before
protocol:
- Please arrive not more than a minute or two before your appointed time. I may be with a previous client until then and an interruption could be disruptive.
- Please be punctual. We will still end at the given time even if you have arrived late.
- Please come alone unless of course we are doing relationship counselling and it’s been arranged that both you and your partner are to come together. Unfortunately, I do not have a waiting room for guests.
- Please keep your appointment. If you need to cancel or move it, I ask that you do so at least 48 hours before hand. Failing to do this will mean that you will still be charged.
medical concerns:
- Please bring with you details of your GP
- Please bring with you any medication you are using
- If you are wishing to discuss an issue that could possibly have medical implications, please first visit your GP so as to get a professional diagnosis and so eliminate any physical causes that I may not be able to treat. If you have not already managed to do this by the time of your first appointment, I may require that you do so before the second.
other concerns:
Of course I will be happy to try and answer any questions you might have relating to treatment. If, however, you have some niggling concerns about this sort of treatment, it might also be a good idea to look through my frequent questions section on this site before you come. I would very much like you to understand what we are going to do together and be comfortable with the process.
timeline:
It would be most helpful if, before your first visit, you draw up and bring with you a Timeline of your life. I don’t really mind what format you use to do this, but it should however ideally include all important events that have happened to you as well as those things that have had a particular impact on you both emotionally and in terms of changing the course of your life. Constructing such a Timeline will greatly assist me in getting to know you and also perhaps in also helping with whatever issue or issues you bring to me.
during
first appointment:
Our first session together will mainly consist of fact-finding, and it will be unlikely that we will do any hypnosis or other work during it. It is essential that I get to know you and get to understand the issue or issues you are bringing to me before we start doing any actual therapy work together. Having said that, establishing a good therapist/client relationship can in itself be most therapeutic. Many clients find it helpful to tell their story in such a supportive, non-judgemental environment.
the therapist / client relationship:
If our time together is to be truly effective, it is necessary that I gain your trust. I endeavour to be truthful with my clients as well as accepting and non-judgemental. I am genuinely concerned about them and their issues and, of course, adhere to a strict policy of confidentiality. My aim is to create a safe, friendly, professional environment in which you can feel comfortable dealing with even the most sensitive of issues.
duration of sessions:
Appointments usually last for 50 minutes, with perhaps a few minutes extra at the end for bits and pieces that need to be sorted out. These may include such things as setting up our next time together or burning a CD of a hypnotic induction that we might have just completed so that you may take it away with you and listen to it again at home. It is for a good reason that therapy sessions generally last for a fixed 50-minute period. Although I can be fairly strict about this rule, I tend to be somewhat more flexible on first appointments where, if necessary, I’ll sometimes overrun a bit. I also sometimes overrun when wishing to complete a process started during the session.
what to expect from nlp and hypnosis:
Whether we are using NLP or hypnosis as a tool, you will always remain completely in control. Although you might go into trance, you will find it a bit like driving a car with me sitting in the passenger seat directing you. You always have the choice to either follow or disregard my suggestions. My aim is to empower you not to remove your control.
depth of trance:
Everyone can go into trance, although some people naturally go deeper and quicker than others. This is however purely academic in the context of what we are likely to do together as a light or medium trance will usually be just as effective as a deep one.
acceptance:
Please note that occasionally I do not accept a person as a client. This is sometimes because the person concerned wishes to see me for the wrong reasons. Other times it is because I feel I am not able to deal either ethically or effectively with the person concerned or the issue presented.
after
feedback:
Good feedback is crucial so that I can hone our sessions together and tailor future ones to you and your individual needs. At the end of each session I will therefore ask you about what you experienced and how you felt. I will again ask for feedback when we next meet so as to find out how our previous session affected you and your situation in the intervening time.
homework:
Depending on the situation, I may give you homework to do between our sessions. This could take the form of self-hypnosis (if you’ve been taught to do it), listening to a tape or perhaps performing some other activity. Please take homework seriously as it can prove to be hugely beneficial to you, even reducing the number of sessions we need together.
recordings:
Any recording that we make during a session are copyrighted. They are for your exclusive use and should NOT be listened to while driving a car or working with machinery.
empowering:
It is my goal for you to become more empowered by our time together rather than reliant on me in any way. I do not wish to have unnecessary appointments with you, so will strive to help you resolve your issues in as few sessions as in comfortably possible.
guarantee:
Although many of the therapeutic tools and techniques I use are powerful and usually highly effective, I am not able to guarantee their success. You will, of course, remain in control throughout the process and in fact you will also need to do most of the therapeutic work yourself. My role is mainly that of a facilitator and guide.
telephoning:
Please note that I am not able to counsel over the telephone. If anything important crops up between appointments and you feel you can’t wait for our arranged one, please rather try to bring your appointment forward. <link>
meeting each other in a public place:
For both your sake and mine, it is often easier to pretend not to recognise each other outside the therapy room. I do not wish to have to tell a third person where I know you from, and of course understand that you might not want to have to explain me away either.
