Services
A different way to work with the mind
Therapeutic hypnotherapy from a qualified hypnotherapist with additional qualifications in counselling or CBT — available online and in-person across England. Effective for habits, anxiety, phobias, performance, and more.
NCPS Organisational Member
Qualified in counselling or CBT
Free 15-minute consultation
★ ★ ★ ★ ★“I had tried other things and got nowhere. Hypnotherapy worked at a level I could not access by talking alone, and it stuck.”
Hypnotherapy client
5,000+
People supported
90+
Qualified therapists
5 ★
Website Testimonials
20+
Counties across England
What hypnotherapy actually is — and what it isn’t
Most people’s mental image of hypnotherapy comes from stage performance: a spinning watch, a compliant subject made to cluck like a chicken. It is understandable that this image makes people sceptical or wary. Therapeutic hypnotherapy has nothing to do with it.
In a clinical context, hypnotherapy refers to the therapeutic use of hypnosis — a naturally occurring state of focused relaxation in which the conscious mind becomes quieter and the subconscious more accessible. You have experienced something like it many times: the absorbed state when you are deeply engrossed in a book, the drifting focus of a long car journey, the threshold between waking and sleep. These are hypnotic states. They are not unusual, they are not dangerous, and they do not involve surrendering control.
What makes this state therapeutically useful is that in it, the mind is more receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of thinking about a situation than it typically is in ordinary waking consciousness. Habits and automatic responses — which are often maintained by patterns laid down below the level of conscious thought — can be reached and reworked more directly. The goal is always something you have chosen: your therapist guides the process, but you remain in control and in awareness throughout. You cannot be made to act against your values or do anything you would not choose to do.
Hypnotherapy is not a replacement for counselling or other talking therapies in all situations. But for particular goals — especially habit change, phobias, performance anxiety, and patterns that have been resistant to conscious-level work — it can reach places that other approaches sometimes cannot.
Please note: Hope Therapy & Counselling Services holds NCPS Organisational Membership, which covers our counselling and psychotherapy services. Hypnotherapy is not covered by our NCPS Organisational Membership. Our hypnotherapist holds appropriate separate hypnotherapy qualifications and professional memberships. Where our hypnotherapists hold additional qualifications in counselling or CBT, these are covered by the relevant professional body registration as applicable. Fees and qualifications are discussed openly during your free consultation.
Areas of support
What hypnotherapy can help with
Therapeutic hypnotherapy is most effective for goals that are specific, well-defined, and rooted in patterns of automatic thought or behaviour.
Unwanted habits
Smoking, nail-biting, hair-pulling, emotional eating, and other habitual behaviours that persist despite conscious attempts to change them. Hypnotherapy addresses the subconscious patterns that maintain these habits rather than simply the surface behaviour.
Phobias & specific fears
Phobias — of flying, spiders, heights, needles, social situations, and others — are typically maintained by unconscious associative learning. Hypnotherapy can interrupt these associations and replace the automatic fear response with a calmer, more proportionate one.
Anxiety & stress
Hypnotherapy can reduce the physiological arousal associated with anxiety and support the development of a calmer baseline state. For anxiety that manifests in specific situations — social events, medical procedures, travel — it can be particularly effective.
Confidence & self-esteem
Working at the level of subconscious belief can be particularly useful for low confidence and self-worth — reaching the ingrained sense of inadequacy that conscious affirmations and reasoning often struggle to shift.
Public speaking & performance
For people who experience significant anxiety around public speaking, presentations, interviews, or performance — hypnotherapy can target the automatic threat response that this kind of exposure triggers and replace it with a more resourceful state.
Sleep difficulties
Insomnia and disrupted sleep are often maintained by hyperarousal — a chronically activated nervous system that resists switching off. Hypnotherapy is well-suited to reducing this arousal and establishing healthier sleep-onset patterns.
Sports performance
Mental performance is a significant component of physical performance. Hypnotherapy supports focus, mental rehearsal of peak states, management of pre-performance anxiety, and the kind of consistent execution that technical skill alone doesn’t always produce.
Pain management
There is good evidence for hypnotherapy in the management of chronic pain, IBS, and procedural anxiety. By modulating how the nervous system processes and interprets pain signals, it can meaningfully reduce the experience of pain and discomfort.
Underlying conditions
Where habits or symptoms have an underlying psychological component, hypnotherapy can support work on that layer — either as a standalone approach or alongside counselling or CBT, which our hypnotherapist is also qualified to provide.
Our hypnotherapists
Qualified in hypnotherapy, with counselling or CBT training
Our hypnotherapists hold additional qualifications in counselling or CBT. This means that if, during an initial session, it becomes clear that a different approach would be more beneficial — or that a combination of approaches would serve you better — this can be discussed and arranged without needing to find a new therapist. Not all presenting issues are best addressed through hypnotherapy alone, and our therapist’s breadth of training means you are never restricted to a single modality when more than one might help.
What Our Clients Say
Real experiences
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I’d tried everything to stop smoking. The hypnotherapy worked in a way that nothing else had — it reached the part of me that actually wanted a cigarette, not just the part that knew it was bad for me. That was the difference.
Mark, who sought hypnotherapy for smoking cessation
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I had a phobia of flying that was genuinely affecting my life and career. After four sessions I took a long-haul flight for the first time in years. I’m still surprised it worked — but it did.
Claire, who sought hypnotherapy for flight phobia
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Public speaking was something I dreaded so much I was turning down opportunities at work. The combination of hypnotherapy and CBT techniques my therapist used genuinely shifted something. I presented to the board last month.
David, who sought support for presentation anxiety
Client experiences are unique. Results vary between individuals.
Getting Started
What to expect
The free consultation is the natural first step — here is how the process works from there.
1
Free consultation
A relaxed 15-minute conversation to discuss what you want to achieve and whether hypnotherapy is likely to be a useful approach. No preparation needed — just tell us what’s on your mind.
2
Initial assessment session
The first full session is always an assessment — getting to know you, understanding your goal in depth, and agreeing on the approach. No hypnosis necessarily happens in this session. It is the foundation for everything that follows.
3
Therapeutic sessions
Subsequent sessions move into the work itself — tailored to your specific goal. Your therapist will give you a realistic indication of how many sessions to expect, and may teach you self-hypnosis techniques to support work between sessions.
Most clients hear back from us the same working day, and typically begin sessions within a week of the free consultation — depending on your preferences and therapist availability.
Standards you can trust
How we match you with the right therapist experienced in hypnotherapy
Choosing a therapist is a personal decision, and we take time to get the match right.
A careful match, not a long list
Therapist availability changes from week to week, so rather than asking you to choose from a directory, we take time during your free 15-minute consultation to understand what you are looking for — and then match you with a therapist suited to your needs.
During the consultation, we will ask about:
- What you would like the work to focus on, and any specific concerns you would like support with
- Whether you would prefer face-to-face counselling, online sessions, or a combination of the two
- Any preferences around therapy approach (counselling, CBT, EMDR, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, ACT, compassion focused therapy and others)
- Day and time availability that works around your life
- Any specialisms that matter to you — for example LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy, neurodiversity-affirming support, or particular life experiences
- Practical preferences — for example therapist gender, age range, or shared lived experience where that matters to you
All therapists we work with are qualified and registered with appropriate UK professional bodies, and we will confirm the most suitable options with you before any sessions begin.
Professional standards across our team
Hope Therapy & Counselling Services has been operating since 2014, and we hold Organisational Membership with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). We work in line with the NCPS Code of Ethics and BACP Good Practice, and our wider clinical standards include:
- Qualified, professionally registered therapists across the team — registrations vary per therapist and are confirmed before matching
- Ongoing clinical supervision in line with professional body requirements
- Continuing professional development to maintain and develop practice
- Clear confidentiality standards, with limits explained before sessions begin
- Client-centred, non-judgemental and inclusive practice across all areas of identity and experience
- Founder-led clinical oversight from Ian Stockbridge — MBACP (Senior Accredited) – who continues to lead the practice and oversee its standards
Whether you choose face-to-face counselling near you or online therapy from anywhere in the UK, you can expect to be matched with a therapist who is appropriately qualified and suited to the support you are looking for.
Transparent Pricing
Our fees
No hidden costs. Your fee is confirmed during your free consultation.
Initial Assessment
From £65
per 50-minute session
- Full goal discussion
- Suitability assessment
- Treatment plan discussion
- No hypnosis required in first session
Hypnotherapy
From £75
per 50-minute session
- Qualified hypnotherapist
- Qualified in counselling or CBT
- Online via Zoom
- Face-to-face where available
Full details on our fees page. Reduced rate options may be available — just ask during your free consultation.
London clients: Location-adjusted rates may apply. Please ask during your free consultation and we will confirm the exact fee before you commit to anything.
A printable overview of our hypnotherapy service — useful to keep or share.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is the therapeutic use of hypnosis — a state of focused relaxation in which the mind becomes more receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and patterns of thinking. It is not the same as stage hypnosis or losing control. You remain aware throughout and cannot be made to do anything against your will. The hypnotic state is similar to the absorbed, relaxed focus you might experience when deeply engaged in a book or daydream.
Will I lose control or be made to do things I don’t want to?
No. This is one of the most common misconceptions about hypnotherapy, shaped largely by stage hypnosis entertainment. In therapeutic hypnosis you remain in full awareness and control throughout. You cannot be made to act against your values or do anything you would not choose to do. The hypnotic state is a collaborative one — your therapist guides you into it, but you are an active participant at all times.
What can hypnotherapy help with?
Hypnotherapy can be effective for a wide range of issues including anxiety, stress, phobias, unwanted habits (such as smoking or nail-biting), insomnia, low confidence, public speaking anxiety, sports performance, and pain management. Our hypnotherapists hold additional qualifications in counselling or CBT, which means sessions can draw on both approaches where this is beneficial.
Is hypnotherapy available online?
Yes. Hypnotherapy can be delivered effectively online via Zoom. Many clients find the home environment particularly conducive to relaxation — you are already in a familiar, comfortable space. Your therapist will explain exactly how an online session works during your consultation.
How many sessions will I need?
Some people notice significant changes after just one or two sessions, particularly for specific and well-defined goals. More complex issues typically benefit from longer work. Your hypnotherapist will give you a realistic indication during your initial assessment session, and will review progress with you as you go.
What is the difference between hypnotherapy and counselling or CBT?
Counselling and CBT work primarily with conscious thought, belief, and behaviour. Hypnotherapy works by accessing the subconscious mind in a relaxed state — which can be particularly useful for habits, automatic responses, and deeply held patterns that are harder to reach through conscious reasoning alone. Our hypnotherapists hold additional qualifications in counselling or CBT, meaning both approaches can be drawn upon within the same therapeutic relationship.
Still have questions? The free consultation is the easiest way to ask them — no pressure to book sessions.
Related Support
You might also find these helpful
Related Therapy Approaches
Conditions hypnotherapy can support
Meet Our Founder
Built by someone who saw the need from the inside
★
SCoPEd Band C
MBACP & SNCPS Senior Accredited
“Having worked for more than 25 years in senior management, I saw the same thing repeatedly — people struggling with mental health and relationship challenges, and so often struggling to access the right support when it was needed. It was out of this recognition of human need that Hope was born.”
Ian Stockbridge founded Hope Therapy after 25+ years leading large commercial teams – watching colleagues carry stress, anxiety, and personal difficulty with nowhere to turn. He retrained rigorously, now holding Senior Accredited status with both the BACP and NCPS, alongside SCoPEd Band C — the highest independent competence verification in the UK counselling profession.
He remains a practising therapist, clinical supervisor, published author of PMDD Uncovered, and co-presenter of The Talk Room Podcast. Hope Therapy was built on the things he saw were most broken – and designed, from the ground up, to do better.
MBACP (Senior Accredited)
SNCPS (Acc)
SCoPEd Band C
BSc (Hons) CBT
PGCert Supervision L7
Quality Award 2024 — 95%+
Something different for something that hasn’t shifted
A free, no-obligation 15-minute conversation. No pressure, no script — just a chance to be heard, ask questions, and see whether we feel like the right fit.
Get in Touch
Ask us about hypnotherapy
Not sure if hypnotherapy is right for you? Send us a message and a member of our team will help you figure out the best approach. All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“From the very first phone call, I felt heard. They didn’t rush me — they helped me work out what I needed.”
Hope Therapy enquiry feedback
NCPS Organisational Member
Est 2014
90+ Qualified Therapists
National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies
Individual registrations vary per therapist. Last reviewed: May 2026.