Lesson Two

This option is to do with either buying or renting an office, shop, or a therapy room on a permanent basis. Your choice will depend upon various factors:

Location

If you live in or near any large town in a fairly affluent area, where you can charge a substantial hourly rate and there are plenty of potential clients then a well located commercial property could be appropriate. It doesn't have to be very big or have a waiting room with a fish tank and a receptionist. Just a small lock-up shop or office will suffice as you don't actually need much space to practice.

Necessity

Commercial premises may be the only option if you have no suitable spare room where you live or if your home environment is not conducive to the peaceful atmosphere that is required when taking people into hypnosis. Squabbling children, yapping dogs and busy telephones simply will not do.

Beware that the cost of renting premises can sink the whole business before you have hardly started.

Working from Home

The Positive Aspects

Assuming the children, pets and phones are under control the idea of working from home is certainly attractive. For a start there is minimal time and expense to travel to work. No rent, and therefore no Landlords, no parking fees, no wear and tear on the car and no packed lunches or money spent on convenience food.

Requirements

You need nothing bigger than a box room but this must be a permanent arrangement as it should look respectable and professional at all times. A waiting area would be good but is not essential and access to a bathroom or toilet is strongly recommended.

Other factors to consider is somewhere for your clients to park the car and some sort of sign on the door or in a window to indicate that ‘No. 54 Acacia Avenue’ is indeed the Past Life Regression Therapy Centre.

Planning Permission

The rules of the local council planning department seem unclear at the best of times. If you are at all concerned as to whether you need planning consent to operate from home or not then a telephone call to your local council's planning department will generally put your mind at rest and hopefully not open up a can of worms. I'll leave this to your discretion.

Location

Working from home does have a few drawbacks regarding location and if you live in or near a large town then it will be all the easier to attract clients. If this is not the case, don't despair. For many years my main practice, Hypnotherapy South West was at my home on a farm in a quiet backwater of West Devon which is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the whole of the United Kingdom but the customers still came.

So, my advice is: work from home if you have the facilities to do so, especially to begin with.

Renting a Room

This is a good option to consider rather than dive straight into renting or buying commercial premises. Here I'm talking about the hire of a therapy room within an existing alternative health centre. This could be on a part-time basis, perhaps one day a week, as a supplement possibly to working from home or possibly a couple of days if this is your only practice. If you are prepared to travel a little you can expand your practice into a different town, preferably the largest in your area so that you have a much bigger catchment area for clients. To use my own situation again as an example, I used to work mainly from home on the Devon / Cornish border so half of Devon and most of Cornwall was covered but at the same time I also rented a room in a healing centre in a large East Devon town which covered the other side of Devon and beyond. As this location was well placed for road and rail access from the rest of the country my clients could travel to me quickly from quite some considerable distance and have the advantage of easy parking and other facilities. Recently, as I only practise a little I just rent a room in my nearest town on an ad-lib basis. Location is all important, so spread your wings as far as you can.

Advantages

Any room in a specialised centre has professional credibility; probably more so than working from home. Once you are part of that establishment there are certain advantages regarding profile. You can be advertised under the centre’s banner both in publications and possibly on the Internet and also you have the use of the notice board there for displaying fliers, brochures and business cards.

Payment

Therapy rooms can sometimes be rented on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, which is what I now do but many of the well-established centres will expect you to rent your room on a more permanent footing (albeit just one day a week) and ask for payment by direct debit or standing order. This is fine as long as you have a steady stream of clients queuing up but costly if you have the occasional ‘light’ day. There is nothing worse than paying for a day's rent and then having some cancellations and ending up with just one client whose fee doesn't even cover your costs.

Hiring a room in a centre needn't be too costly. You may be able to rent something for about £25 to £35 per day. Some centres will allow half a day or give you a few weeks trial period at a special rate to give you a chance to build up a client base.

Tread Carefully

The only other thing to be aware of when looking for a suitable room, is the attitude of the people you approach. Not everyone in the field of alternative health will entertain what they might perceive to be an ‘off the wall esoteric practice’ so you could be less likely to get in with a bunch of osteopaths for example, than you would be with Reiki, Crystal Healing or Shamanic Drumming practitioners. Don’t be afraid to ask however as all people are individuals with their own opinions and many professional people now have a better understanding and acceptance of Hypnotherapy.

Home Visits

This is another opportunity but not a recommended one. In this day and age it is not really a safe option to go visiting in unknown areas, often during the evening when people are at home. You could be walking into any type of dangerous situation and be open to any form of accusation. My advice is don’t do it; if the client wants the service, the client will make it to your practice.

Equipment

There are a number of tools you need for your trade some of which may vary if you rent a room.

Furniture

Reclining Chair or Couch

First of all your client needs something to relax on when you are working with them. A reclining chair is the recommended option as it has the advantage of being dual purpose, first as a chair for the introductory chat then as a couch for your clients to lay back to explore their regression. Some people do not like to recline at all so choice is quite important. The therapist’s couch is good but really more suited to healers, masseurs and osteopaths and if you go for this instead you will need an extra chair for when they first arrive which is fine if you have the space.

If you operate from a rented therapy room you are less likely to have the choice and will operate with whatever is provided with the room.

Desk and Chair

Your comfort is just as important as the client’s as you will be sitting still for quite some time. An office swivel chair is ideal, the more comfortable the better and remember, a really good second-hand chair in reasonable condition is often a better option than a cheap basic one that's brand new. A small desk or table is a useful piece of furniture for your paperwork, pens, glasses of water and tissues etc. (Yes, tissues - you'll need tissues!)

Filing Cabinets

Again not essential, but you will tend to accumulate quite a quantity of notes which you have made during therapy so they will need to be organised in some way.

A Spare Chair

On occasion your client may be nervous at an initial interview and wish to have somebody with them for moral support and they may even want their companion to sit in on a whole therapy session (if you are agreeable). Have an extra chair handy for these times, it needn't stay in the room permanently.

That is all the furniture you really need. Minimum is good as it creates an illusion of more space. The addition of a small coffee table could be useful if you want to display some brochures and business cards.

Other Equipment

Telephone and Answering Machine

Obviously the telephone is essential and an answering machine can be very useful when you are working with the client.

The Therapist’s Bible

This is your most important piece of kit. You will need a ring binder or similar which contains all your induction scripts, interview forms etc. It is also a very useful rest as you make notes.

Writing Pad and Pen

As you take a client through regression you will need to take notes. Not only will it help you treat your subjects but it will also help you focus. Your notes may be fluent and accurate or an indecipherable scribble that only you can understand, it doesn’t matter, they are your notes. An A4 pad is best as you can take a lot of notes before having to turn the page which always seems to be incredibly noisy in the quiet atmosphere of therapy. Using a ball point pen is also a good thing as they are the quietest. Even the sound of a pencil scratching away sounds deafening!

Refreshments

Sufficient refreshments can consist of a bottle of mineral water and a couple of glasses. Some people work up quite a thirst when in regression, especially if they have been giving you a full running commentary of their whole experience.

A Box of Tissues

Some of your clients will cry.

That's just about all the basic equipment you will require for your therapy room. You will need a place to display your diploma of course so make a suitable prominent space available, either on the wall or your desk.

Audio Recorders

It is generally accepted by clients who come for this type of therapy that their session is recorded. This is especially true for those who are coming purely for curiosity. There is a fair bit of information gained in a session and even though all past life memories are brought into conscious awareness, they will still have a problem remembering and if you have ever had to do a complete transcript of a whole session, or series of sessions then you will appreciate the merits of an mp3 or CD.

This is one of the major start-up expenses if you are not already one of those Hypnotherapists who offer recordings of one sort or another, so choose wisely. A facility to play soft gentle music in the session is a bonus as well to help your clients relax when being induced into hypnosis for the first time.

It’s not so easy providing a recording these days because of the equipment that is available. Here are a few ideas:

Your Device

The most convenient way to provide a recording is to use your mobile phone as most of them have a built in recording App.

You can also use a tablet of some sort or even a laptop if you install a suitable programme that records and possibly edits as well.

Pros:

Ø Very convenient as we will nearly always have our phone with us.

Ø You can send the recording directly to your client’s email or other social media app, such as Whatsapp.

Cons:

Ø As with all audio files they are quite large and will not always send directly as an email attachment. If this is the case then you will have to upload to a cloud storage facility and then send a link for your client to download.

Ø There are limitations with regards to editing. You may need to cut bits out or ‘clean’ the background noise.

Ø Your phone will be on during the session so you have to make sure that it is muted so it doesn’t ring.

Digital Recorders

Pros:

Ø These are probably the best for quality of reproduction as long as you choose a quality digital device.

Ø They seem to have a very good ability to pick up voices without the need of an external microphone so can be placed between client and therapist and record everything.

Cons:

Ø The downside is the fact that you have to go home and download the recording onto your pc and then make a CD or mp3 audio file.

Ø You then have to post the CD or upload the mp3.

Computer Recordings

What we are talking about here is having a laptop in the therapy room with a microphone attached and a suitable software program to allow you to record. Although I have not tried it personally there is a free software program available on this link: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Pros:

Ø The advantage here is to be able to record what has just been done directly onto a CD and then hand it to your client.

Ø The quality is digital so it will be very good, depending on the quality of the plug-in microphone.

Ø It all looks jolly ‘High Tech’ and professional.

Cons:

Ø Laptops can be noisy when they get warm.

Ø Laptops can ‘crash’ when running programs, thus messing up the whole recording and making you look very un-jolly ‘High tech’ and unprofessional.

Ø You don’t want to spend half the session fiddling with your mouse.

Specialist Recording Machines

For more information, please visit this web site:

www.hypno-quip.co.uk

Pros:

Ø The ultimate in swanky techy friendly sound machines. Specially developed for Hypnotherapists, these machines allow you to mix in music in the background with your voice whilst recording their voice as well, all delivered through headphones so the therapist appears right inside their client’s heads.

Ø This great mix of voices and music can then all be saved and downloaded to create a wonderful hi-fi masterpiece.

Cons:

Ø Expensive.

Ø A fair bit of time spent adjusting the sound.

Ø Invasive as your client is required to wear headphones - perhaps not suitable for those who come for control related issues or claustrophobia.

Stationery

Please click here for illustrations

Along with the more obvious need for business cards and brochures there are many other useful ideas to help you both operate and promote your practice. These are only ideas and suggestions based on my own experience so choose only what feels comfortable. It will all evolve as you become more settled in your business.

For those of you who have a personal computer you will find that life will be much easier and more economical than it will be for those who have to go to the printers.

Your Main Folder (the Bible)

This is the one you have on your lap for most of a session and it contains all your induction scripts, questionnaires, etc. It is also something that you can rest on when taking notes. It could contain:

Interview Forms

When you meet your clients for the first time you need to take down a few basic details such as name, address, telephone number etc.

Other details should include your client’s year of birth and occupation, the need for which will become apparent in later lessons. A few prompts to open up the discussion about why they have come to see you can be included and you can also cover any symptoms or issues.

Scripts

Most of your folder will be occupied by a number of inductions and other scripts to help you with certain therapy techniques. There is nothing wrong at all with the use of scripts and you will find them a very useful aid to begin with. Your client will have their eyes closed so they will not know you're reading it as you go along. After a while you will find you need to rely on your scripts less and less as the regularity of your very familiar induction becomes second nature. CLICK HERE to download all the scripts presented in the course. This is a .pdf file which will require the program called Adobe Reader to open it. You may need a password.

Calendar/Diary

This can be useful if you operate away from home and need to streamline the amount of kit you have to carry around with you. A simple A4 sheet whole year calendar is a useful aid when planning ahead, especially if you don't wish to carry your heavy desk diary. Secondly a few sheets (one for each day as per graphic shown) with appointment times, will fit easily into the folder.

Basic Stationery

Please click here for illustrations

Letterheads

From time to time you will find yourself writing to people for one reason or another and it will look more professional if all the letters are presented with your official letterhead. This should include your name (with your letters after it), address, telephone and fax numbers and an email address if you've got one.

With Compliments Slips

Sooner or later you will be sending something somewhere and you will need to pop in a simple acknowledgement note. A ‘with compliments slip’ will usually fit the bill, which can be made from a cut-down version of the letterhead with a bit of space to scribble a couple of lines.

Receipts

Not every alternative therapist bothers with receipts when they are paid but it does have some advantages. Firstly it is proof they have paid. Secondly, with the use of good old-fashioned carbon paper, you have a copy for your records. Finally they will have a piece of paper on which you can put details of the next appointment on the back so they don’t have an excuse to forget.

Also of course, there are all your details on this receipt which is always an advertisement and they may show this to other potential customers.

One thing I would suggest is that you keep any receipts small and discreet as some people would prefer to keep their ‘affairs of the mind’ fairly low key, no good for advertising of course but that is their prerogative.

Though offering a receipt is an option, if you decide to register for VAT then it is a legal requirement and must bear your VAT number.

You can buy ready-made receipt books from stationers and have a rubberstamp made up for you with your details, or you can make your own on a PC if you have one.

Promotional Literature

Please click here for illustrations

Business Cards

If you practice, or intend to practice more conventional Hypnotherapy alongside your past life therapy then it is a good idea to have a separate card for each. For maximum impact it is best to keep it simple and uncluttered.

These are very easy to obtain, there are even street machines available now so you can quickly and easily design a simple and adequate card. Printers will also do them at a reasonable rate and offer some very fancy styles. Look out for various promotions of free ones or you can make them on a computer. It is best not to make them too fussy as information overload can put people off so just stick to basics.

Always have a few business cards in your room in a position where your clients will see them and be inspired to pick up a couple to give to their friends. People will even sometimes ask you for a card so make sure you never run short.

Brochures

This is your main opportunity to sell your service without having to pay for advertising. You can get a lot of information into a brochure so it has to be thought about carefully. Avoid jargon and technicalities as it will either frighten or bore people and they will soon lose interest. A brochure has to sell an idea, leaving its reader wanting to know more and even more importantly, induce the inspiration to pick up the phone and make an appointment. Spend a little time, money and effort on your brochure using some sort of folded format rather than a single flat piece of paper. The ideal size to hold the most attention-grabbing number of words will be a format derived from a single sheet of A4 paper or card, either folded in half or into thirds and printed on both sides. I personally prefer the former option as it will catch the eye more. The majority of other alternative therapists tend to use the ‘three fold’ type which seems to sit on therapy centre tables like a little row of soldiers. Make a bold statement and stand out from the others.

The details required in your brochure would most probably be name, address, phone, fax, email and website on the front, perhaps with a logo and the prominent words “Past Life Regression” and then an explanation of what it is all about on the inside including details of your qualification(s), your association and fee. On the back or last page, directions to your practice.

Flyers

Usually a single A5 sheet printed on one side. The main use for this is for instance when you are doing a one-off special event e.g. a workshop, when you want to get the message out quickly and cheaply. Also they are handy to slip into alternative health publications but do check with the publishers first as this would not be tolerated without authority to do so. Fairly inexpensive to get done at the printers as they are usually prepared on plain paper without colour.

Shop Cards

Something to put on the notice boards of therapy centres, New Age shops, health shops and anywhere else where they will let you. This can be bigger than a business card, the size of a postcard is ideal so you will be able to put a little more information on them. Not too much though as it will not captivate the viewer. Keep it simple with good use of eye-catching colour.

CD Inserts

As I have mentioned before it is good to offer the facility of an audio recording of your client’s session. It is also another opportunity to have something of yours in their home for their friends to notice. Although fewer clients request a CD these days you would be surprised how many are asked for. A simple insert with little more than the information found on your business card will suffice. They may lose a business card but hopefully they will look after their CD. Again, much more easily achieved with the use of the computer.

That concludes some recommendations for your basic stationery. As I have said, just go with whatever sits comfortably with you. I would suggest that the most important item would be your brochures so if nothing else, get those organised.

If you are not ready to consider any promotional material then just skip the next few pages for the time being. These ideas will be ready for you when the time is right.

Other Promotional Items

Depending on what ideas you develop it seems to work well if you use a standard ‘theme’ throughout your promotional material.

Advertising

This is what will make it all work. Let the people know you are there. Here are a few tips and tricks to help make this expensive part of your business cost effective. Advertising has to be ongoing and considered to be your main expenditure.

Wherever you choose to advertise it must be on a regular basis; ‘one-offs’ do not seem to be so effective. You will find that your advert is seen by a potential client but may only sow a seed in their mind. Maybe months later when the time is right, or when they have plucked up enough courage they will then pick up the latest edition of your chosen publication having remembered seeing you in there. If they can’t find you they will look for someone else. So keep it consistent.

There are a number of effective ways to advertise:

Publications

Before deciding where to advertise it is a good exercise to think long and hard about your potential cliental. What sort of person will want to see you for Past Life Regression and where will they look for an advert?

Note: After advertising for a while you will find there is more and more choice as you will get approached by numerous publishers, usually by telephone, trying the hard sell. Never decide on the spot, you can always ring them back once you have thought about it.

Local Papers

Probably not the best choice as you have a wide range of readers here. If you also practice, or intend to practice the more conventional Hypnotherapy then this option is more appropriate. Keeping your Past Life Regression from your Hypnotherapy is really quite important as some people will regard the past life side as anything from ‘unconventional’ to ‘devil worship’, so they would certainly not entrust their anxiety symptoms or phobias to someone involved in that! On the other side of the coin it is fine for you to say you do Hypnotherapy alongside your Past Life Therapy. If you are just practicing Past Life Regression you have no conflicts of interest and then you can see how you get on in the local rag, but choose a weekly one if you can as the local daily’s are literally here today and gone tomorrow and therefore soon become very costly.

Alternative Magazines

This is where you will do very well. Many of these are published on a bimonthly or quarterly basis and some are produced to serve your local region. If there is one in your area then you will do better in that than you will in a national one. Rates are fairly reasonable and it often pays to sign up for a year at a time as you can qualify for a discount and avoid missing deadlines.

These magazines are often free to the reader and are available in various outlets such as New Age shops, health shops and therapy centres.

Yell.com formerly Yellow Pages

Surprisingly, this is not always the first place people will look to find a past life practitioner. There is always a good section of ‘Hypnotherapists’ so you could try there, or there is another category called ‘Therapists’ where the alternative therapies are listed. It all depends on your budget.

Newsletters

Occasionally you may come across a small newsletter produced by a local alternative therapy group or centre. Though limited, they will be read by the sort of people you are trying to attract.

Shops and Therapy Centres

If you are not against a little ‘door to door’ promotion it can be a productive exercise to approach all the suitable shops and therapy centres in your area and ask them to put a card on their notice board (see tips about shop cards earlier in this lesson) or leave a few brochures or flyers.

New Age Shops

They don’t all call themselves ‘New Age’ but any shop which has an ‘alternative’ theme is a good target. Again, think about where the sort of person who would like to explore their past lives would shop. Places that sell crystals, incense, tarot cards and esoteric books are excellent and will usually be happy to allow a card on their notice board, they may even allow a little corner for some of your ‘eye catching’ brochures. If you find your brochures are being taken, do make sure you regularly do the rounds and top them up.

Health Food Shops

As health food shops also market a range of alternative health products, e.g. homeopathy, herbs etc., they are very approachable regarding the idea of alternative therapies as well, so there should be no problem with a little advertising there.

Alternative Health Centres

If you operate from a therapy centre then you can go to town and have all sorts of posters, flyers and brochures dotted all around the centre. You can also be included in the brochures and other literature produced to promote the centre itself, which will put you amongst good company.

If on the other hand you operate from home and wish to approach a centre to see if you can advertise there, be a little cautious. There may already be a Hypnotherapist working there of whom the centre will be protective so you need to make sure you don’t step on anyone’s toes.

The Internet

Like it or not the Internet the place to be. There are many options:

Your Own Website

This is something that if you have the opportunity, you should consider very seriously. Your own site can be as comprehensive as you wish, spanning many pages of information. Considering that it is there all the time for anyone in the whole world to see, it becomes very cost effective.

You can either engage a professional web building company to make the site for you or if you have the equipment, skills and enthusiasm there are many advantages in making your own. It is much cheaper for a start and you have full control over its content and the ability to update as things evolve.

You will require:

A personal computer with Internet access. The chances are that, if you are reading this section then you probably have one.

A Web Host. The company who will provide you with a place to put your site onto the Internet so others can see it. This is called ‘web space’ and it can either be bought for an annual fee of about £50 upwards or you may find your ISP (Internet Service Provider, the people you pay to be on the net e.g. AOL, Talk Talk, BT etc. may occasionally provide you with free web space along with some tools to use it. There are restrictions with the free space - see below.

A Domain Name. Your website address, what people type in to visit your site on the Internet. You have two choices here. If you are prepared to pay a small annual fee you can have a unique and specific URL (that's another name for it, a Uniform Resource Locator) for example: https://www.pastliferegression.co.uk/ . The other option is to do with your ISP - they will give you a free domain name along with the free web space. The catch? You will probably have their name in it. Example: www.yourname.freeserve.co.uk, not quite as memorable.

The usual way to build your web site is to use the facility within your Web Hosts online management facilities. Alternatively, a website construction software program may be needed. One of the publishing programs you may already have installed will be OK. You can even make a pretty acceptable site using Microsoft Word, one of the most popular word processor programmes. The lesson pages you are reading now are done with Microsoft Word.

FTP Program. If you are using your own computer based website building program you may need another program to upload your site onto the Internet. ‘Core FTP’ is very good for this and can be downloaded at http://www.coreftp.com/download.html. Microsoft Windows programs also have a web publishing software program.

One final thought. On average a visitor to a website will spend eight seconds before moving on. Make those seconds count and exclude the waffle!

Other Internet Options

You do not have to have your own website to be advertised on the internet. There are many ‘online’ alternative health directories where you can register an entry about yourself giving your basic details such as name, address and phone number etc. Most of these do not charge for a basic entry. If you are interested in finding out more then please contact me.

In joining the Past Life Therapists Association, you will automatically get a free entry on the PTLA website Directory. We are always at the top of the first page of all the major search engines, so becoming a member is money well spent.

Social Media

This is the main way to advertise and the more platforms you have, the better. Facebook is probably the most popular and then it is also worth using Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube.

Your Working Routine

In deciding when and how you intend to operate your practice you need to consider a number of factors:

Self-Employment

Whether full or part-time you are more than likely going to become self-employed.

If you are already self employed in another field then there is no problem as you will already be set up to deal with the taxman etc. All you have to do is let the Inland Revenue (or your local tax authorities if outside the UK) know and they will advise you to do a separate tax return for your second profession.

If you are becoming self-employed for the first time then contact your nearest Inland Revenue office for guidance and also be aware that you will have to consider the National Insurance requirements as well.

When You Work

Days

To begin with it is very unlikely, given the amount of clients you are going to attract, that it will constitute a need to work full-time. That's no great problem of course because you can charge a very healthy hourly rate.

It is good to get into a well organised working routine, deciding on what days you intend to operate and whether you are prepared to work evenings or weekends. You do need a contingency plan though because I can guarantee that if you decide to work on Mondays and Tuesdays, the next client that phones you can only be seen on a Wednesday. Be flexible yes but also be firm, otherwise your working week will soon be fragmented. To accommodate those who work all day I would suggest you allocate perhaps one evening each week and, if your lifestyle permits, a Saturday as well.

Times

Once you have ‘set in stone’ the days you plan to work it is also a good idea to set out fixed appointment times in your diary. Although a standard therapy session is one or maybe two hours long you do have to allow a little time between sessions because of late arrivals and the ones who will not stop talking long after their time is up. The more you practise the better this time-keeping becomes but you must be aware that at first you will suffer from badly timed appointments which can have a nasty knock-on effect throughout the day.

The Next Appointment

Many of your customers will be returning for more sessions over a number of weeks so it is a good time-keeping exercise to allocate the same day and time each week for them. You know it is a day that they can make it and they will feel more comfortable with a familiar routine and therefore be more likely to turn up. Don't forget to make the next appointment at the end of the current session usually just after the important part, collecting your fee.

Fees

So what are you going to charge?

Your hourly rate will mostly be influenced by your location in the country. All you have to do is see what other practitioners are charging in your locality. Many of the alternative therapies available, such as homeopathy, reflexology, shiatsu, and acupuncture all charge similar fees so you'll soon get an idea of what to charge yourself.

The important thing to remember is:

Don't undersell yourself.

If you charge less than the going rate you will get fewer customers. If you think you are less worthy then so will they.

The other important thing to remember is:

Don't oversell yourself.

If you try to charge more than the going rate they will think they are not worthy of you or, of course, they just won’t be prepared to pay that much.

Whatever the average fee is in your area you will find that this is a good professional rate for an hour's work. You must also decide how they will pay you – cash, cheque or credit/debit cards.

Cash

Real money, the sort that folds although not as good as the old paper stuff, is always a good option but make sure you give a receipt as there is no proof of purchase with cash.

Cheques

More or less obsolete but you may still receive the occasional one.

Credit / Debit Cards

A great option and these days you can set up an account with a company who will provide you with a free card reader that connects to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. All they charge is a small percentage per sale.

Value Added Tax

When you start in practice it will certainly not be mandatory to register for and therefore have to charge VAT.

If you have another occupation where you already registered then you will probably have to include your new business as well. Check with the authorities.

If you would like to, you can voluntarily register for VAT but there are more disadvantages than advantages on balance. You will have to put your prices up for one thing and then there is an awful lot of paperwork.

Back to topYour First Enquiries

Your First Enquiries

The room is all set up, your Diploma has been placed proudly on the wall and all your advertising has been made. What happens next?

The phone rings.

Let us now have a discussion about handling these initial inquiries on the telephone. This could be your one and only chance to secure a new client so you don't want to blow it!

Telephone Etiquette

The first thing we must watch out for is a loss of control. Given the chance, your inquirer will soon be off at 90 miles an hour and before you know it you will be doing a full 20 minute counselling session over the phone. And the fee for that is nothing! You must take control and butt in if necessary to establish straight away if they wish to make an appointment or would like you to send them a brochure. At that point they could go off again on another tangent telling you all about their symptoms or whatever. Again, politely but firmly ask them a question. There is nothing like asking a question to someone to throw them off track and regain control. Don't get me wrong, not everyone is going to behave like this but enough will to warrant me giving you this advice.

The choice of question is easy enough. I usually start with: “Are you available during the day?” They have to answer, it's human nature, you have control. The next step, depending on their answer, is to establish the appointment and there is a good and a not-so-good way of doing even this.

Securing the Appointment

If for instance you work on the Monday and Friday the not-so-good way would be to say: “Are you available to see me on Monday?” If the answer is no, you're floundering and there is only one chance left now and they have already got used to saying no! The better way is to always ask the question by giving a choice of alternatives. So you would say: “Is Monday or Friday better for you?” They can't say no to this question so they are more likely to choose one or the other. Once the day is established you can do the same with the choice of time. “I can see you at 10.30 in the morning or 2.30 in the afternoon.” It doesn't always work, but in general this simple tactic secures more appointments when you want them.

Questions, Questions

Your initial enquirer will also ask you a lot of questions so you need to play ball to a certain extent to allay any fears and misconceptions that are standing in the way of securing a meeting. This will not be a problem for you because I am confident that by the time you finish this course you will be able to field anything thrown at you.

The main thing is to get them appointed because you will often find that what you perceived to be the client’s problem, based on your telephone conversation, turns out to be completely different by the time you have a sensible chat in your therapy room.

Back to topThe Initial Meeting

The Initial Meeting

Free Initial Consultation

The majority of Hypnotherapists offer a free 20 minute consultation to explain a few details about the therapy to see if it will be suitable and to dispel any fears. It is also a good chance to sell yourself. When people make the decision to have therapy they have been very brave and will naturally be nervous, so a few minutes talking with no pressure to proceed can work wonders.

It will be your choice as to whether to offer this free consultation or not but it is also a good idea not to make it too high a profile. I have found from experience that the ones who expect a ‘freebie’ or try for a dispensational rate for their therapy are the ones who mess you about the most and seldom last the duration. So have the facility but keep it low key and only offer it if requested.

The First Appointment

An Initial Chat

Whether this is the free initial consultation or the first appointment proper the first part is the same. Big smile, warm welcome and aim to put them at ease straight away. Offer them a seat and welcome them to the practice. This may all sound a bit clichéd but the importance of a quickly established rapport is paramount. You should even be aware of your body language and theirs as any gestures you make will be picked up by your client on a subconscious level and will either alienate them or reassure them.

Before you get into the serious business of their reasons for wanting to see you, the initial chat should be light and not therapy-related. Perhaps ask them whether they found your practice easily or there's always the weather. You can follow that with a few domestics such as where they can find the bathroom.

Rapport

To continue to build on the rapport you are establishing and to further allow them to relax, the next thing you can do is explain exactly what you are going to do for the rest of the hour, or two. This is an important part as your visitor will have a high level of apprehension because of the unknown. A little explanation will go a long way towards alleviating their fears and any of the misconceptions they may have.

Discuss Their Requirements

The next thing to do is whatever you said you would do in your introductory spiel. I fill in my small questionnaire at this point, designed to find out a little about them and why they have come to see me. This will open up a discussion about their needs. Be careful to stay in control here again otherwise by the time they have stopped their hour will be up! Just five minutes is ideal. Next, a discussion about the methods used to find their past lives explaining very briefly in simple terms about hypnosis and how it works and feels.

Hypnosis

After that just check to see if there are any questions and if they are ready to proceed then get them comfortable and begin the initial induction (detailed in lesson 3). After that you can start to explore some past lives.

Time

Beware of this most valuable commodity. It disappears surprisingly quickly, especially during the first appointment. I recommend a ninety minute session as a single hour is hardly adequate.

Confidentiality

There is one thing of utmost importance and if not adhered to your whole business could be wiped out. Whatever happens within the four walls of your therapy room, it goes no further.

Do not discuss your client or their therapy sessions, with anyone.

Should you need to seek professional support then ask their permission.

Make sure that you tell your client about your ethical standpoint regarding confidentiality.

Qualifications and Associations

If you do have the occasional initially nervous client you will find that they will feel more comfortable if they know they are in good hands. You may be quizzed about your qualifications and any professional bodies that you belong to which offer a support structure. This is where The Past Life Therapists Association comes in. More about that later.

Back to topInsurance

Insurance

Another thing you will need is public liability insurance. As a therapist you are vulnerable to being sued for any professional negligence on your part. In reality this rarely happens but it is vitally important for you to protect both yourself and your clients. Details of public liability insurance availability can be found in lesson 6.

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