Qualified-What’s Next?

Once you have gained your  Diploma in Hypnotherapy, you will have a high degree of competence in both the practical and theory side of hypnotherapy and hypnosis. You are now ready to work professionally as a hypnotherapist, where you can make a real difference in the world, helping people improve their lives.

During your training, I would have encouraged you to find a ‘niche’ to practice hypnotherapy professionally and show you how to offer the most common forms of hypnotherapy.

So, it is now time to consider your work options and, in this short piece, I discuss what these are. 

So, it is now time to consider your work options and, in this short piece, I discuss what these are. 

You will have the following five options: 

Work from a clinic Work at The Devon | Clinic Working from home | Rent office space | Offer a mobile service 

Some hypnotherapists like to work from home, some from their own treatment room, some offer a mobile-only service whilst others work from a clinic. There are advantages and disadvantages for these options and I will run through the obvious and perhaps less obvious pros and cons of each below: 

Working From A Clinic 

This is a good option, in my opinion. The TWO most significant advantages are having people, particularly practitioners, around you, and you will be working in a safe and comfortable environment with your clients. Some good clinics will help you by arranging your client bookings for you, which is a great help, and many will provide reminders to your clients so that they do not miss appointments. Some good clinics will also advertise your hypnotherapy services through their website, social media, and other marketing platforms, and other practitioners within the clinic may refer clients to you, too. There will be charges for using a clinic’s facilities; these will vary from clinic to clinic but could include a charge for the room you will use, or there could be a charge based on a commission rate. By being charged on a commission basis, you will only pay for when you have a client, whereas paying for a room could mean paying the clinic for time when you don’t have a client, which could be unviable for you initially. By becoming a hypnotherapist, you will become self-employed and such expenses to the clinic along with other costs that you will incur will be tax-deductible. 

Work At The Devon Clinic

Possibly the best option would be to work professionally at the Devon Clinic (run by myself), allowing for my support to you to continue. Here, I could help you to start your new hypnotherapy career or new hypnotherapy business or practice. As well as running the Devon School of Hypnotherapy, I also run the Devon Clinic, a Community Interest Company (CIC) in Paignton, Devon and I could find you a position within the clinic, practising as a hypnotherapist. Several of our successful ex-students have taken up such positions. This has provided them with the first step on their new hypnotherapy journey, with the Devon clinic finding some of their first clients in return for reasonable remuneration. Places are, of course, subject to availability and certain conditions. It would be wrong of me to say that The Devon Clinic can provide all your clients, but the help you would gain would provide you with a good start. The experience gained within a clinic environment would also be invaluable. 

You would benefit from having me on hand to offer advice both as a supervisor, mentor, and trainer. The Devon Clinic could feature you on our website and in our marketing; furthermore, you could potentially gain clients referred to you by other practitioners within the clinic, too.  Starting any new business can be very lonely. Working amongst others in a working environment can dramatically remove the often overwhelming feeling of isolation that many new entrepreneurs can experience. You would also benefit from working in a clinic environment amongst other practitioners who share a similar ethos and culture. You would enjoy safe and comfortable working conditions, as suggested above. This arrangement can also help the clinic by providing a greater choice of practitioners with a broader range of treatments for our patients and clients. For us, the results that the Devon Clinic can achieve with its clients is significant; to date, an astounding 50% of our clients go from either severe or moderately severe levels of anxiety and/or stress and/or psychological distress down to normal levels after treatment, with 80% showing a reduction in levels overall. Something we are always looking to improve. This is just part of some of the phenomenal work done at the Devon School Of Hypnotherapy & The Devon Clinic. If you would like to be part of this fantastic life-changing process, please call 01803 500300. 

Working From Home 

Many professional hypnotherapists prefer to work from home, some have their own treatment room set up in a spare room, or they might even convert a garage or outbuilding. 

The advantages are easy to spot; there is no travelling involved, no room rent to pay, and you are familiar with your surroundings, and you can decorate your therapy room however you choose. You would also be able to claim tax relief on your household bills, So why is this my least preferred way of working for new graduates? Firstly, it can be challenging to turn the ‘work mode’ on and off when there are reminders of your work, everywhere within your home. 

 Secondly, you must also consider your safety; I may not mean physical safety, necessarily, (but it could be a consideration), but what about any accusations that might be made against you? Unfortunately, we are living in such times where this is becoming more prevalent. 

The vast majority of my clients are very nice people, but some can be a little disturbed, and I would not have been happy about these people knowing where my family and I live. If similar people were to visit your home, are you risking your and your family’s safety?

 Then, you must consider how your client would feel, too; quite often, they are nervous for their first appointment and treatment session, and to be invited to a stranger’s house (particularly of the opposite sex) may be very off-putting for them and may add to the nervousness and anxiety. 

So, if you are planning to work from home, I would definitely recommend taking some time to consider the implications of this option.  

Rent a room in an office or shop 

I started out many years ago with two small offices above an estate agent. I was pretty fortunate as I had my own office door, a luxury some rented offices don’t provide. 

This option is far more professional than working from home or doing home visits. In some offices, you may provide a waiting room, cleaners and, in some instances, have all utilities included in the rental, making budgeting your costs easier. Marketing can also be easier working from someone else’s premises, as they can help market you and increase their footfall. 

But there are problems with this option; lone working is difficult and dangerous, as described above. If you want to see people out of hours, some places, particularly shops, may have a problem letting members of the public in when the shop is closed. Equally, if the shop or office allows you in out of hours, there are security issues to consider. It could also prove potentially embarrassing, too, let alone costly if anything goes missing or gets broken; unfortunately, some of your clients may not be as well as others, and if we are working with clients who have a disposition to take what isn’t theirs, you could be leaving ourselves wide open.

Noise can also be a problem if your office is above a shop; for instance, sounds and chatter could migrate into the office space.

Personally, I see this option as a halfway house between working in a professional clinic and working from home or doing home visits. 

Offer A Mobile Service 

Many professional hypnotherapists choose this option. It is clear to understand the advantages; there is no layout for room rental for you to practice within. You don’t have to invest in decorating it, and you don’t have to invest in it a fancy chair for your clients. But there are several disadvantages, which are very similar to those for working from home, particularly concerning your safety.  Another consideration is your pricing policy.  A client’s treatment session might last an hour, but you would have unpaid travelling time to consider, too.

 If, for instance, you have three clients in a day, say at £60 per client. You have half an hour travelling time to, from and between these clients, you would have 3 hours of treatment and 2 hours travelling, reducing your hourly rate significantly down to £36 per hour; then, deduct your travelling costs and your actual hourly rate is probably half what you charge you, clients. If you were to choose to work from a clinic or your home, you would be able to treat more clients in a day and have much less travelling costs. 

As with Home Working, I would recommend you consider the pros and cons of this option very seriously, in particular, your safety; lone working is a risky business at the best of times, and you can leave yourself wide open to all sorts of risks from harm through to various accusations.  

We also run a Find Your Niche course designed especially for new hypnotherapists. The course covers all aspects of setting up your own business, including gaining clients, marketing yourself without spending a fortune, and avoiding common mistakes. 

Certificate in Hypnotherapy