Why Is the Initial Consultation so Important? What Factors Will an Ethical Therapist Cover at This Time?
Why Is the Initial Consultation so Important? What Factors Will an Ethical Therapist Cover at This Time?Why is the initial consultation so important? What factors will an ethical therapist cover at this time?
In this essay I will be exploring the various issues raised when a therapist initially meets a new client, including ascertaining personal circumstances and applying ethical and safe practise. I will also be looking at the importance of communication and understanding between client and practitioner.
When a therapist first meets with a new client it’s necessary to establish several things in order to know whether they can work together. These include background and personal circumstances of the client, previous experiences (if any) of therapy, medical and psychiatric history and very importantly, why they are seeking therapy. This first conversation is also an opportunity for the client to ask any questions they may have and to discuss the details of how the sessions will potentially work. If the therapist is happy that they can begin a therapeutic relationship with that person they can then go on to establish which modality they are most lead by in order to create the best screed and approach and also how susceptible they may be to hypnosis. There are several ways to determine this and some are more suitable than others in terms of time constraints while in consultation. A practitioner may wish to use the Balloon/Lead Test or the Eye Roll Test as these are most suitable for use in this environment. The problem with using tests to try and discover if someone is open to hypnosis is that if the client fails the test they could lose confidence in hypnotherapy or in their potential ability to be assisted by it. Equally however, if the person passes the test this will instil confidence in the practice but this could ultimately override the ability for it to be carried out successfully. Either way conducting these tests can have a detrimental effect on the success of hypnotherapy, but can also provide a useful tool.
Stage hypnotists tend to use these...