Job type

Hypnotherapist

£20k - £38k

Typical salary

37 – 39

Hours per week

Hypnotherapists use hypnosis to help people make positive changes to their health, lifestyle and behaviour.

More info

  • Use hypnotherapy to help people overcome phobias, anxiety or other mental and physical difficulties
  • You'll normally be self employed and choose your own working hours
  • Your income will depend on how many hours you work and how well you are able to promote yourself

Hypnotherapists bring people into a state of deep relaxation in order to help them with psychological and physical conditions, like anxiety, lack of confidence, panic attacks, phobias, sleep problems, stress-related physical conditions, and unwanted habits, like smoking or overeating. You might combine hypnotherapy with other types of psychotherapy and counselling methods.

DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES

  • Setting up meetings with clients
  • Discussing your clients' medical and social history
  • Suggesting courses of treatment
  • Putting your client into a hypnotic trance
  • Making positive suggestions and statements
  • Taking notes
  • Writing reports on progress

DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT

You could work in a therapy clinic, from home or at a health spa.

You'll need

To be a hypnotherapist, you'll need excellent verbal communication and active listening skills, sensitivity and understanding with the ability to understand people's reactions, customer service skills, flexibility and openness to change, patience in stressful situations, and counselling skills.

You could take a course recognised by one of the professional bodies associated with hypnotherapy, such as The National Council for Hypnotherapy, The National Hypnotherapy Society, British Society of Clinical Hypnosis, General Hypnotherapy Standards Council and General Hypnotherapy Register.

Courses usually involve practical workshops, self-study and written assignments. You could have an advantage when applying if you already have experience in healthcare or counselling.

Some hypnotherapy courses are at postgraduate level and are aimed at qualified psychologists or healthcare professionals.

Most hypnotherapists are self-employed so it will help if you have some experience of running a business.

CAREER PROSPECTS

With experience, you could move into teaching.