What should I look for when choosing a therapist?

Around one in five people in the UK have used some form of complementary therapy or treatment. All the evidence shows a massive rise in public interest in, and use of, alternative treatments.

However, there has previously been no one central source of information for a member of the public to check if the complementary healthcare practitioner that they are thinking of using meets professional standards of safety and competence. The Government set up the Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council to regulate the different therapies and Hypnotherapy is covered by bodies such as the NCH and AfSFH.

This means that a certain set level of training, understanding and competence has to be met – i.e. HPD – which is an NVQ level IV. Someone who has trained as a stage hypnotist for example at this moment in time can practise without perhaps the training or understanding of how the brain works or the psychology of certain problems.

Make sure the hypnotherapist is a member of a recognised association – the CNHC has a directory of all properly qualified Hypnotherapists. If the person isn’t on that register then I would ask them why not. Choosing someone who is a member of one of the main associations means that the hypnotherapist will have up to date insurance, they have an ethical code.

Then you’ve got to decide if the person is right for you – Many women for example feel better seeing a woman therapist. There is cost and experience too – but how many sessions some problems take is completely down to the individual, but then you have to ask yourself how much does this problem impact on my life and at what cost?

A good therapist will be able to track using outcome rating forms how you’re doing each session. this helps guide the therapy for the next session and is vital feedback.

Sometimes the environment may dictate where you want to see a therapist – are they willing to come to you if you’re elderly, disabled or cannot leave the house because of the problem? Or does the clinic have good parking facilities?

Also you have to consider – do you have the time? – it’s OK to decide I’ve got to do something about it, and part of the problem maybe that you’re far too stressed, which is the crux of the problem but you can’t find the time to do anything about it?

Psychotherapy comes in many different forms, Solution Focused is about what you want to achieve, it’s forward looking and you build upon your resources, allowing you to tackle problems when they occur. Cognitive behavioural therapy is about challenging one’s thinking and can be useful when in a situation you can’t change personally. Analytical or regression hypnotherapy is the old fashioned approach where it was once thought that you had to dig down into the psyche to reveal the true cause of the problem. Research in the 1990’s discovered memories don’t work like this and that regression will often cause false memories. Someone who is person centered follows what the client brings to the therapy room, and allows the person to explore their options in a safe environment. Counselling focuses on the problem, the therapist asking how that makes them feel. This can allow people to explore their feelings in more depth but can increase anxiety as well as it’s often not a good way to solve problems as it fails to focus on the solutions.

Finally, if you’re the sort of person who goes to the doctors, where they prescribe you pills and you don’t take them, you have to ask the question what am I prepared to do to get better? If you refuse or make excuses as to why you don’t do something, then no one is going to be able to help you.

So the steps in looking for a therapist are:

• Have they trained at a reputable school?
• Are they a member of a regulatory body?
• Have they got insurance?
• Do they practice from a clinic or home?
• Do you have the time, money and motivation to tackle the problem?

Although I have successfully treated many people, please be aware that I cannot not guarantee success. Do be very wary of some therapists whose claims can be misleading with certain medical conditions such as depression, PTSD, cures for serious illness etc. If one therapist says they can “cure you” that is also misleading, and if they say they can do it in one session – that’s highly unlikely unless you are highly suggestible.

Why do some therapists charge for the initial consultation and others don’t?

Because something is traditional does not set it in stone. Some therapists believe offering something free will encourage more people to contact them, where as many member of the AfSFH realise the value in the IC and charge according to their experience and how much their clinic space costs to hire.