- Using the presuppositions of NLP
- The role and value of a Coach Approach
- The neuroscience of your changing brain
Additional programme features
The support that carries you through and beyond+- Programme Manual: a hard copy for ongoing reference and learning. You'll still be picking it up in years to come!
- Resource Team: a team of people who have completed the programme previously and expertly help support and facilitate your learning
- ITS Connect: our online platform for students to communicate, share and connect. Resources and in-course communications are shared here throughout the programme, and you keep permanent access after it ends
- Q&A every day with Ian McDermott, plus live 'how to' demonstrations and one-to-one and group skill-building exercises
- Real-life integration: an optional NLP Project to apply your learning as you go
Proof
Hear it from our graduates.
Short, unscripted and real. This is what changes when you learn NLP.
“This training has changed my life.”
Jane, University Lecturer
“A whole new way of being.”
Peter, Internal Coach
“More relaxed, mindful and open.”
Paul, Lloyds Banking Group
“The best course I’ve ever signed up for.”
Ankita, Aston University
★★★★★
It sounds like a cliché, but this training has changed my life. What I’d spent months or years working on in the past has changed beyond recognition.
Jane Aspden, University Lecturer
Trusted by individuals and organisations worldwide
Chosen for over 35 years. See who we've worked with
Who will teach you
Learn from pioneers in the field.
Expert trainers who make learning simple, powerful and enjoyable.
Ian McDermott
The founder of ITS, and the man who first brought NLP and coaching together, then NLP and neuroscience. A thought leader in leadership, innovation and collaboration, famous for his live demonstrations. Ian has trained a generation of NLP Practitioners working all over the world, and his 15 books have been translated into 20 languages.
Read moreProfessor Patricia Riddell
A Professor of Applied Neuroscience, chartered psychologist and chartered scientist, and co-author of The Neuroscience of Leadership Coaching. She turns the latest brain science into practical tools, giving the programme its rigour and its research grounding.
Read moreDates and times
Dates & Times for the 2026 Cohort.
Runs once a year, entirely online on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere with no travel or accommodation.
All days run 12pm to 6pm UK time, each module on a Friday and Saturday, with a 45-minute lunch and two short breaks. This programme is accredited by the Association for NLP (ANLP).
Price and booking
Choose how you'd like to pay.
Runs once a year, and places are limited to keep the group experiential.
One payment, the lowest overall cost.
A £250 deposit, then spread the rest interest-free.
Team and multi-programme discounts are available, just get in touch.
Trained with ITS before? There's a special returning-graduate offer.
Not sure yet?
Come to a free intro session first.
Join Ian for a free introductory session on 12th August, see the approach for yourself, meet the team and ask anything before you decide.
Questions
Frequently asked.
Do I need any prior NLP experience?
+None at all. The programme is designed for complete newcomers and for those deepening existing skills alike.
Is the whole programme online?
+Yes. It runs live on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere in the world, with no travel or accommodation to pay for.
What will I be certified in?
+You'll graduate as an ITS certified NLP Practitioner. The programme is also accredited by the Association for NLP (ANLP).
Can I spread the cost?
+Yes. You can start an interest-free instalment plan with a £250 deposit.
How much time is there between modules?
+Around a month between each 2-day module, so you can put the learning into practice in real life before the next one.
ACCREDITED BY
Ready to become an NLP Practitioner?
Join us from 11th September 2026. Want to be sure this is the right programme for you? Talk to a member of our team, or come to a free intro session first.
International Teaching Seminars
Human skills training for a changing world. NLP, coaching and applied neuroscience, for over 35 years.