How to Choose a Hypnotherapist
It’s difficult to choose a hypnotherapist, especially if you don’t really think first about what YOU want from the therapist.
You could easily compare it to choosing a roofer. You can’t see the problem on your roof - you just know there is one and you have to rely on someone to talk to you and convince you that they know what they are doing on your roof and they understand how to fix the problem for you.
You don’t really want to hear about how good they believe they are or what experience they have had or how many and great successes they have had. Impressive though that might sound, that is exactly what it is - sound.
What you want the roofer to say is that he or she knows exactly what is causing the problem and the techniques to resolve it. Then you can decide for yourself how impressive the contractor is.
Well it’s even more important with your therapist. Many hypnotherapists will commence to tell you how good they believe they are (sound), success stories they have had (sound) and how busy they are.
Whereas what you are looking for is someone who at least shows a bit of interest in you and your problem. You really want someone who is prepared to offer you a free introductory consultation and this time should be spent understanding you and your problem and giving you feedback and telling you how they would approach resolving your problem. They should be open to discussion and question and you should not make a decision until you feel comfortable that they understand you and are competent to help and you are happy with their approach.
Obviously there are limits to the amount of time that therapist can spend on the initial consultation so try to be succinct in your communication and listen carefully to the question and be sure to answer. Hypnotherapists usually have a lot of experience and know what they need to know so don’t go thinking it is a session to unload all your worries and troubles but be prepared to go along with the theme and see how it comes together at the end. You will need to be able to trust your therapist and this is a good first exercise in doing so.
If the therapist is confident in themselves they should not put you under pressure to book an appointment or make on-the-spot offers that run out. Instead, they should encourage you to take time to consider your option, discuss with a friend or family member and ring back to book if they feel you are undecided.
You should feel that you are in the company of a competent professional and not someone who wants to befriend you.
Thankfully most hypnotherapists take their roles seriously and most will be happy do their bit to ensure that you have found the right person for you.
Please do add your experiences of finding a therapist and let me know if you think this advice is helpful.
©Copyright 2012 by Andrea Lowe, Hypnotherapy in Bury All Rights Reserved.