Training Review: Successful Smoking Cessation
Clive Girdham

Why hypnotherapists should do more training in smoking cessation

When you think about hypnosis, right after ‘clucking like a chicken’ comes ‘can you stop me from smoking’. If truth is known, offering a quit smoking service can often be quite daunting for hypnotherapists. The reason for this is simple; there is a misconception out there that hypnosis can make you do anything and some people are quite disappointed to discover that they aren’t just ‘put under, told to stop smoking and then never smoke again’.

This ‘magic bullet’ concept can make it quite hard for hypnotherapists as they need to determine early on if a person is actually at that right point where hypnotherapy can assist them to truly become a non-smoker.

Additionally, there is often the idea that one session will do it when the reality is that it may take more. Of course, they will usually feel the benefits of the session after the first session but it can often be the difference between a habitual behaviour that someone has associated with a particular event versus smoking as a coping mechanism. What do you think would happen if someone removed a coping mechanism without a backup coping mechanism? Yep, it isn’t always good.

Module by module

This is where Clive’s online ‘Successful Smoking Cessation’ course is very successful. Spread across eight modules, Clive has managed to break down a successful smoking cessation approach and present it in a way that is truly insightful.

Clive begins his training by talking about why a hypnotherapist should offer a stop smoking service and manages to tap into the higher purpose that has led many people to become hypnotherapists in the first place. He explores key success elements that help to ensure your stop smoking sessions runs smoothly from the first call to the testimonial. The facts and figures that Clive presents within this module should be more than enough for you to feel confident in the credibility of the work that you’re doing.

The module on health facts is particularly interesting as Clive not only explores the cycle of addiction but also delves into some of the psychological issues that may surround your client and may hinder progress with the smoking cessation. Module four explores pre-session tasks and the idea of building a positive expectancy while module five delves into reframing the excuses and fears that clients will present as reasons why they continue their habit.

Module six is another module that explores ‘slight of mouth’ patterns; something that you don’t usually get to see with online training in smoking cessation. For anyone who has limited experience in NLP, you’ll find this particular module very interesting, insightful and offer the potential of developing a new skill well beyond what you signed up for with this course.

Module seven is epic, beginning with Clive explaining how he sets up and runs his sessions followed by a full counselling/information gathering session and full hypnotherapy session. It has to be said that this is where Clive really shines and you can clearly see his years of experience skilfully coming through. Module eight deals with relapse and, again, there is a full client session along with an analysis of what he was doing.

What you already need to know before doing this online course

It needs to be noted that this is not a course in hypnosis; the expectation is that you know how to hypnotise someone before you do this course. The other thing to note here is that there are lots of techniques going on in these videos and, while this isn’t a training in those particular techniques, the way Clive presents it is enough for most people to gain an understanding of them, begin to use them or to find additional training in them. Within the recordings, you’ll find Clive easily bouncing between parts therapy, regression work, inner child work, reframing, metaphor and conversational hypnosis. Even then, Clive also talks about some of the other techniques he would consider using (such as crossroads) and suggests that this is really a springboard into further training.

No Script zone!

This training isn’t about scripts either. While each module has a PDF handout, this is not a course that talks about memorising scripts. If you’re keen to learn an approach that has you utilising what the client has to offer and ditching scripts, then this is the course for you. Clive really does highlight in his examples that his approach is as much about attitude, utilisation and calibration on his client to achieve his outcome.

It has to be said that Clive also comes across as exceedingly genuine and approachable. The client that is in this training can often be challenging and Clive is open enough to share with us his own learnings through this experience. The training is also in manageably sized blocks, generally running around 20 minutes. For those who struggle to maintain their attention, this is a bonus. It should be noted that there are lots of ‘gem nuggets’ throughout this training and even on a repeated second or third listen, you will pick up something new.

Each module is available to download as a video or audio file as well, meaning that you can put them on a device and watch them anytime. I’ve personally had Clive accompany me to and from work a few times in the past and they’re very easy to listen to.

The other thing that is a massive benefit here is that, while this is a course about successful smoking cessation sessions (that’s a mouthful!), the techniques and approaches that you will learn in this online training can be applied to many other forms of habitual behaviour and, indeed, many of the skills (such as Slight of Mouth patterns) are going to be useful in you dealing with ALL of your clients.

On the whole, this is one of the better online offerings out there when it comes to training for hypnotherapists around smoking cessation. It is certainly one of the more affordable as many can often be quite expensive, and it also steers you away from a script based approach that other online courses may wish for you to do. Clive proves very quickly in this training that he is the real deal and he does that by leading by example.

You can find out more about this course by checking out Clive’s site or you can take the plunge and just buy it here.

You can follow Clive on Twitter or check out Sydney City Hypnotherapy.

Download the FREE Ebook ‘5 Steps To Becoming a Non-Smoker’ by entering your details here.

You may also like to read:
Recording for Hypnotherapists – Recording Basics 101
Release Hypnosis’s Lawrence Akers on JOY FM
What Does That Smoking Habit Want For You?
Download a FREE 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation