For those of us who are privileged to work in the wonderful world of talking therapy, such as hypnotherapy, counselling and psychotherapy, clinical supervision is a necessity. In these fields, supervision isn’t about hierarchy or line management as it is in other industries; it’s about professional support and professional growth. Supervision is a developmental process that helps therapists to build their therapeutic skills and confidence as well as ensuring that they are working safely for the benefit of their clients as well as themselves.

For new therapists, supervision provides a safe, structured environment where they can debrief and discuss difficult cases with a qualified supervisor who will have greater professional experience than them. The supervisor will encourage their supervisees to reflect on cases and discuss their ideas, possible techniques and therapy options for clients. If the therapist is really stuck, their supervisor can offer mentoring, which may include suggestions or advice on additional training requirements.

A supervisor can offer advice where safeguarding issues may be a concern to the therapist and they will also be on the lookout for compassion fatigue or burnout in their supervisees. The role of the supervisor is to promote the safety and psychological wellbeing of the therapist and their clients and two of the most important outcomes of this process are helping the therapist to enhance the therapeutic experience for clients and their own self-development.

Supervision needs to be a regular commitment. A supervisor needs to know the therapist and how they work in order to offer the best support, so a contract with a supervisor needs to be agreed. For the first three years after training it is an NCH (National Council for Hypnotherapy) requirement that therapists participate in supervision from an NCH qualified solution-focused supervisor. After three years or 300 hours in practice, therapists can choose a supervisor from their peer group.

Sessions of supervision can be conducted one-to-one or in a group, and sessions are often held monthly. Choosing to attend one-to-one sessions or group sessions is a personal choice and there are advantages to both. It can be beneficial to share with, or learn from, colleagues, both for newly qualified and experienced therapists. One to sessions offer a more personal approach focused solely on the individual therapist’s needs and this can be more comfortable if personal issues have been triggered by clients. Many supervisors offer both options to supervisees.

A supervisor may conduct sessions face-to-face, on the phone or using a platform such as Zoom, which is becoming increasingly popular. Whilst clinical supervision is required to maintain membership of most professional associations, it shouldn’t be seen as a necessary chore, rather as a really important and valuable part of being a therapist which will lead to greater successes within a clinical practice.

If you're a qualified therapist and not undertaking supervision, I'm offering both group and individual sessions.  Get in touch to find out more.

© Lorraine McReight

Starting out as a therapist is exciting, but for some it can also feel a little scary, as hypnotherapists are almost always self-employed. This allows for a flexible way of working; either full-time or part-time, depending on your current commitments and also your aspirations. Setting up your own business does come with its own set of unique challenges and opportunities but is also incredibly rewarding. As someone who has been self-employed for over thirty years, 25 of them as a therapist, I understand what individuals need to do to succeed. Many hypnotherapists are drawn to the profession because they have a strong drive to help others, but they also need to pay the bills.

As the founder of London Hypnotherapy Academy and the Development Director for the NCH (National Council for Hypnotherapists) I regularly talk to hypnotherapists at different career stages. I’ve noticed that students and graduates from various schools often share the same concerns about making a living from their new career. Many students who train in hypnotherapy have not been self-employed before and have no experience of running a clinic and that’s why at LHA we have built practice building advice and guidance into the course. I’m proud that our training delivers the professional knowledge and skills needed to feel confident to launch a therapy business.

LHA is a heart-led business; we teach essential, practical skills in small groups. We appreciate that each student is an individual and that everyone learns differently and because our class sizes are small we can ensure that everyone gets the support they need to succeed. We connect with our students and graduates through blogs, newsletters, a Facebook group and events throughout the year, as we believe that a strong community is very important.

Our strapline is ‘practice- ready therapy training’ and that is what we offer students who enrol for the LHA practitioner diploma training.

When you were setting your goals and making plans for 2020 I doubt that you’d imagined that you’d spend the spring in lockdown and (unless you are a key worker) that you’d need to stay inside your home for much of the day. Initially, to many people it probably seemed as if life had just stopped, but now that we’re into the second 3-week lockdown, you may be recovering from the initial shock and upheaval to your social and working life. Maybe you are now starting to get bored or to lose track of what day it is.

Whilst some people will reach for a book, bottle of wine or a TV remote in times such as this, others will want to take up a new challenge or fulfil a goal. Perhaps you are one of those people who sees this time as an opportunity to study or plan for a new and different future. Instead of looking at what you can’t do, you might be shifting your perspective to see what you can achieve during this unique time. I’m told that Shakespeare used his time in enforced isolation during the plague in 1665 to write King Lear, Macbeth, and Anthony and Cleopatra. Sir Isaac Newton apparently discovered gravity during this period too. Unlike these historic figures, we have the benefit of technology for communication and study, so we have great opportunities to change and adapt.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and at LHA we moved from delivering face-to-face training to offering our diploma training via live video conferencing systems in just a few days. Yes, it took a lot of hard work but the feedback from students was fantastic. They all reported enjoying virtual group classes and to being pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to carry out classroom practise with other students in virtual break out rooms. We could be observe the students and give them individual feedback and provide the usual resources. Students have been given guidance on how to practise their skills from home using technology. It’s been a great success and very exciting.

As someone who has been self-employed for three decades I have experienced working through many different trading and economic situations and I would say that if you’re not someone who wants to fill your time off work with leisure pursuits, de-cluttering or decorating there’s never been a better time to focus on studying for a new career and preparing for a new start when the lockdown and pandemic are over. If you are someone who sees the current situation as a chance to learn fresh skills and seize exciting new opportunities, get in touch to find out more about training as a clinical hypnotherapists with LHA.

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK. According to resources released by the charity Place2Be around 3 children in every primary school class are living with a diagnosed mental health problem and many others are struggling to navigate challenges such as bullying, anxiety and trauma.

In 2017 a survey was released which indicated that for many school-aged children worrying ‘all the time’ is increasingly common. The article then went on to report that over 80% of children felt that the best solution to their worries was to have an adult listen to them sympathetically.

While it’s important as a therapist to listen sympathetically, research has shown that ruminating, or continually going over your worries can lead to greater levels of anxiety. Children are particularly receptive to hypnotherapy; in their younger years they spend most of their days engaged entirely in absorbing and imaginative play which puts them into a hypnotic zone.They have vivid imaginations and haven’t yet learned the boundaries of ‘reality’ as we perceive them as adults, so they’re able to create solutions in their minds much more easily.

Hypnotherapy has been found in some studies to be more effective than traditional counselling and relaxation techniques in reducing anxiety, worry and feelings of helplessness in students. Best of all, hypnotherapy has no side effects unlike medication.

This year’s theme of ‘Finding your Brave’ would lend itself extremely well to a hypnotherapy session where you can help a child find where their brave has gone.It will look different for each child and the journey to discover it will be different; by tapping into their creativity and innate resilience you can help the child build their confidence and self-esteem through the process.

The Solution Focused Hypnotherapy module (commencing Saturday 21^st March 2020) of the London Hypnotherapy Practitioners Diploma teaches you tools and techniques to work effectively with children and teenagers to help them to overcome a wide range is issues.

At LHA we have had a number of former teachers as our students and working with children seemed like a natural fit for them, however anyone can learn these skills and successfully create a career focused on children’s mental health. If you’d like to know more about training to become a hypnotherapists please get in touch on 020 3369 3360 or email us at info@LHA.training.

As a clinical hypnotherapist the start of the year is a very busy time. Many people choose to make changes on 1st January each year. Another important date in January is World Hypnotism Day on 4th of the month. World Hypnotism Day helps to draw attention to the many benefits of hypnotherapy and to banish the myths and mistaken beliefs that have abounded in the past. Hypnotherapy can help with habit change and unwanted behaviour patterns as well as many other concerns including anxiety, insomnia, phobias and trauma.

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Sometimes it takes an important life event to have us reflect on our life and career. This could be a ‘big’ birthday, a relationship break up or redundancy. You might realise that many years have passed since you chose your current job and that it no longer satisfies you. It may be that you didn’t actually choose your current path, but found yourself doing what you’re doing for reasons of convenience or necessity or that you simply drifted into something that you never intended.

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Since becoming a therapist in 1995 I have continued to learn about my profession. I do this through reading, speaking with other therapists and attending Continuous Professional Development courses. I regularly attend conferences for hypnotherapists and psychotherapists and follow new research. I suppose you could say that I’ve aspired to become the best therapist that I can be so that I can serve my clients well. Read more

October 1st is the International Day of Older Persons. There is a lot of talk from politicians about the ageing population and what initiatives need to be put in place in order to manage the changing demographics. It is estimated that by the year of 2050 there will be 2 billion people around the world aged over 60. But if you are over 60 (or fast approaching it) what does this statistic mean to you? The age at which you can draw your pension in the UK has been impacted by the ageing population and seems to go up as often as rail fares, so retirement may not be an option for you. Read more

In a few weeks we start the Solution Focused Hypnotherapy module of our hypnotherapy practitioner training. Solution Focused Therapy looks at the things a person can do to improve their quality of life; it is future-focused and positive in its approach.

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If you’ve looked at a magazine in recent years or listened to the radio you’ll know that the dieting business is very big indeed. We frequently hear about new celebrity diets and weight loss programmes that are dressed up as nutrition advice. The plethora of information on what helps us to lose weight healthily is often conflicting and the benefits of any particular approach are not always clear or fully explained. Read more