Registration

The first thing that you need to know is that in the UK hypnotherapy isn't a regulated profession.  So unlike clinical psychologists there is no restriction on anyone using the title 'Clinical Hypnotherapist'.  That means that you have to take care when looking for a hypnotherapist, but fortunately there are organisations and websites that can help.

Any hypnotherapist registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council CHNC will be a member of a professional body, with recognised professional standards.  Searching on a reputable website, such as welldoing.org, also means that you can be sure that you'll be contacting a recognised professional.

Relevance

Secondly, look at their areas of expertise before contacting a hypnotherapist to make sure that they have relevant experience.  These areas might be based on their style of hypnotherapy, such as solution-focused hypnotherapy, or on an area of interest, such as weight loss or pain.

If you're looking for help with a comparatively less common issue look a little more widely at the hypnotherapist's specialties.  For instance, if you wanted hypnotherapy for hyperhidrosis you could look at hypnotherapists who had tackled other unconscious responses, such as tinnitus.

Rapport

Rapport is the key to getting the best outcome from hypnotherapy.  Poor rapport can cancel out the effect of therapy, whilst good rapport can increase its effectiveness.  When you do telephone or visit a prospective hypnotherapist listen to your gut response about them.  You'll instinctively know when rapport is there and you'll find yourself responding to it.

Now you've chosen your hypnotherapist what should you expect when you go?

Presumably your hypnotherapist will have outlined some of what to expect, but we'll cover

• The length and number of sessions
• The content of sessions
• What is hypnosis like?