How To Choose The Right Hypnotherapist For You

What You Need To Know Before Choosing A Hypnotherapist

You’re considering finding a clinical hypnotherapist to help support you with your health and wellbeing, maybe you’ve reviewed the benefits and applications of hypnotherapy and seen just how helpful it can be for supporting your mental and physical health… So naturally here’s the next lot of questions:

How do you pick the right hypnotherapist for you? 

What should you be looking out for in terms of their qualifications and scope of practice?

What are the key ethical responsibilities and legal requirements they should fulfil before you engage with them?

This article will answer these questions and move you one step closer to choosing the right hypnotherapist for you!

Clinical Hypnotherapy The Legal and Ethical Responsibilities When Choosing Your Therapist

As unfortunate as it is you can complete a weekend course in Hypnotherapy and call yourself a ‘Hypnotherapist’

While the industry is slowly becoming more regulated you might want to look for therapists with a minimum of a Diploma level of qualification in Clinical Hypnotherapy. This will ensure they’ve completed an extensive amount of study over an extended period of time.

The second consideration is to look for a current membership with a governing body that holds significant standards for its members. 

In Australia one of the leading professional associations is the Australia Hypnotherapists Association. (AHA)

They set standards of practice and codes of conduct as well as a minimum number of continued education points to be fulfilled every year. This is key to ensure you find a therapist that is abreast of all of the latest research and tools available in the therapeutic space.

There is also the responsibility of maintaining insurance policies including professional indemnity insurance which is also mandated by the (AHA) 

Finding a Clinical Hypnotherapist That You Can Trust

Duty of care and safety while working within the health space is paramount. Finding a practitioner that is reputable and understands how to work within the scope of practice needs to be something you look out for. 

Many therapists will niche themselves so that they can focus on a particular area of expertise to ensure they are well versed in the conditions they know they can gain results in.

As a naturopath and nutritionist I’ve had many years experience working to help clients with anxiety, stress, weight management, and pain-inflammatory conditions. I also have other health practitioners I commonly refer to within this space including GP’s, Physios and the likes to ensure my clients are getting the support they need.

A client centred approach is key, and this is something you need to look out for. Does the Clinical Hypnotherapist place your health and wellbeing goals at the centre of focus? Referring when necessary, avoiding over promising and under delivering is vital.

It’s amazing how many websites there are touting the miraculous healings brought about by hypnotherapy and while yes sometimes the results are surprisingly fast and positive it’s not a miracle cure and should not be marketed as one. 

Look for sensible well qualified practitioners with experience in the areas you’re struggling with.

Choosing a Hypnotherapist that values your privacy and confidentiality

The therapeutic relationship is a key part of the success of the sessions. This has been well researched and documented.

Trust is a significant part of these sessions. As a therapist keeping your dissuasions and medical documents private and safe is key. 

Knowing that you can be open and honest about your concerns and health issues without fear of that information being shared outside of the consultation room without your permission is key.

Building healthy healing relationships is the start of achieving results.

what does a hypnotherapist do?

In some parts of the world hypnotherapy is widely understood and applied in clinical settings. in australia there is still a lot of ambiguity around what a hypnotherapist actually does, with clients often asking questions like…

are you going to zap me?

are you going to ‘make’ me do weird things while i’m hypnotised?

what if I don’t wake up?

first of all I want to make the distinction between stage hypnosis and hypnotherapy:

stage hypnosis is done after extensive screening of a large audience to find the most compliant, suggestible and possibly even those who are most intoxicated to take part in a piece of entertainment.

people know they’re signing up to be made a fool of and i’ve not heard of any clinically beneficial outcomes from stage hypnosis.

clinical hypnotherapy on the other hand is done within a safe clinical setting with a clear goal and outcome in mind.

when clients come to see me it’s because of an issue they’re seeking help with, pain, anxiety, insomnia etc.

There is no ‘zapping’ and just as if you fell asleep on the train or in a waiting room you can be easily woken from hypnosis.

in fact even while in a state of hypnosis you’re able to hear everything and choose how you’d like to respond. you’re still in control of your body and responses.

as a hypnotherapist I’m here as a guide, to help you navigate an area that you’re struggling with. To help you find new strategies and resources to improve your mental and physical health.

you’re the captain of the ship you get to make all the important decisions.

A final word on how to choose the right Clinical Hypnotherapist near you

There are many different approaches that exist within the space of clinical hypnotherapy some of them largely centred around conversational techniques, some that include NLP, others that might appear more like meditation and reflection than hypnotherapy.

your therapist should have a treatment plan and should be able to explain this to you clearly. say you’re struggling with anxiety and panic attacks. at your initial consultation your therapist should map out a clear path and explain how you’ll be working towards resolving some of your concerns.

Having additional qualifications in fields like nutrition and naturopathy I often include a number of tools in the treatment plan but only after I have explained, what, why and how.

Whatever tools and techniques are being applied by there should be informed consent given by you it’s not uncommon that clients will say to me…

“I have no interest in taking herbal supplements or making dietary changes right now.”

and That’s perfectly understandable and we work together to formulate a plan that works for you.

It’s important that you’re informed and comfortable. This is actually a key part of the success of the sessions. You’re the captain of the ship I’m just here to help you navigate some of the challenging parts.

Online Hypnotherapy Sessions

I hope you’ve found that helpful in knowing what to look out for in terms of choosing the right hypnotherapist for you. If you’d like to jump on a call and ask any further questions and get some idea on whether I can help with your primary concerns please click below to book a complimentary 20 minute consultation.

to find out more about online hypnotherapy sessions head across to this page