Counselling versus hypnotherapy is an interesting comparison. Is it fair to say which is best?
Counselling
Carl Rogers, considered by many to be the father of counselling
I was originally trained as a counsellor according to the teaching of Carl Rogers (1902-1987), the humanist psychologist. His method of counselling was really client-led. In other words the client talks and finds their own solution.
It depends on what is available to you if you are relying on your national healthcare system. In some countries only counselling is available under the equivalent to the Medicare system.
Some people also like to go and see a counsellor every week when they are having difficulties in their lives; they find it comforting.
Hypnotherapy
Dr Milton Erickson
Later I was trained as a clinical hypnotherapist and medical hypnotist. Dr Milton Erickson (1901-1980), the great American psychiatrist, had a more client-centered approach in hypnotherapy, which was the first hypnotic approach I trained in many years ago.
The second approach to hypnosis is called direct suggestion that I also trained in. This means the hypnotherapist directs you towards solutions.
In medical hypnosis we use the direct suggestion approach. To work in this field, you need to have an education in medicine, whether that is allopathic or naturopathic.
This is the case because only training in clinical medicine can give the understanding of how to heal the body with hypnosis.
Which should you choose?
So, when you are in trouble medically, psychologically, or emotionally which should you choose?
If you have private funding and are seeking private help, this opens a wider choice of options.
Certainly, hypnotherapy is faster than counselling, particularly the solution-focused approach. It also depends what kind of help you want and feel comfortable with.
What are you prepared to invest?
It all depends on what you can invest financially at this time.
I believe that a hypnotherapist should also be trained as a psychotherapist, because people’s problems are sometimes complex and need multiple approaches.
This involves more training which puts the price of help up.
Hypnosis on its own is simply not enough to get good results. The therapist must understand what the client needs to change and why, otherwise the client may be guided in the wrong direction.
I believe the therapist needs to understand what’s happening deep in the client’s unconscious mind to get the client to their goals and what you say you want and need. Sometimes that requires considerable training and experience as a therapist.
Comparing prices
Certainly, counselling is generally cheaper than clinical hypnotherapy but in the long run that is not the case. Twenty sessions of counselling can work out more expensive than six sessions of hypnotherapy.
However, in coming to hypnotherapy you must be prepared for dramatic change and follow what the hypnotherapist tells you to do.
It depends whether you want to go directly to the goal or want to spend a lot of time talking about your problems.
Even though I am trained a counsellor, psychotherapist, and hypnotherapist most people who contact me want hypnotherapy. They are looking for the fast results which hypnosis can produce.
No matter what method I use I still use some hypnosis because I find it moves the process along faster and reduces stress and anxiety right from the beginning.
Every therapist has their own set of fees but generally the more experienced they are, the higher the investment.
As I say to clients: “You are not just paying for my time but also my experience and expertise.”
Call our central booking for your FREE telephone consultation with Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH. Phone 0403 398 808.
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