An initial consultation is ideally the first face to face meeting of the patient and therapist; it can vary in length but would usually last around half an hour. It is a fact finding exercise for both parties, it allows the patient to ask questions and the therapist to gather any relevant information to better evaluate the patient. Hypnotherapy is essentially described as an “interaction between two people, one who is defined as the hypnotist, the other the subject” (Heap, Dryden). An initial consultation allows both parties to get a “feel” for the relationship as hypnotherapy is heavily reliant on the relationship between the …show more content…
So by having the first meeting the therapist can ensure that they are not going to be treating anyone who is unsuitable, it allows them to check to see if the patient is being honest with them or trying to hide any conditions; for example if the patient refused to give the GP name or address that would make the therapist wary allowing them to do additional checks or talk to their supervisor, to ensure they are always working ethically and within their own boundaries, they may not be effectively equipped to deal with certain issues.
Not only does the initial induction assess suitability it also helps the therapist diagnose the problem, during the first conversation you will talk about the reasons the patient is seeking hypnotherapy “the more fully you understand the causes of a problem, the better you will be able to define it and resolve it” (Hadley, Staudacher). This is an important part of the therapist working ethically, it is not always possible to get the correct diagnosis for the problem but is important that the therapist has to the best of their ability attempted to make the correct diagnosis before attempting any treatment: “insisting upon the crucial necessity of a proper diagnosis before treatment is decided