I’ve been working as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist for over eleven years, and during that time my practice has inevitably changed and evolved as my experience and expertise has grown.

A Growing Practice

I first began seeing clients in a tiny, hired room at the back of a bustling health food shop in my town.  After establishing my client base and finding myself getting busier, I converted a room in my home into a therapy room/office and transferred my practice there.  As the word spread of my specialism in eating disorders, I regularly began getting emails and phone calls from people all over the country wanting to work with me.  Many travelled long distances to see me and eventually I took the plunge and set up a Cognitive Hypnotherapy practice at 1 Harley Street in Central London in addition to my home therapy practice.

I spent over five happy years at Harley Street, working successfully with hundreds of clients in that time.  In the meantime my therapy room at home was converted back into a bedroom as I needed the space for my growing family, but there were still people locally who wanted to work with me.  In order to overcome this challenge, I started working with clients online so that those who were unable to get to London could still see me.

Demand for online Cognitive Hypnotherapy continued to grow and many of my London clients started choosing to work with me online instead of face to face at my office as it saved them the time, energy and expense of travelling into the city.  In December 2017 I said goodbye to my Harley Street therapy room and moved my entire practice online, where I now work exclusively with my clients via Skype.

Online Cognitive Hypnotherapy

As we increasingly spend more and more of our lives online, it makes sense to me to offer Cognitive Hypnotherapy in this way too.  It means that it’s so much more accessible to so many more people – there’s no reason why geographical location should place a limit on you being able to access someone you believe could help you create the changes you want in your life.  No matter where in the world you are based, we can work together to help you become the version of yourself that you want to be.

Online Cognitive Hypnotherapy works in just the same way as face-to-face therapy sessions.  All that is required is a reliable internet connection, a PC or laptop (though many clients use their tablets or even their smartphone – the at in which we work together can be very flexible), and a quiet room where you can sit comfortably.  I’ve had clients work with me from many different locations including during their lunchbreak at work, on the sofa, in a designated classroom at school and even from the comfort of their bedroom at home.

What Now?

Step 1

You’ve had a good look around my website and think that I might be the right Cognitive Hypnotherapist for you.  Send me an email (chloe@openmindhypnotherapy.co.uk), give me a call (07794 595783) or fill in the form on the Contact Me page and I’ll get back to you within 48 hours.

Step 2

We arrange to have a free, no-obligation conversation on the phone or via Skype in order to connect, get to know each other a little bit, for you to ask me any questions you might have about me and/or the way I work, and for me to find out more about what challenge you are looking to overcome.  If at the end of our conversation you decide that you would like to work with me, we book in your first session.

Step 3

Our first session is dedicated to information-gathering.  You tell me your story and I ask specific questions designed to help me understand the things you’ve been struggling with up until that point.  Many clients often feel better even after this first session, having shared things they’ve been carrying around for a long time.

Step 4

We continue to have online Cognitive Hypnotherapy sessions together until you feel that you’ve let go of the things that brought you to me in the first place and have reached a place where you are happy being you.

A Few Things To Think About

Choosing a therapist

It’s really important that you find the therapist who is right for you – someone you connect with, someone you feel supported by and someone who understands you and the issue(s) you have been struggling with up until now.  If you haven’t already, I would suggest that you speak to a couple of other therapists to ensure that you feel that you are making the right choice for you.  A good place to find them is the QCHPA Therapist Finder.

I am more than happy to have a free, no-obligation conversation on the phone with you to discuss what it is you are looking to achieve out of our sessions together, and to explain how I might be able to help you.  You can also email me with any questions you may have, and I will usually get back to you within 48 hours.

If you do decide to work with me, the first session is spent discussing the issue(s) you are looking for help with, so that I can build up as clear an idea as possible about how it is affecting you and your life at the moment, and (perhaps more importantly) understand exactly how you would like to be in the future once you are free from that problem.  This allows me to tailor an approach that is personal and individual to you and your circumstances, which in turn will help you achieve your goals in a way that means they will be lasting.  It also allows you to ask me any questions you may have about myself, my approach, and Cognitive Hypnotherapy in general.  The actual therapy work then begins in the second session.

How many sessions will I need?

The number of sessions you may need varies according to the issue in question, how long it has been a problem for, and how motivated you are to make the changes you want/need to make.  However, as a general guide, the majority of people notice a significant difference in what they are thinking, how they are feeling and the ways in which they are behaving within 6 to 8 sessions.  Some people take longer, and others notice positive differences after just 2 to 4 sessions.

Eating disorders are a little different.  Because of their incredibly complex nature it often takes longer to unravel the reasons behind the behaviour.  As a result, I tend to see most of my eating disorder clients for six to twelve months on average.

I follow the principle of Brief Therapy – that is, I will try to help you resolve the issue that is troubling you in the shortest time possible, whilst still adhering to the exceptionally high standards of the QCHPA, the CNHC and myself. This is to help keep costs down for you as the client, and significantly increases the chance that you can sustain any changes you make by yourself, without becoming dependent on ongoing/long term treatment. I do not ask you to sign up for a certain number of sessions from the beginning – we simply book them session by session until you are happy you have achieved what you set out to achieve.

Confidentiality

All personal information and case notes remain completely confidential at all times both during treatment and after our sessions have come to an end. It is vitally important that you are able to put your trust in our relationship and that you feel you are able to talk openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and memories. Anonymous case histories may occasionally be discussed with an Accredited Hypnotherapy Supervisor in accordance with the QCHPA and the CNHC’s policy of Continuing Professional Development and quality control, but no names or other identifying information are used at any time.

Cancellation policy

If you book a session with me and wish to change or cancel it, please give me as much notice as possible as there is often a waiting list of people who could take the appointment instead.  Appointments cancelled with less than 48 hours notice will be liable for 50% of the cost of the session. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be liable for the full cost of the session, except in exceptional circumstances (decided on a case by case basis).