After “Can you help me with this?”, it’s the question I'm asked most.
It’s also one a lot of people want to ask - and don’t.
Perhaps they think they’ll come across as doubting the work before we get started. But I know we all need to budget and it really is ok to ask. It’s just there is no standard answer.
So here’s my honest answer, and I know it can sound evasive: I can’t tell you in advance. I’d only be guessing. But let’s talk.
The weeds in the garden
A colleague once shared this analogy. Think about the weeds in your garden.
Some are tall and imposing. They seem to shoot up from nowhere, and when you head out, armed with trowel and gardening gloves, you look at them and see the battle ahead. Then you take hold, give it a pull, and the whole thing comes out in your hand - and so neatly and easily. The roots were short all along.
Others are small and easy to overlook. You start with the trowel expecting nothing much, and get nowhere. You tug with your hands. Perhaps digging around a little and maybe a few leaves come away in your hand. But the weed stays firm. The roots turn out to be deep and seemingly unending. You think you’ve got it out. A week later, it’s back.
What brings you to therapy
What people bring to our therapy sessions works in much the same way. Someone can arrive feeling completely stuck for whatever reason and convinced it’ll take months to untangle. They find that a couple of sessions loosen things enough for them to move. Someone else might come in with what sounds like a small thing, a habit of always putting themselves last, and it turns out to be tied to something that takes longer to reach.
How big a problem looks on the surface tells you very little about what’s underneath. Until we start, we don’t know what kind of weed we’re working with.
I want to be clear though. I am not making a judgement about ‘weeds’. As we know, a weed is only a plant growing somewhere we'd rather it didn't. A dandelion in a neat manicured lawn is a nuisance, and yet growing in a wildflower meadow it’s welcome and insects rely on it.
The patterns people want to change are often like that. The caution that you have once kept you safe, or your constant pushing got you through a hard few years, but they might simply have outgrown their place in your garden. So part of the work is deciding together what you want to clear, and what you might keep but give a better spot to grow. You might like to read more about the parts of us that once worked hard to protect us.
What you come in with isn’t always what we work on
There's another reason I’m always wary of predicting the numbers of sessions we’ll have. I have learned that the thing that makes someone pick up the phone and book that first appointment isn’t always the thing we end up exploring.
Someone might come to me because they keep starting things and never finishing them, and realise a few sessions in that the real issue is a fear of being judged if they fully commit. Someone else arrives in their fifties, children grown, wondering what’s next, and finds the question underneath is less about what to do and more about who they are now that an old role has gone.
That’s often where the most useful work happens, so it isn’t a sign anything has gone wrong. But it does mean any number I gave you at the start would have been speculation.
Why I don’t sell blocks of sessions
Plenty of therapists offer packages: six or ten sessions, paid upfront, sometimes at a discount. I understand why, and it suits some people. I don’t work that way.
If you buy a block of eight sessions and feel ready to stop after three, you’re stuck choosing between sessions you don’t need and money you feel you've wasted. Neither is a good place to be, and it quietly puts pressure on both of us. I’d rather you came back because the work is helping, not because you’ve already paid.
So, with me, you book one session at a time, as you need them. I usually suggest starting weekly. It keeps momentum going and lets us build on each session while it’s still fresh. As things change, many people might move to fortnightly and then leave longer gaps, and that tapering off is often a sign we’re nearing the end.
The check-in every four sessions
Booking session by session doesn’t mean drifting. Every four sessions I build in a check-in, where we take stock together: how you’re feeling, what’s changed, whether the way we’re working still suits you, and whether we’re heading where you want to go.
Sometimes that confirms we’re on track. Sometimes it tells us to change the approach. And sometimes it’s the moment you realise you’re ready to start to say goodbye.
You’re not tied into any programme. Whether you carry on is always your call.
What helps things move
A few things make a real difference to the movement you might want. Coming regularly, especially at the start, is one. Using any recordings or exercises I give you is another, because a lot of the change happens in the days between sessions as well as in the room. And also telling me if something isn’t working or doesn’t feel right. I’d far rather hear it at session two than find out you quietly stopped coming.
It also helps to know what ‘better’ looks like for you - and to be specific about this. However, I have had plenty of clients who find this just hard to put into words - and that’s ok, as that’s when we’ll sit with this and work it through. It gives us both something to measure progress against and yet we need to also be aware that this may well change shape over the course of our time together.
Preparing to end therapy
My job is to do myself out of a job. It isn’t to keep seeing you after you are ready to move on.
My goal is to see you on your way. It’s your work that moves you on.
The regular check-ins help us prepare for this time.
Your next step
Before I begin to work alongside any client, I’ll have met them through an initial Consultation Call. It gives us the opportunity to see if we think we would be a good fit to schedule a first session.
If you'd like to find out how therapy might support you - or wondering what a first session actually involves, here's a walkthrough of what to expect. And, when you’re ready, let me know and we can schedule a free and no-obligation Consultation Call.
Common Questions About How Many Sessions of Therapy are Needed
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
I don’t know. There’s no set number. Some people find a couple of sessions are enough to get them moving, while others need longer because what they came in with turns out to be connected to something deeper. After a first session, I can usually give you a much better idea.
Why can’t a therapist tell me in advance how many sessions it will take?
How big a problem looks on the surface says very little about what’s underneath it. Something that feels overwhelming can shift quickly, and something that seems minor can take longer to reach. The reason you book your first appointment also isn’t always what we end up working on, so any number given beforehand would be a guess.
How often should I have hypnotherapy sessions?
I usually suggest starting weekly, so we keep momentum and can build on each session while it’s still fresh. As things improve, many people move to fortnightly sessions and then leave longer gaps. That tapering off is often a sign we’re nearing the end.
Can I stop hypnotherapy whenever I want?
Yes. You’re in control and you’re not tied into any programme, and whether you carry on is always your decision. The agreement we will both sign before we start working together will outline how we approach ending our sessions.
What if hypnotherapy isn’t right for my problem?
I’ll tell you. If, after talking with you, I think hypnotherapy isn’t the best fit for what you’re dealing with or it is beyond my experience or qualification, I’ll say so honestly.