In the area of counselling and psychotherapy, there are around a hundred different codes of practice and complaints procedures in the UK.
In recent years, there have been many attempts at working towards a central process for handling complaints but this was derailed last year, effectively ending the final goal of a national register for therapists.
The vast majority of psychotherapists are genuine, however, the one or two bad eggs receive much publicity in the media and naturally give cause for concern to many clients who need counselling or psychotherapy services, so it is important to make sure that (more…)
Hypnotherapy is hypnosis for therapeutic benefit and there are countless ways in which hypnotherapy can help people. The ones that people are most familiar with are issues like quitting smoking, curing phobias and weight loss has also had a lot of media attention recently as celebrities such as Lily Allen have talked about how it has worked for them.
However, there are other lesser-known issues that deserve more recognition. For (more…)
It is important in any case of therapy, of whatever kind, that you feel comfortable with your therapist and in this case the psychotherapist. However, that is not the only thing to watch for so here are a few pointers to help you spot a good psychotherapist:
- Member of a governing body is important, but not the be all and end all. Check out any bodies that the psychotherapist is a member of to make sure that they are genuine
- Personal signs: if the therapist seems (more…)
Counsellors and psychotherapists alike are said to be angry that the NHS is playing down the role that psychotherapy and counselling plays in the treatment of depression.
Their National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2004 guidelines prioritised CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and interpersonal therapies as the best ones to treat depression, however, the latest revision of the NICE guidelines state that patients should be warned and advised about the ‘uncertainty’ of the effectiveness of the treatment in the case of depression.
This has resulted in a backlash from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) which accuses the NHS of playing down the important role that psychotherapy can play and denying patient choice.
Chair of BACP, Lynne Gabriel, commented:
“While the tone of these statements does not inspire confidence in counselling and psychotherapy, the impact on choice of therapy is of major concern. In our response, we will question the rationale and methodology that informs the NICE downgrading of counselling and psychotherapy as therapies of choice for mild to moderate depression.”
Psychotherapy and CBT are still being recommended by the NHS for depression and can prove very effective in the treatment of depression.
Blushing is often associated with the flushes of youth and is a normal response to emotion, often decreasing as we become older. However, for some people, the problem does not go away as they grow older and it can become a serious social phobia.
We all remember the feeling, as that uncomfortable feeling of heat (more…)
Despite its growing popularity in recent years, mediation is still a relatively unheard term for many people who, although they may by now have heard the term, still remain unaware of what the term means and what mediation does.
It helps raise awareness therefore when respected spokespersons promote the use and benefits of mediation. One mediation expert in the Isle of Man has been helping raise awareness in Sheffield by giving a talk about how mediation can save businesses money.
Using mediation services can help companies to save estimated millions of (more…)
As mentioned in our article yesterday, today sees the start of Stop Snoring Week. This promotional week is designed to highlight the problem of snoring and show people that they do not simply have to put up with it; there is help available in different forms and one of these is hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy has gained acceptance and growing recognition as (more…)
Tomorrow marks the start of Stop Snoring Week (20th – 26th April) and for many couples, snoring can become a real problem in the relationship. In fact, figures have shown that approximately 10 per cent of couples sleep in separate bedrooms because of one or both partners suffering from snoring.
In some ways, snoring is a bigger problem than others because the person who actually suffers from the problem isn’t the one who has the problem! Persuading your partner to do something about their snoring habit can be very difficult so perhaps Stop Snoring Week is the perfect opportunity to raise the subject.
Hypnotherapy can be the answer for (more…)
Many people worry unnecessarily about falling asleep during hypnosis, either because they worry they might fall asleep and the therapy won’t work or because they did fall asleep during hypnotherapy and they wonder if they have wasted their money!
There are different trains of thought on the matter and it does depend partly on what you are having your hypnotherapy for.
In many cases, the hypnosis requires you to remain quite alert and the hypnotherapist will not allow you to fall asleep. In the vast majority of cases, people are actually rather surprised at how alert they are during the hypnosis and that they can recall every single word the therapist said during the session. This is not unusual, it is only the media that has given the impression that nobody recalls anything whilst they are in hypnosis.
However, the fact that you can hear every word (more…)
A good hypnotherapist will work in an ethical manner and follow the below ethical code of conduct:
•   Before you visit, a good hypnotherapist will make sure you know and understand their fees and availability
•   They should fully explain the way that hypnotherapy works in a way that is understandable for you
•   Hypnotherapy is a relatively fast therapy when compared to some other therapies and a good hypnotherapist should not look to prolong this any more than is necessary (more…)