Part 1

Q. What Do You Do All Day?

It’s not an easy question to answer as days can differ greatly depending on how many appointments I have, whether they are in person or on Zoom, what is the nature of the work we are doing, and whether I am attending to more ‘back office’ tasks such as the accounts, social media, or other advertising.

I may also be out of the office attending networking meetings or training. Researching material and resources to further my understanding and skill is always a priority after client contact. I am a supervisor so it is of paramount importance to keep abreast of any changes to practice or new ways of working to ensure I give the best possible service to clients and supervisees.

Writing in my reflective journal, a practice that I have had since the late 90’s when I trained to be a counsellor is also an important task. I find it useful to reflect on sessions to ensure that I am functioning at my best for my clients and that I am also looking after my own well-being.

I keep a log of my client hours, supervision hours, CPD hours (Continued Professional Development) and ensure all yearly subscriptions, insurances and memberships to governing bodies are up-to-date.

Today was a nice mix of tasks and seeing clients. I met with a potential client for the first time and we talked about what hypnotherapy was, how I mix it with other complimentary therapies such as NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming), psychotherapy and a solution-focused approach. The initial consultation helps me to devise a tailored treatment plan, designed specifically for the clients needs and also be really clear on what the client wants as an outcome to having some sessions with me. Hypnotherapy might not be for everybody; certain medical conditions can mean it isn’t suitable but it doesn’t mean we have to stop there; I have more techniques and strategies that can be effective and help bring about the desired outcome.

Also, on today’s list was to begin to devise a program of work to help boost confidence and self-esteem. I have found over many years of being a therapist that when faced with life’s problems and challenges we can often feel overwhelmed and under resourced, not equal to the task if you like. This can leave us feeling low in mood, demotivated and in despair.

I enjoy putting together resources to support my client’s journey and I’m always on the look out for material to read or learn, that way I keep my skills fresh. And, some of these resources are used in the introductory sessions.

Click here to view Introductory Sessions and Workshops

Part 2

Q. I don’t even know what my problem is, can you still help?

It can be really difficult to exactly tell someone what is wrong can’t it? We don’t always know ourselves; we just know we don’t feel ‘right’ or we are not happy about something or some situation in our life.

I have many conversations each day that start something like this – “Oh, hi. I’m not sure what I want really but would you be able to help me? I’m not really happy with something in my life but I don’t even know if it can be sorted, or what I want. I’m not making much sense, am I?”

As a therapist, this is a daily occurrence and whereas I treat everyone as a unique individual, this starting point is often dealt with in a standard way until more information is available. It is not ethical to promise that I can help or fix something in any case let alone without much more ‘meat on the bones’ so to speak so this is how it usually starts.

Each enquiry receives the opportunity to have a free, no obligation consultation appointment. This can be completed on the phone or via Zoom so there is very little disruption to the client’s day. This is a great way to get to know each other a little better and to answer any questions they may have. It is also the time I can ask the questions that helps me to best advise them on what a treatment plan would look like for individual requirements.

You can use this link to book directly https://calendly.com/susangraingertherapy/consultation

Or, of course, call on 07512 762 546 or email me on enquiries@susangraingertherapy.co.uk

Part 3 Readiness

Q. How do I know it’s going to work and how many sessions I will need?

This is another frequent question that I hear when clients first make contact with me. I answer with the usual details of cost and packages and some comments that previous clients have made regarding their own therapy journey. Then it is about exploring the clients’ expectations, basically, what they would like the outcome of their therapy to be.

This is often a curved ball. We don’t, as a rule, focus on the future when we are stuck in a problematic situation.

We tend to focus on the problems, what’s wrong with life, or what the symptom of the issue are. For instance, when I met one client recently, they said that their sleep was a problem. Through a series of questions and answers it became apparent to the client that their sleep issues may stem from another source, something they had not thought about before. This gave us a starting point on which to build a solution focussed approach.

Generally speaking, we seek out help when we can’t fix the problem ourselves but I suggest that the answers are there, you just need a little help to discover them.

For a free, no obligation chat to see if this is the right path for you, please email me or use this link to book a convenient time. https://calendly.com/susangraingertherapy/consultation