Everything you might be wondering, answered honestly.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combines solution-focused psychotherapy with hypnosis. Rather than continually revisiting where you have been, we focus on where you would like to be, what you’d like to be different, and the small, achievable steps that get you there. Each session includes guided relaxation and hypnosis to support the work we’ve done together.

Start with a Discovery Call — a quick, friendly, informal chat. You can briefly tell us what you’d like help with, ask any questions, and decide whether you’d like to go ahead with an Initial Consultation. There’s no pressure and nothing to prepare.

Yes — Initial Consultations are FREE until 31 December 2026. It’s a 1:1 appointment of 30–60 minutes where we talk about what you’d like support with, explain how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works, describe what future sessions look like and answer your questions.

Yes. All prices — excluding the Initial Consultation, which is free — are half price until 31 December 2026: regular session £45, 6-session package £205, smoking cessation £125, and the phobia programme £175 for three sessions.

No. You are never expected to relive or describe difficult experiences in detail to take part in this approach. We’ll talk a little about what has brought you to us, but the emphasis is firmly on where you’d like to be and how to get there.

No. Hypnosis is a natural state of focused relaxation — similar to daydreaming or the moments just before falling asleep. You remain aware, in control and can open your eyes at any time. It’s a collaborative process throughout.

No. Hypnosis is not mind control. You cannot be made to say or do anything against your values.

Most clients see meaningful progress in 6 to 12 sessions. Phobias can often be resolved in fewer. We review progress together as we go, and there is no pressure to continue longer than is genuinely helpful.

Regular sessions last around 50–60 minutes. The Initial Consultation is a 1:1 appointment lasting 30–60 minutes and is free until 31 December 2026.

Yes. Online sessions take place via Google Meet and are just as effective as in-person, and often more convenient for busy parents, professionals and teenagers.

Payment is required in full before your first paid session. Packages and programmes must be paid in full before the first session.

We understand that plans can change. If you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, please give us at least 48 hours’ notice. Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice are non-refundable.

Yes. Hypnotherapy is widely considered safe when practised by a qualified therapist. It is a natural state, non-invasive, and doesn’t involve medication.

There is a growing body of research supporting hypnotherapy for anxiety, IBS, sleep, phobias, pain and habit change. Gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS in particular has a strong evidence base. We’re always happy to talk honestly about what the research does and doesn’t show.

Common areas include anxiety, stress, low mood, sleep problems, confidence, phobias, panic attacks, IBS, exam anxiety, addiction, habits, pain management and weight management. We have a special interest in supporting children, teenagers and young adults.

Yes. We are enhanced-DBS checked with specific experience supporting children and teenagers with anxiety, sleep, confidence, exam stress and school-related worries.

Parents or guardians are welcome to attend the Initial Consultation. For subsequent hypnotherapy sessions, parents and guardians are asked to wait outside the therapy room so the young person has their own comfortable, private space to engage with the session. We give regular feedback to keep you informed, while respecting your child’s privacy — always alongside our safeguarding responsibilities.

Very much so. Teenagers often respond quickly. Sessions are warm, respectful and pitched at their level, without feeling clinical.

Yes. Most people remember the whole session. Hypnosis is a relaxed, aware state — not a blackout.

Counselling often focuses on exploring and understanding past experiences. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy focuses on your preferred future and uses hypnosis to help the brain settle into new patterns. Both can be helpful; they work in different ways.

There is overlap — both are structured and forward-looking. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy also uses the trance state to help changes take root more easily, and often feels calmer to experience.

We begin by talking about what has been going well and the positive changes you’ve noticed, then explore where you’d like to be and the small steps that move you there — sometimes using questions and techniques such as scaling and preferred-future thinking. The second part of the session is hypnosis: a guided state of focused relaxation that complements the work we’ve done.

No. You can self-refer. If you are receiving support for a serious mental health condition, we may ask that we liaise with your GP.

Yes. Everything discussed is confidential in line with the National Hypnotherapy Society Code of Ethics, with the usual safeguarding exceptions.

Sessions take place at a calm private practice in Thames Ditton, Surrey, or online via Google Meet.

Use the contact form or email catlinhypnotherapy@gmail.com to arrange your Discovery Call. Most enquiries receive a reply within one working day.

We are Clinical Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists trained through CPHT (Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training), members of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH) and the National Hypnotherapy Society, fully insured and enhanced-DBS checked. Between us we have completed more than 300 hours of practice.

Yes. Hypnotherapy can sit alongside prescribed medication. We do not offer medical advice and never suggest changes to medication — that is a conversation for your GP.

Many clients notice sleeping a little better and feeling calmer within the first two or three sessions. Change is gradual and cumulative rather than dramatic.