Working Together
If you've got as far as looking at this page, you're probably wondering what actually happens when you work with me.
The short answer is that we talk.
Not because talking is the treatment, but because I need to understand what is happening for you before I can work out what is likely to be useful. And you need to have a sense of who I am and whether this feels like the right place for you.
We start with where you are.
Our first conversation is about what has brought you here, what has been happening and what you'd like to be different.
You don't need to arrive with the problem neatly defined. You might know exactly what you want help with, or you might have a fairly complicated story and no idea which bit is important. That's fine.
We'll talk it through together and begin to make sense of what's going on.
From there, we'll agree what seems worth working on and how we might approach it.
There isn't a standard treatment for the person sitting in front of me.
I work using Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy, an approach that starts with the individual rather than simply treating the label attached to a problem.
So we will look at what is happening for you, the patterns around it and what you have already tried. We will pay attention to the way you describe things because that can tell us a great deal about what is going on.
From there, I use the parts of the Quest approach that are likely to be useful. That can include conversation, practical exercises, things to experiment with between sessions and hypnosis as part of the therapeutic work.
The important thing is that these aren't separate treatments that you have to choose between. They are all part of the way I work as a Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapist.
And what about the hypnosis?
It's probably worth saying a little about this because the word hypnosis can mean rather different things to different people.
In Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy, hypnosis is one of the ways we can work with patterns that aren't always easy to change simply by thinking about them. It isn't about losing control or being made to do something you don't want to do. You remain aware throughout and can stop at any point.
If the idea of hypnosis makes you slightly sceptical, that's fine. You don't need to believe anything in particular for us to work together.
How long will we work together?
Some people come for a small number of sessions around a particular issue. Others choose to work together for longer because, once we begin, there may be other things worth paying attention to, or because they want to spend more time making changes and seeing how those changes work in everyday life.
We will keep an eye on whether the work is useful rather than continuing simply because that's what a programme says we should do.
We'll talk about this as we go, so you should always have a clear idea of where we are and what we're doing.
If you're wondering whether this is for you, let's talk.
The practical stuff
Sessions: Usually 1.5 hours
Frequency: Always agreed to suit our work and your situation.
Where: Online via Zoom / My base in Langold
Discovery call: 30 minutes — free zoom call
Between sessions: This varies from client to client and could include: journalling; questions to think about; changes to routine and behaviours; audio recordings etc.
Changing or cancelling: I ask for 24 hours notice or charges will apply
A discovery call is a chance to tell me a little about what's brought you here, ask any questions you have and get a feel for whether working together would be useful.
There is no obligation to book sessions afterwards. Sometimes the most useful outcome of a first conversation is simply knowing a bit more about your options.