How therapy sessions work

• About the therapy
• Session structure and format
• IMPORTANT: Nnumber of sessions for particular issues

About the therapy

I practice brief, solution-focused hypnotherapy and psychotherapy sometimes combined with NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques. That means that I  focus on problem-solving, rather than exploration, and that the therapy will normally have a precise goal. Hypnosis is used for specific reasons when indicated.

I occasionally see clients for one session only, and where a longer treatment is required sessions rarely number more than 8-10. This is usually in cases of moderate to severe depression. The format of my therapy session is outlined below.

Hypnotherapy is used when deemed appropriate in conjunction with NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and elements of cognitive, and behavioral approaches, which just means looking at how you think, and what you do around the problem. I also always consider a client's basic needs from a human givens perspective.

First sessions last around 1hr 30 minutes and subsequent sessions can last around an hour. I charge by the session, not by the hour. I am a great believer in getting as much out of a single session as possible. My prices are outlined on the charges page

This kind of therapy can greatly help with:

Anxiety, anger, panic attacks, depression, stress, phobias, trauma, pain, shyness, public speaking, self confidence, sleep problems, exam nerves, interviews and more...

If you are concerned about something not listed here, please contact me to see whether I can help you.

Format of a session

In most cases, the session follows the following tried and tested format.

1. You make initial contact with me through email, phone or via my web site.
2. We will have an initial discussion/dialogue via email or phone to discuss your requirements and whether I can help you. In some cases I may refer you to a more appropriate therapist.
3. If we agree to setup set of sessions, we will in all cases have a phone discussion prior to the first session to obtain more detail about your requirements and your expectations from the session.
4. I will always ask you to complete a small questionnaire and return it to me prior to the session taking place. This is very important as it allows us both to get a clearer understanding of requirements and goals. Some clients have fed back to me that the process of answering the questions already changed their perspective on the problem, prior to the session.
5. The session will take place at my office in Wansford or at Wansford Surgery
6. During the session, I may assign you some tasks to complete in the days/weeks following the session. These are specifically designed to help imbed the change work from the session, or to understand more about an issue. During the session I may use hypnotherapy, NLP, Integral Eye Movement Therapy.
7. At the end of the session, we will agree whether another session is required, and we will also agree a timescale in which I will contact you via phone or email to discuss and jointly asses progress
8. After the agreed follow up timescale, I will contact you to discuss your progress, and discuss how you have been getting on with any assigned tasks. We will also agree any subsequent next steps
9. We will always jointly agree when your goal has been achieved
10. In some cases, I will ask you whether it is possible for you to complete an optional feedback form for me so that I can assess the quality of my work.
11. From time to time, I may deem it appropriate to record the session for your benefit so that you can take a copy of the recording home with you for later use in a task. In all cases, I will make the fact that I am doing this explicitly clear.

Number of sessions for particular issues

IMPORTANT:

It is not uncommon for both NLP and Hypnosis to be sold as a "Silver Bullet" solution to your problem or issue. This typically happens because of the way in which NLP/Hypnosis is often portrayed in the press as a magical quick fix to an issue. In my opinion (with the odd exception) the people who claim this have never really properly worked in a therapeutic / coaching context.

Now admittedly I have helped a number people in a way that must for them have appeared "magical" because it only took a single session to remove a phobia or to significantly alleviate an issue that had been plaguing them for some time and my testimonials page contains some feedback from some clients which alludes to this.

It is important to realise that we are all different and want to just provide a balanced viewpoint. If somebody tells you that there is a 100% success rate to resolving an issue or absolutely guarantees that it can happen in a single session then I would treat that with an air of caution. If it was the case, then there would be only be clones of one type of human being all over the planet and very few issues left on the planet to deal with.

In my own practice, my first session is around 90 min's in length, and I endeavour to get a lot done in that time and sometimes that is all it takes.

However in most situations the work done in the sessions needs to be backed up with some additional work by you afterwards; in order to make the change effective and permanent.

If you attend my sessions then it is important that you accept / expect to be asked to do something in addition to whatever we do in the session. It will then be expected that you do complete whatever has been asked of you (typically exercises or tasks) before a subsequent session.

In my experience those clients who accept that change is a two way process and that it is the client who is ultimately responsible for the change taking place are the most successful in making and maintaining the change. If you can agree to this then I can guarantee you my total attention and focus to use whatever I know to help you. I can guarantee that I will never ask you to attend any more sessions than is absolutely required.

Nick Meredith