5 Top Tips for Choosing a Therapy Course
Every year I get phone calls from therapists who tell me they made the wrong decision when picking a hypnotherapy training course or other therapy course. The call asking if I can provide them with training to fill in the gaps.
Many people were taken in by in-depth ‘sales’ calls where the psychology of marketing and persuasion were used to get a commitment from them. This kind of commitment is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the CLIENT COMMITMENT PROCESS I teach on this Master Mind here.
Diploma’s That Don’t Deliver
Many find they have diploma’s that don’t deliver on what was promised when they were choosing a therapy course. All too many fall short of the correct level of training to obtain accreditation and insurance from industry leaders.
I recently read though my notes on the sixty-five calls I got from new therapists in the UK, Norther Ireland and at home here in Ireland who had taken hypnotherapy training courses, counselling, psychotherapy, NLP, and other therapy courses last year. I used their comments and created a list of their top five tips. These are the deciding factors that they wished they had used before signing up for a course that didn’t deliver as much as it promised.
#1 Find a Comprehensive Course
Find a course that will teach you a wide range of approaches so you can tailor your approach to match the needs of your clients. Some clients will want you to ‘put them into trance’ and you’ll use a hypnotic induction. Others will prefer you to ‘guide them to their best state’. Many more will want you to help them ‘access their creative mind’. Therefore, find a course that teaches you a combination of approaches so you can adapt your techniques to suit your clients rather than trying to force your clients to fit your approach.
#2 Pick a Teacher That Has Time For You
With so many therapy schools to choose from it can be hard to make a decision which one is best for you. So focus on the teacher. Pick a school where the teacher is accessible. Call up the school and ask to speak to the teacher. If the teacher doesn’t have time to talk to you before you enrol, they won’t have time to talk to you later on – so be sensible! Don’t book! You’ll need support and mentoring the whole way through the training process and right into your first year or two of professional practice.
#3 Try Before You Buy
In today’s digital age, don’t book a course until you’ve sampled how the school teaches therapy. Find a school that offers free online hypnotherapy courses and book with a teacher who can demonstrate that they can teach their subject well. As you know I run a free online Therapy School where I share tons of tools and techniques that are developed to support ALL THERAPISTS in the Health and Wellness Industry.
#4 Avoid Trainers that Promote Stage Hypnosis and Street Hypnosis
Many graduates from other schools have told me they wish they weren’t blindsided by demonstrations of stage hypnosis and street hypnosis when they attended a ‘free hypnosis course’. Although they thought these skills were ‘cool’, they realised when it was too late that they were NOT EVIDENCE-BASED and do not fit the curricula requirements of professional hypnotherapy training.
#5 Look for a Trainer that Gives You a Library of Resources
If the school you are thinking of taking a hypnotherapy course with doesn’t have a library of practical resources for you to dip into after you graduate, think twice. You can’t possibly remember everything you will learn and your focus will shift over time so having resources to help with recall and remembering will help you greatly in the years ahead. Here’s a picture of what our Student Hub looks like and just some of the modules you’ll have lifelong access to.
Take Your Time!
Above all, take your time. Avoid making rash decisions based on price and location. The cheapest course and the course nearest you might not give you the results you want. This is particularly important if you are planning on starting a therapy practice or thinking of adding Hypnotherapy, Mind Coaching and Online Therapy to your therapy qualifications.
Finally, My Top Tip!
Choose a course that will give you a full refund on your deposit if you change your mind or if circumstances prevent you from joining. I know how difficult it can be to make time to do the things YOU want to do for YOURSELF. So having peace of mind that you can change your mind is important.