Promises, Promises

How many promises do you make to other people? In a day, a week, a year?

Our society is built on promises, it seems to me. You promise the council to recycle, the government to pay your tax, the school to send your kids every day, your partner to love and honour, your friend to call, your pet to feed it. Last one is a really good idea, or so my cats tell me, if I forget (yowl).

At the beginning of the year, lots of people make promises to themselves, too. You might have made some promises to yourself. To lose weight, to be tidier, better at your job, do the filing every month.

These are all good promises. I even made some myself!

I’d like to suggest some more.  Promises you make to yourself to laugh more, love more and run about like a child more, and to love yourself, and other people, more.

It just seems to me that we live with a lot of promises to DO. What about the kind of promises that leads you to BE. So things you promise yourself and others that get you to BE…happier, healthier, and wiser. More in love.

I really like these kinds of promises. These kinds, in my opinion, help people reduce stress, lose weight, lift low mood, and get you a better life.

I’m making my list now. What would be on yours?

Sue Roberts

sue@freedomfinders.co.uk

07721 410813

Sue Roberts Cognitive Hypnotherapy and Coaching in Burnham, Slough Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Hypnotherapy in Slough

I’ve been trying to write this blog all day. You wouldn’t believe how clean the kitchen is, how many washes I’ve put on while trying to find the words to talk about the clients that I’ve met this week.

So now I am out of inspiration, out of time and am just going to tell it like it is.

I’ve met some amazing people this week. Confidentiality is everything, so I can’t tell you much about their problems, their circumstances or anything else really. What I can tell you is that they all have something in common: however depressed/overweight/anxious/phobic they are, they have found something inside them to bring them to me, and to make a change.

And it is this that I see in them, their bravery, their humour, their determination and bloody mindedness just to give it a go. I’m glad they did, they have made my week, and I am grateful I met them, and am going to be working with them.

That’s all, really.

Sue

Sue Roberts Cognitive hypnotherapy in Slough, Burnham , Bucks and Berks.

sue@freedomfinders.co.uk

07721 410813

Twitter: @SueRoberts

For more details about appointments, please click here.

Hypnotherapy in Slough

Why Failure Can Be Good For You

I was reading a blog last week about knowing when to end a project, and it reminded me of one of the most widespread problems I see with clients: when to decide that something has failed.

No-one is perfect and we all fail at something: driving test, a relationship, a job. It’s not the failing that is the problem though – it’s how we perceive it: as something painful, embarrassing maybe.

Bad feelings associated with failure are internal: how we feel about ourselves, which stops us pushing our boundaries and rocks confidence that might have been a bit dodgy to begin with. Or, bad feelings are all about how we are seen by others; especially of you are surrounded by nay-sayers. You know the ‘I told you it would never work out’ brigade.

The avoidance of painful feelings is human: it may be natural not to want to fail, so sometimes we just don’t try. And this becomes a way of life, not trying to succeed, just drifting along.

But if you have tried this, you will know that this comes with bad feelings too: feeling that you are wasting your life, letting others down, or just feelings of sadness and beating yourself up that you should be ‘better’ if only you could improve your confidence

Well, you are probably just fine as you are: the thing that needs to change is your attitude to failure.

Now there’s a thing: a new attitude to failure. That failure is actually a route to success. How else to kids learn to walk but by falling down? You have to know what isn’t before you know what is.

And how would that feel, a new attitude to failure? Would you try more? And what would that bring you, that’s new and good and exciting? That would improve your confidence no end, I am sure. An upward cycle.

Sue Roberts Hypnotherapy in Slough Burnham Berks and Bucks: improve your confidence.

sue@freedomfinders.co.uk

07721 410813

The original blog I read is by Seth Godin, well worth a read here

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

Have you ever lost sleep to the worry monster? Those dread feelings in the dead of night that drag you out of sleep, with brain working overtime on the ‘what if’ of the tomorrow.

And it can happen during the day too. No matter how hard you try and focus, the thoughts and feelings can creep in, making you feel out of control.

For some of you, there are very real reasons to be anxious, especially when unemployment, or uncertainty over your job or home, or health worries, makes life difficult. Or you may have become anxious about something day to day, like driving or flying. But some people have no idea why they are anxious, and this can be very scary.

Anxiety, basically, is feeling fear. Usually, this fear is about the future. What might happen, and how bad that might be for you, or the people you care about.You can also feel fear about what is actually happening to you, and it’s consequences.

Anxiety is the body’s response to perceived danger, the fear you are feeling. The fight or flight response that makes your heart go faster, your palms sweat and your mouth dry. The chemicals that your body makes are meant to help you run away, quick, from the danger. But you don’t run away, because you sort of know that you are not in mortal danger, you are just emotionally scared.

It may be no surprise, if any of the above is familiar, that anxiety is very common. In 2000, 1 in 6 of the UK adult population were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression. (Source: www.statistics.gov.uk.)

What causes this? And more importantly, what can you do to help yourself? My 5 steps to manage the worry monster may help you manage yourself better.

If you are feeling extremely anxious most of the time, it may be useful for you to know that recent studies have shown that the best way to deal with severe anxiety or depression is a mix of conventional medical treatment, and some form of self help or therapy. Hypnotherapy for anxiety may be useful for you, and if you'd like to talk in confidence about your problem, go to my contact page here

Gain Control

Have you ever wondered just how you are making yourself anxious? I imagine most people tend to ask themselves why they do this, however my solution focuses on the how, and the internal process of ramping up to a state of anxiety.

This is because the how is actually in your control, and when you begin to understand how you are doing your anxiety, you can learn how to do something different.

Sometimes it is not what is happening to you that matters, but how you are dealing with it. This is why some people are able to overcome problems, as they are managing their responses to life, to get a better result. You may know someone just like this.

So, even when bad things are happening, you can be more in control. And even if you have no idea why you are feeling anxious, once you are in control, what caused it matters less.

Step 1: What do you want?

The first step is to decide on a state of mind or feeling that you would prefer. For most people, this is calmness, peace or some other sense of well being. Have a sense of what you would want. This is an internal thought, or feeling, rather than something around you.

If you can’t imagine what you want, then ask yourself what is the opposite of how you are feeling right now. Write it down.

Then, write down what might change in your life, when you have your goal. How, by having it, things may change positively for you, and for the people around you.

Now, you have a sense of what you want, and how it is going to benefit your life, to get it. At this point, if you believe it’s useful, spend some time imagining being different.

Step 2: Respect the fear.

It isn’t your fear that is the problem, just how it’s gone overboard. Having the ability to feel fear is human, and you need it. Imagine crossing the road, with no perception of what might happen unless you look both ways?

So some fear of consequence is good. Write down a few of the ways fear in general could be good for you.

Step 3: Listen

Imagine if the fear were a message, what would it say? Sometimes, you can be ignoring something in your life that you are actually quite worried about, and should be, but don’t want to think about. It’s as if the fear is doing the worrying for you.

Problems sometimes go away if ignored, however if you are worrying about it, chances are that your problem needs to be listened to. The fear can also be a message about what might happen if you do confront the problem.

If it helps, confide in someone you trust, or get help to decide what is best. Doing nothing may be feeding the fear and doing something can bring feelings of control.

Step 4: Calming Tips

Finding one thing that you can do which makes a difference can be very empowering. If you find one thing, there may be others, and this can lead to you managing your fear much better.

If you are healthy, learn to practice 7/11 breathing. Breathe in for 7 seconds, and let it out for 11 slowly. Make sure you don’t hold your breath in the middle.

Exercise can help, even if it’s just going for a brisk walk.

Remember your outcome, and the good feelings you want. Find that small nugget of the good feeling inside you. Focus on it, and imagine it spreading through your body. Give it a colour if this helps. Practice this is in quiet times so that you can recreate the positive feelings when you need them

Step 5: Don’t watch the news.

Particularly, the late night news if you are having trouble sleeping. This may seem like an odd one, however your fear will be on the lookout for bad things happening to reinforce it.

News tends to be those bad things that happen, so make some choices about the inputs into your life. If you like to keep ahead of current affairs, do so at lunchtime then focus on other things.

Just one simple change can make a difference, so it may be that one of the five tips works for you. Give it a go, and be prepared to get help if you need it.

I can help if your anxiety is getting the better of you, just call or email me for a confidentail discussion

Sue Roberts
07721 410813
sue@freedomfinders.co.uk





Sue Roberts cognitive hypnotherapy for anxiety Burnham Slough & Maidenhead

Hypnotherapy Slough and Burnham

Offering hypnotherapy in Slough and Burnham areas, lots of people come to see me for motivation issues - or actually lack of motivation! Often people feel bad about themselves because they can't get motivated, and sometimes what they learn is that there are sometimes very good reasons for their lack of motivation. Hypnotherapy helps them really get in touch with what is really going on on the inside - with surprising results! I've written the article below to help you understand what is going on with you, and if you'd like to talk about your problem, in confidence, just get in touch with me, contact details here.

Is Your Motivation a Slouch Potato? 3 Key Strategies for Getting On With It.

Imagine if your motivation had a personality. It may be a happy, useful friend of sunny disposition, which bounces along with you in life’s adventures.

Or is it a slouch potato, lacking in energy, the only stretching it does for the TV remote.

For most of us, it’s usually a bit of both, and with busy lives, you may want a bit more of the bouncy one, but not know how to make this happen.

In this article, I’ll be explaining about motivation, and giving you three key strategies to be motivated and get more out of life.

So before we begin, spend some time now considering all the things you believe you have to do, and all the things you want to do. Write them down somewhere, and we’ll come back to it later.

Motivated or Procrastinated?

Motivation, simply defined is the inner energy, thought or vision that makes humans act. You do things for a purpose. And, when you are clear on that purpose, and like it, you act with such effort that gets a good result. This usually makes you happy, and so more motivated to do more things. Upward the motivation spiral goes.

But sometimes it’s not like that. Sometimes humans sometimes just don’t do. When this happens, you might find yourself thinking too much, or feel bad about not doing stuff, or just can’t see yourself succeeding.

Motivation can turn into procrastination, and then feelings of stuck-ness or guilt emerge.

Kick Start Your Motivation!

At some time or another, I am imagining that everyone reading this has a list of things to do. Have a look at the list I have asked you to write. For some of you, this will be a detailed, and numbered, list. For others, it’s a vague feeling of knowing there is stuff that need doing, with short notes.

And the stuff can be mundane chores like the recycling, or more complex items like getting a decent pension sorted.

Then there are the good stuff lists, which have items like phoning good friends, seeing that film before it leaves the cinema, or visiting ten brilliant places to see before you die.

There are many theories about motivation and what gives us that special thing inside us that makes us do what’s on the list.

Maslow’s theory says that needs drive motivation. When we have a basic survival need, we eat, and take steps to protect ourselves. Most people in the western world don’t need to do that much though, so Maslow also says that there are ‘higher needs’ like education and self-fulfilment, that drive us.

And when we have these needs met, there is no motivation to do more. So, if you already have a good life, are very fulfilled, you may lack motivation to achieve.

But hang on, most motivated people I know are fulfilled and do loads, so there may be other reasons why we lack motivation.

Victor Vroom’s theory says that to be motivated, we need a balance of wanting to do the task, with enough belief that it is achievable.

And going back to those lists, some things may not be achievable right now, and putting them all together on one list, usually with timescales that are a bit challenging, may actually be de-motivating and cause you to give up. All those things in one place might just be adding to the problem

So this leads us to the first key strategy for being more motivated:

1. Ruthless List Management (RLM)

However you do your life lists, be ruthless about what is on them. Take a long hard look at the things that need doing.  Ask yourself if every point is absolutely necessary and within your control. Categorise your list into must do, might do, and maybe if I have time.

Then look at your list. In the must do category, consider how balanced it is with mundane items and good stuff.

If your list is over-balanced with mundane stuff, and just by looking at it, it makes you miserable, no wonder you are having problems.

This is because humans are programmed towards good feelings, and if you have stuff on your list that you believe should be, or aught to be done, then this could be creating negative feelings, so you back away from it.

Hence the list becomes a burden that makes you feel bad because it’s there, and because you can’t get enough positive motivation to do it.

So, the second strategy is to:

2. Take Control

We all know that there are things we need to do that are mundane. However when your life list is full of these items, reconsider if they are really necessary.

With each item, ask yourself if you want to do it, or if you believe you should or aught, to do it. If the latter words, or something similar crops up, then ask yourself who says that you need to do these things.

An easy example of the type of things that can crop up are tidying a messy cupboard, or calling a long forgotten friend.

These type of things can be on your list because you believe you’d be a better person in some way, if you did them, but, by loading yourself with things you believe you aught to do, you can forget the things, and the people, that really matter.

Some things on your list might be things you imagine others would encourage you to do, like being tidy. Sometimes we can forget that as adults, it’s up to you to decide how tidy you want your place.

So if you have things on your list that you believe you should do, give them the should or aught test, and if inside yourself you have a sense you don’t really want to do them, let them go. Take control of what you believe is important to you.

With a bit of practice, this can be very liberating. Then you end up with a list of key things that you really believe need doing, because they are important to the maintenance of your life, or you really want to do them.

The next step is getting there:

3. Bring the future to now

Make some quiet time. Close your eyes, and have a sense of you doing the stuff you have decided is important.

Imagine you being motivated. Notice in the future one thing about yourself that is making you motivated: a feeling, a thought, whatever it is for you. Really focus on this. Everyone is different, so it could be a way of doing things, setting realistic timescales, or just a feeling of being in control.

See it, think it or feel it.

Once you have a sense of what it is that makes you motivated, bring it back with you, come all the way back to now with the thing that can make all the difference.

Open your eyes, and keep that difference within you as you do the things you want to do. And do them well!

Sue Roberts
Cognitive Hypnotherapist & Life coach
sue@freedomfinders.co.uk
07721 410813

Sue Roberts hypnotherapy  Slough Burnham  & Maidenhead

Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss in Slough. Why slimming clubs work. And then why they don’t!

It’s January, and as I pass the local community centre in Burnham on my way to my therapy rooms in the evening, I see the weekly weight loss slimming clubs signing up new recruits.

This is sort of good news for me, as I offer hypnotherapy for weight loss in Slough and Burnham areas. Why is it good that people are signing up for slimming clubs? Well, it shows people are wanting to lose weight, and eventually some of them will realise why slimming clubs work…and then why they sort of stop working. Then they will want to come and see someone like me.

I can share this secret with you…it’s all to do with human nature and groups. Groups of people behave in funny ways. Everyone starts off with good intentions, sticks to the plan, and yes they begin to lose weight. Some people will stay with the group even after they have achieved their weight loss, and they will be examples to others. These people tend to go on to run groups of their own.

However, not all members of the weight loss group keep losing weight. Usually most people hit the ‘brick wall’, where sticking to the diet becomes a real challenge. Two things may happen in the group at this point:

- People  leave the group because it’s hard to go back every week when you are not losing weight ( you feel bad )

- People keep going to the group, but it becomes ‘ok’ not to lose weight.

People together tend to sympathise with each other, and weight loss groups can be really good for this. But sympathy is nice, and sometimes not really helpful!!

This is nothing to do with the organisation running the group, who often have good intentions; it’s all to do with human nature.

Now, I am a bit of an expert on human nature (read About Me here) and when I am helping people with hypnotherapy for weight loss I help people understand their own nature and how to work with it to lose weight.

Here is an example, and it’s a good tip for you. As we know, there is only one way to lose weight; eat sensibly and move about a bit more. A lady client came to see me because she was finding going to the gym a real pain. Just talking about the treadmill was boring her! What I helped her understand about herself is that she was naturally an extrovert. If she was going to do exercise she needed to do it with others. So to help her lose weight, I suggested she change her exercise habits and do exercise with other people – aqua fit, walking groups, that kind of thing. This would help her stay motivated.

Everyone is different, and your personality type could be the key to HOW you need to motivate yourself to stick to your weight loss goals. If you like to be with others, then choose exercise classes and that kind of thing. If you like your own company, then go walking or running, or swimming, on your own.

Hypnotherapy for weight loss isn’t a magic pill (sorry!). It is though a way of helping you understand yourself, what’s stopping you, and gives you practical help to succeed in your weight loss goals.

Every conversation I have is confidential, so if you’d like to know more, please do call me or email me sue@freedomfinders.co.uk, 07721 410813

Not in my area? I offer weight loss coaching via Skype - all you need is a PC. Contact me for details!

Sue Roberts Hypnotherapy for weight loss Slough Burnham and Maidenhead.

Slimming? Hypnotherapy To Lose Weight.

Lots of people find themselves slimming at this time of year, and a bit of help to lose weight can go a long way. If you are looking for hypnotherapy to lose weight, you are in the right place!

So I have a question for you…

‘ Do you want to be like a slim person?’

I mean really like a slim person…not just the way they look. But someone who really knows how to lose weight. Someone who keeps it off, who goes to weddings and parties and eats and laughs and doesn’t obsess about their weight and seems really free?

Would you be interested in being like that?

Because I have been talking to slim people, and found out what they do to lose weight, how they feel and what they think, that gets them to be like that. And I share this with my clients, in sessions, so you can become the slim person you want to be – not just slim, but really knowing how to stay that way.

Here is a sneak preview of what I found out..

1. Slim people are never on a diet…they just eat properly and sensibly

2. Slim people don’t do guilt –they make practical decisions as they go along in life, which sometimes means they overindulge, and then they make up for it later

3. Slim people tend to be active – they have an active habit, from gym to walking to taking the stairs

4. Slim people make sensible decisions part of their life – not just in January !

How to lose weight isn’t rocket science, it’s about eating well and being active enough to stay stable at the weight you want to be. It is though, a lifetime habit, and that’s where hypnosis for weight loss comes in.  Because really, most people who are slimming focus on the wrong things. They focus on the end goal, and not working on the habits to get them there hard enough.

Here is an example. If you want your house to stay clean, you have to develop habits to get it that way, then keep it that way, yes? So weekly vacuuming and tidying and keeping on top of it.

Same with how to lose weight. Hypnotherapy for weight loss is not some magic pill ( sorry!) just a way of helping you understand what is stopping you developing the habits of slim people. So going from ‘slimming’ to ‘being slim’ – and everything that goes along with it, not just losing weight.

If this is something that interests you, and you’d like to know more, then we can talk – either call me 07721 410813 or email me sue@freedomfinders.co.uk and confidentially, we can talk about what you need to stop slimming and actually lose weight and be a slim person and all that means.

I run face to face sessions in Burnham and also skype sessions so if you are in Bucks and Berks, or further afield , I can help you learn the being slim secrets.

Sue Roberts Hypnotherapy to lose weight Slough Burnham Berks and Bucks.

Code of Ethics & Conduct  National Council Of Hypnotherapy.

Code of Conduct

All practising members undertake to adhere to the following code:

New Bye Law 1, (CNHC model 25/6/2010)

Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Members and Officers;

General Principles;

Your main duty as a Hypnotherapist and member of the NCH is to protect the health and wellbeing of all those who use your services.

• The care of your patient must be your first concern

• You must provide a high standard of care at all times

• Patients must be treated with respect, as individuals

• Your professional knowledge must be kept up to date

• You must act lawfully in your professional and personal practice

• You are personally accountable for your professional activity

A Introduction:

All applicants for membership of the NCH must confirm that they have read, and agree to observe, the standards set out in this document. Every Member must be familiar with the standards and must ensure they are observed. The standards apply to all Members.

The NCH will establish and keep under review the standards of conduct, performance and ethics expected of members and give them such guidance on these matters as seen fit and proper.

B Your duties as a Member:

The standards of conduct, performance and ethics that you must follow; This document explains the standards of conduct, performance and ethics which all members must keep. They are the basis against which the NCH will assess possible complaints made against a member.

The main responsibilities of a member are summarised below, grouped into categories of conduct, performance and ethics. Each responsibility is explained in more detail further on in this document. Please remember that this is not a fully comprehensive list of all the issues that can arise in relation to your conduct, performance and ethics.

As a member you must also seek to protect the health and wellbeing of people who use your services.

You must always maintain high standards of conduct. You must:

• Act in the best interests of your patients, clients and users (see C1)

• Respect the confidentiality of your patients, clients and users (see C2)

• Maintain high standards of personal conduct (see C3)

• Provide the NCH, on request, any relevant information about your conduct, competence or health (see C4)

You must always observe high standards of performance. You must:

• Keep your professional knowledge, skills and performance up to date and relevant to your field(s) of practice (see C5)

• Act within the limits of your knowledge, skills and experience and, if necessary, refer on to another member or healthcare professional (see C6)

• Maintain appropriate and effective communication with patients, clients, users, carers, other members and professionals (see C7)

• Effectively supervise tasks you have delegated (see C8)

• Obtain informed consent to give treatment, preferably in writing (except in emergency) (see C9)

• Keep accurate patient, client and user record (see C10)

• Be aware of and manage effectively and safely the risks of infection or injury (see C11)

• Limit your work or stop practicing if you or another person has reason to believe that your performance or judgement is effected by your physical, emotional or mental health (see C12)

You must always maintain high ethical standards. You must:

• Cary out your duties in a professional and ethical way (see C13)

• Behave with integrity and honesty (see C14)

• You must follow NCH guidance in relation to advertising your services (see C15)

• You must not be involved in any behavior or activity which is likely to damage your profession’s reputation or undermine public confidence in your profession (see C16)

C The main responsibilities of Members:

1. You must act always in the best interests of your patients, clients and users

You are personally responsible for making sure that you promote and protect the best interests of the people you care for. You must respect and take account of these factors when providing care, and must not exploit or abuse the relationship with patient, client, user or carer. You must not allow your views about patients’, clients’ or users’ sex, age, colour, race, disability, sexuality, social or economic status, lifestyle, cultural or religious beliefs to affect the way you treat them or the professional advice that you give.

You must, at all times, act to protect the interests of patients, clients, users, carers and other members of the public. You must try to provide the best possible care, either alone or with other members, health and social care professionals. You must not do anything, or allow anything to be done, that you have reason to believe will put the health or safety of a patient, client or user in danger. This includes both your own actions and those of others.

When working in a team you remain accountable for your professional conduct, any care or professional advice you provide, any failure to act and any tasks you may delegate. You must protect patients and clients if you believe that they are actually or potentially at risk from a colleague’s conduct, performance or health. The safety of patients, clients and users must come before any personal and professional loyalties at all times. As soon as you become aware of any situation that puts a patient, client or user at risk, you should discuss the matter with a senior professional colleague or the NCH.

2. You must respect the confidentiality of your patients, clients and users

You must treat information about patients, clients and users as confidential and use it only for the purpose for which it was given. You must not knowingly release any personal or confidential information to anyone who is not entitled to it, and you should check that people who ask for information are entitled to it. You must only use information about a patient, client or user:

• To continue to care for that person; or

• For purposes where that person has given you specific permission to use the information

You must also keep the conditions of any relevant data-protection legislation and follow best practice and NCH policy for handling confidential information relating to individuals at all times. Best practice and policy is likely to change over time and you must stay up to date. You must be particularly careful not to reveal, deliberately or accidentally, confidential information that is stored on a computer.

Confidentiality can be a particular challenge when treating minors. In most circumstances it would be most appropriate to have an adult present at the consultation but the issue of confidentiality would need to be carefully considered and decisions made on individual circumstances.

3. You must maintain high standards of personal conduct

You must keep high standards of personal conduct, as well as professional conduct. You must not do anything that may affect someone’s treatment by or confidence in you.

If you are convicted of a criminal case or have accepted a Police caution, the NCH must be informed. Each case will be considered individually and a decision made in the light of the circumstances of the case. Your membership may be at risk if you are convicted of a criminal offence that involves, for example, one of the following types of behaviour:

• Violence

• Abuse

• Sexual misconduct

• Supplying drugs

• Drink-driving offences where someone was hurt or killed

• Serious offences involving dishonesty

• Any serious criminal offences for which you received a prison sentence.

4. You must provide, on request, any relevant information about your conduct, competence or health.

You are required to tell the NCH (and advised to inform any other relevant regulators and professional bodies) if you have any relevant information about your own conduct or competence, or about any other members you work with. In particular, you must let us know straight away if you are:

• Convicted of a criminal offence (other than a minor motoring offence) or accept a Police caution;

• Disciplined by any organisation responsible for regulating or licensing a healthcare practitioner or social care profession; or

• Suspended or placed under a practice restriction order by an employer or similar organisation because of concerns about your conduct or competence.

You are required to co-operate with any NCH investigation or formal inquiry into your professional conduct, competence or health, or the conduct of any other healthcare provider, or treatment of a patient, client or user, where appropriate. Relevant information in connection with conduct or competence should be supplied to any legitimate enquirer.

You should also provide information about the conduct or competence of other healthcare providers if someone who is entitled to know asks for it. This relates to your duty to act in the best interests of your patients, clients and users. A complaint about a colleague should be referred on to the NCH for advice.

5 You must ensure that your knowledge, skills and performance are of a high quality, up to date, and relevant to your field(s) of practice.

You must be capable of meeting the Standards of Proficiency that relate to your profession specific practice(s), as defined by the NCH. As a member you are required to meet these standards, whether you are in practice or not. The Standards of Proficiency describe minimum standards of clinical practice. You must stay up to date with any changes to the Standards of Proficiency that he NCH may make, as knowledge and techniques develop.

6 You must act within the limits of your knowledge, skills and experience and, if necessary, refer on to another member or healthcare professional.

You must keep within the scope of your practice. This means you should only practice in those fields in which you have appropriate education, training, qualification and experience.

Your duty of care to a patient includes the obligation to refer them for further professional advice or treatment if it becomes clear that what they need is beyond your own scope of practice. If you accept a referral from another healthcare or social care professional, you must make sure that you fully understand the request. You should only provide the treatment or advice you believe is appropriate. If this is not the case, you must discuss the matter with the practitioner who has made the referral, and also with the patient, client or user, before you begin any treatment.

7. You must maintain appropriate and effective communications with patients, users, carers and other members and professionals.

You must take all reasonable steps to make sure that you can communicate properly and effectively with your patents, clients and users, and their carers and family. You must also communicate effectively, co-operate, and share your knowledge and expertise with professional colleagues for the benefit of patients, clients and users. This is of particular importance when entering multiple relationships involving the same patient, client or user.

8. You must effectively supervise tasks you have delegated

People who consult you or receive treatment or services from you are entitled to assume that a person who has the knowledge and skill to carry out their treatment. Whenever you give tasks to another person to carry out on your behalf, you must be sure that they have the knowledge, skills and experience to carry out the task safely and effectively. If they are not members and healthcare professionals, you must not ask them to do the work of healthcare professionals. If they are members and healthcare professionals, you must not ask them to do work that is outside their scope of practice. If they are trained to be healthcare professionals, you should be sure that they are capable of carrying out the task safely and effectively.

Whoever you ask to carry out a task, you must always continue to give adequate and appropriate supervision and you remain accountable for the outcome. If someone tells you that they are unwilling to carry out the task because they do not think they are capable of doing so safely and effectively, you must not pressure them to carry out the task. If their refusal raises a disciplinary or training issue, you must deal with that separately, without endangering the safety of the patient, client or user.

9. You must get informed consent to give treatment (except in emergency).

You must explain to the patient, client or user the treatment you are intending to carry out, the risks involved and any other treatments possible. You must make sure that you obtain informed consent to any treatment you carry out, in writing where possible. You must make a record of the person’s treatment decisions and pass this on to all members of the healthcare or social care team involved in their care. It is recognised that in emergencies, you may not be able to fully explain treatment or get informed consent at the time.

10. You must keep accurate patient, client and user record.

Making and keeping records is an essential part of care and you must keep records for everyone you treat or who asks for professional advice or services. All records must be complete and legible, and you should sign all entries.

When supervising students, you should also counter-sign any student entries in the notes. Whenever you review the record, you should up-date them and include any arrangements you have made for continuing care of the patient.

You must protect information in records against loss, damage or use by anyone who is not authorised. You can use computer-based systems for keeping records, but only if they are protected against anyone tampering with them (including other healthcare professionals). If you update a record, you must not erase information that was previously there, or make that information difficult to read. Instead, you must mark it in some way (for example, by drawing a line through the old information.)

11. You must be aware of and manage effectively and safely the risks of infection.

You must take appropriate precautions to protect your patients, clients and users, their carers and families, your staff and yourself from infection.

You must also take precautions against the risks that you might infect someone else. This is especially important if you suspect or know that you have an infection that could harm others, particularly patients, clients and users. If you believe that you have such an infection, you must get medical advice and act on it. This may include the need for you to stop practicing altogether, or to change your practice in some way in the best interests of your patients.

You must keep to the rules of confidentiality when dealing with people who have infections. For some infections, such as sexually transmitted infections, these rules may be more restrictive than the rules of confidentiality for people in other circumstances.

12. You must follow NCH guidelines in relation to advertising your services.

Any advertising you undertake in relation to your professional activities must be accurate. Advertisements must not be misleading, false, unfair or exaggerated. You must not claim that your personal skills, equipment or facilities are better than anyone else’s.

If you are involved in advertising or promoting any other product or service, you must make sure that you use your knowledge, healthcare skills, qualifications and experience in an accurate and professional way. You must not make or support unjustifiable statements relating to particular products or services. Any potential financial rewards to you should be made explicit and play no part at all in your advice or recommendations of products and services that you give to patients, clients and users.

13. You must not be involved in any behaviour or activity that is likely to damage your profession’s reputation or undermine public confidence in your profession.

As a member your behaviour will potentially be under scrutiny at all times by members of the public and you should ensure you do nothing to bring your profession into disrepute. Appropriate professional boundaries must be maintained between practitioners and the patient, client or user. Development of a personal relationship must result in the cessation of the therapeutic relationship.

14. You must register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Because many patients, clients and users are in a vulnerable state due to their presenting condition you must be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority. (or, During the roll-out period for the ISA Registers, you must have a current Certificate of enhanced CRB checking and vetting by the NCH.)

D. Inquiries into allegations against members

The NCH has Professional Standards Procedures and Health Panels, which will process complaints against members based on the expectations set out above in the Codes of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

Every complaint is considered in line with the NCH Complaints Procedure which is available to all at www.hypnotherapists.org.uk

The Professional Standards Officer will decide if there is a case to be investigated and, if there is, it will be dealt with in accordance with the Complaints Procedure. If the case against the member is well founded, the NCH can take a range of appropriate measures against the member as necessary. The ultimate sanction would be removal from the NCH register.

When an allegation is made against a member, the NCH will always take account of the standards set out in this Code when considering the allegation. While this document contains several examples of issues that may be considered, it is not an exhaustive list. An allegation against a member may be upheld even if the details of the issues that arise in their case are not specifically mentioned in this document. Every case referred to the NCH will be considered individually.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy, NLP and Life Coaching in Burnham and Slough

Stress Relief For Christmas

I had one message this morning as a guest on Marlow FM with the lovely Donna Thacker and friends..ban the words ‘Perfect Christmas’ !

Since mid-November I’ve been hearing this a lot – and seeing it on magazines – how we have to have the perfect mix of food/wine/decorations/presents/hair/dress etc  etc the list goes on.

And I had this to say : when people come to see me in their adult life, for whatever problem, no-one has ever told me that their problem arose because they didn’t  have a perfect Christmas as a child.

They do tell me, though, about the times mum and dad argued, got stressed, didn’t spend enough time with them, and how this ruined the day.

Christmas does NOT have to be stressful – often it’s made so by those little voices in our head that gives us our expectations of what we SHOULD be doing at Christmas – not what we want. Of course, its ok to want to give people and family a good time and a day they will remember when they get older…just make sure you give them the right memories – no-one wants to remember a crying mum or stressed out dad!

Stress symptoms are easy to spot when you take time to tune in to yourself – aching shoulders or back, being a bit snappy, getting tearful. If you feel any of these, stop and ask yourself ‘is this worth it?’ Christmas is meant to be a good time for all – and that includes you!

Here  are my 10 Top Tips for a Stress Free Christmas and New Year

1. Forget the ‘Perfect Christmas’. It’s only one day, avoid internal or external pressure to be a ‘super Christmas organiser’

2. Say no if you have to. If the whole extended family wants to come for the day, and you can’t manage it, or can’t afford it, say so.

3. Reduce the ‘to do’ list to the things that really matter. Delete anything that you believe you ‘should’ be doing and focus time and money on the essentials.

4. Make sure you have your own ‘me time’. Plan in things that you want to do, as well as focus on children and extended family.

5. Get out of the house for walks. Exercise reduces stress and keeps family strife to a minimum.

6. Share out the tasks – allocate jobs to individuals for the season.

7. Set boundaries on behaviour at the outset. If the family are at home make it clear what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t.

8. Have a plan and enlist family support if you have a difficult relative coming – give them just enough focus to keep things under control.

9. Consider cancelling traditional festivities and volunteering to help a charity – helping others generates good feelings all round.

10. Don’t try to change your whole life in January. Focus on one or two things that matter and are going to make a difference

If you would like help with Christmas stress, or problems with stress that you have at other times of the year, then please do contact me in confidence, cognitive hypnotherapy and NLP can help you learn to change your response to stress and be more in control of how you  feel.

And…have a god Christmas holiday!

sue@ freedomfinders.co.uk  07721 410813

For more details about appointments please click here.

sue@freedomfinders.co.uk

07721 410813

Cognitive Hypnotherapy for stress relief. Sue Roberts in Burnham Slough Berkshire

Want to Improve Your Confidence?

How are your confidence levels today?

Would you like some tips on how to improve your confidence?

I ask this because it seems to me that confidence levels generally are not constant – and depend on what you are doing. You may have something that you are good at and quite like doing and makes you feel confident.

Then there are other things (like speaking in public, interviews, asking for a pay rise, or having a difficult conversation) which really make you feel small and a bit inadequate and lacking in confidence.

This is sort of normal – and it’s a good thing. Because if you feel confident at one thing that means you can improve your confidence with other things – you just need to know how!

Yesterday I got a call from the lovely people at BBC Radio Berks asking if I would comment on air about a newspaper feature, which said that women generally are really bad at self-promotion. This is one of my favourite subjects! Generally, women lack confidence and men are a bit overconfident (although if you are a man reading this now you may disagree! – we are talking generally here.) And the root of women’s lack of ability to tell people what they are good at is a lack of self-confidence.

But these same women are also confident in other things – being a mum, dealing with the school or other associations, juggling many difficult emotional issues or situations. However, when it comes to telling other people how good they are, or turning those great skills into a business, a lot of women turn into little mice with squeaky voices and struggle to say ‘ I’m really good at this, and I’m proud of it!’

Ultimately this is about fear of the opinion of others and is classed as a ‘social phobia’. All humans suffer from it to some extent.

There may be times when you need to get over it though. You may run a business, or have been asked to do a presentation at work, or need to find a new job.

I don’t have a magic wand to help you improve your self-confidence overnight, however I do have a process which can help you work out what specifically is stopping you and how to resolve it.

Here is a tip to help you. It’s something called the ‘friendly mirror’, created by a great coach called Michael Neill.

Here’s how it works. Imagine someone complementing you on your skills. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in yourself, just that you believe they are genuine.

Sit in front of the mirror, and then, look in the mirror, and begin to see the person that received the complement – so how that other person is seeing you. Actively look for the person that they see – notice what they saw, perhaps the way you act, think or talk, maybe even the way you look. What can you see now that made them pay that complement? Once you are satisfied you have something, then have a sense of where you feel that feeling inside of you, really let your unconscious mind remember how it feels.

Do this tip when someone pays you a complement, and you will find that each time you do it, then slowly your self- image improves, and so your confidence.

As I said, there is no magic wand to improving confidence; however it can increase with time. Typically clients come to see me for 2 or 3 sessions, then go out and try their new improved confidence, and come back a few months later for the next step. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own journey to improving confidence.

If you would like the more detailed copy of the ‘friendly mirror, then please do email me sue@freedomfinders.co.uk 07721 410813

Sue Roberts cognitive hypnosis for improving confidence Burnham Slough Maidenhead Berks.

Improve confidence with cognitive hypnotherapy and NLP Sue Roberts in Burnham Slough Berkshire