General - Frequently Asked Questions
Why Ghost Gum Therapy?
Our practice was originally called Ghost Gum Therapy. The Ghost Gum is an Australian Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Papuana) which provides great metaphors for therapy.
It's name comes from the white chalky coating it secretes on its bark. By day this coating can be used to provide sun block protection. By night, it provides an eiree glow, enabling people to make their way through the dark. The branches of the Ghost Gum make excellent firewood and the leaves can be used to catch fish. With this amazing versatility, the Ghost Gum provides constant help and support to the native Aboriginal people.
The Ghost Gum has the ability to survive in the harshest climates of the Australian Outback by knowing how to look after itself. When the water supply is scarce, rather than dying off, the Ghost Gum cuts off the water and nutrient supply to its non-essential branches, allowing it to lose its excess baggage and thrive. In this way, by making changes and addressing those parts which are not helpful, it is always able to adapt and move forward.
We renamed our practice in April 2008 to North Kent Hypnotherapy.
What are your practice hours?
Our practice hours are 9am to 5:30pm Tuesday to Friday, and until 8pm on Thursdays. Please note that if we are with clients, you will be directed to an answerphone during these hours. Please leave your contact details and we will call you as soon as we are available.
Can I choose who to see?
Heidi and Rob are both fully qualified Hypnotherapists, EFT and NLP Master Practitioners, so for most issues you can either choose who to work with, if you have a preference, or take whoever has the first available appointment. Generally, once you start therapy, your therapist will stay with you for the duration. If you require counselling only, then this will be with Heidi.
Will the sessions be confidential?
All personal information is treated in the strictest confidence and remains confidential even after therapy finishes. This is crucial for you to feel able to put trust in the relationship, knowing that it is safe to talk openly about what is happening.
In extremely rare instances, confidentiality may need to be broken for legal and/or ethical reasons - for example, where disclosure is demanded by court order or where there is good reason to believe that there is a danger of serious harm to the client and/or others. We will do our utmost to let you know in advance of breaking confidentiality, if such a situation were ever to arise. This is in accordance with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) Code of Ethics & Conduct.
As a part of the requirements of both the BACP and NCH for ongoing training and quality control, anonymous case histories may be discussed with a suitably qualified supervisor. In these circumstances, no names or identifying details are used. The supervision is intended to ensure that the needs of the clients are being addressed and to monitor the effectiveness of the sessions.
