Frequently Asked Questions
Our work together and your data is confidential, with the following exceptions:
- If any disclosure is demanded by court order or legal requirement
- If any confidentiality is inconsistent with the safety of any members of the public (this includes the client, family members, or myself as a therapist)
Please see the CNHC Code of Conduct, Ethics and Performance for more details.
In compliance with GDPR regulations:
- Client data is stored digitally and password protected. indefinitely, so that you can have access to your recent health records, should you need them, in case you ever want to work together again, or in case research is to be conducted and in line with my insurance policy.
- Should you wish to see the content of any records, or other data collected, this can be arranged upon request
- Your disguised case notes may be used as the basis of a case study for the purposes of supervision, training, or marketing. “Disguised” means that your name will be changed to preserve your anonymity and your contact details will not be used.
See my privacy policy for details.
Please see my Privacy Policy for full details.
I only provide Hypnotherapy for adults.
I work as a coach with children and young people (under 16) and vulnerable adults only after written consent is obtained from an adult with parental responsibility. It is the choice of the parental person (and the child) whether sessions will take place in the presence of a person with parental responsibility.
Yes, I have given online and phone sessions many times, with just as much success as in-person sessions.
For more information about how I work online see my page section on online Integrative Hypnotherapy.
I understand how important this question is.
There is wide variation in the number of sessions required for clients to feel comfortable that they have got what they desire from therapy. The quality of the therapeutic alliance is the most fundamental factor in determining the effectiveness of therapy. Client readiness and preparedness to be vulnerable is another factor in effectiveness. This can’t be forced, so allow yourself the time you need to find your readiness and vulnerability.
The therapeutic alliance can be strengthened when it is discussed openly in therapy, so feel free to bring it up. Additionally, being open about this can make it simpler for you to find the right therapist for you – I fully support your right to work with someone you feel comfortable with and I will help you to find them, if you ever wish.
While these factors are not about therapy length, they may give you an impression about time invested vs. progress gained.
Ultimately, of course, you have the final choice about how many sessions you have. Where this is on your mind, please let me know and I will tailor my way of working for you to get the most out of and wrap everything up within the number of sessions on the table.
Therapy Length According to the Evidence
Here is what the evidence indicates according to my approach and specialism:
Working in an integrative way, I am able to use and combine a broad repertoire of methodologies and approaches. This flexibility can help to keep the number of sessions required somewhat lower.
Evidence suggests that 24 sessions are adequate for integrative psychotherapists working with depressive symptoms to fulfil clients’ preferences and goals.
For clients with Generalised Anxiety Disorder 14 2-hour sessions of integrative psychotherapy had significantly reduced symptoms for 18 participants.
For clients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder research indicates that integrative psychotherapy takes 15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover as indicated by self-reported symptom measures, with some preferring to have 20 to 30 sessions to ensure a more thorough outcome. Clients with co-occurring conditions or certain personality difficulties may require longer treatment (e.g., 12-18 months) for therapy to be effective.
I act within the limits of my knowledge, skills and experience. I will refer clients (with their agreement) on to another practitioner, or healthcare professional if necessary. Please see the CNHC Code of Conduct, Ethics and Performance for more details.
- I am a member of the British Association of Therapeutic Hypnotists & NLP Practitioners, which was the first properly constituted body for Professional Hypnotherapists in the U.K.
- I am registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, who are accredited by the Professional Standards Authority
- I am a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register
- A member of the National Society of Talking Therapies (NSTT)
- I am a member of the British Psychological Society
A Stage Hypnotist uses hypnosis to entertain an audience. They use suggestibility tests to find the most suggestible people in an audience, with whom they will then work for the remainder of the show. They then capitalise on the trust, openness and willingness of the suggestible audience members to instruct them to do remarkable things, such as forget their name, stick their hands to the table and so on. For stage hypnosis to work, the audience member must trust the Hypnotist.
A Hypnotherapist uses hypnosis to help their clients change their thinking, emotions and behaviours to achieve something they desire.
As a Hypnotherapist I work with whomever enters the door, or logs on and they become suggestible because they have come for a very important and personal reason, because we have already connected and established some rapport (during a free consultation), because they trust that I can and will help them and because they want to help themselves.
No, in Hypnotherapy you actually regain control of thinking, feeling and behaviour which has been acting independently of your desires for (often) some time. You are free to stop proceedings and leave at any time.
No, if you are asleep, you are asleep. Hypnosis is a trance state, somewhere between waking and sleep. It has never happened, but if for any reason you do fall asleep, I will gently wake you up. I may from time to time use the command “sleep”. If I do, I make it clear what “sleep” means in this context.
The only exception would be self-hypnosis for better sleep audio pieces. The very purpose of these is to guide you to sleep.
Your appointments and wellbeing are very important to you and me both. I understand that there may be occasions where either party have no option but to cancel, or postpone appointments.
If this should happen, it is important that we each give as much notice as possible. This way someone else, who may need the appointment slot, may be able to take it. Conversely if I should need to cancel, I can avoid wasting your time too.
I therefore respectfully request at least 48 hours notice for cancellation, or postponement. It is for this reason that fees will not be refunded if cancellations are made, or if postponements are made within 48 hours of the appointment. Please see my Cancellation Policy for more details.