Therapist Biography - Stephen Chan
Stephen Chan - practicing in Belfast and Portadown
We've asked some of our therapists to tell you a little bit about themselves, their background before they trained with the IAPH, and their experience of the IAPH and its training.
Your main town(s)/cities(s) that you practice in:
Belfast and Portadown
What was your background before you trained to be a Pure Hypnoanalyst?:
Self employed caterer.
What made you choose a career in Pure Hypnoanalysis?:
I have always wanted to be able to help people, but looking back with the gift of hindsight I can say I looking for help myself.
What age were you when you trained with the IAPH?:
I began training to be a hypnotherapist with another organisation in 1997 when I was 34, but began training with the IAPH in 2000 when I was 37.
Had you ever studied hypnotherapy / psychology / counseling etc before training with the IAPH?:
Yes, I had studied counseling and NLP before my time with the IAPH.
If you had studied hypnotherapy / psychology / counseling etc before, how did our training and support compare to the others?:
The support and training that is offered from the IAPH is simply miles ahead of anything I have personally come across. This is because of the friendly family atmosphere that is promoted within the organisation, which helps to create a safe and helpful environment in which everyone can feel supported and equal which is so important given the work that we undertake.
What made you choose the IAPH Successful Hypnotherapy Diploma Course, as opposed to any of the others available?
Because when I read the understanding that IAPH course offers you into the workings of the mind and the subsequent affects upon our mental and physical well-being it just made sense, it wasn't a hard sell...it just made sense!
How did you find the combination of home-study, and hands-on training seminars and workshops?
Fantastic and very user friendly, because I was still in full time employment it took me nearly 3 yrs till I finally sent of the final exam, so the training meant that I could work at my own speed. I only have one regret and that is, I didn't find the time to finish it sooner.
Did you receive enough support and mentoring throughout your studies, or could you have done with more?
The support I received back then was very good, but nothing compared to the level of support that the new students receive, come to think about it I would have finished quicker than the 3 yrs it originally took me, but come to think about it, computers and the internet weren't invented back then. ;O)
Did you find it easy to use the online support forum, both for your questions/answers, and downloading the free video and audio lectures?
See above answer.
After passing the course, did you feel that you were adequately prepared for your own private practice, or did you need any extra help or support?
When I passed the course I was already had been struggling in part time practice trying to become establised for a few years, but within a couple of years of passing the IAPH course the way that I did therapy changed in such a radical way that I had to go full time because I was so busy with my hypnotherapy clients. This is solely because of the quality of the therapy I was able to offer my clients thanks to the ongoing training and knowledge I was now and still do receive within the IAPH.
How easy (or difficult) was it setting up your own hypnotherapy clinic, and starting to treat your own clients?
If I had originally have trained with the IAPH it would have been so much easier and I wouldn't have wasted so much money in trying to get established back then. It's so much easier because the IAPH wants / in fact positively encourages you to get up and running asap offering anything from advertising to website advice that has been tried and tested, which means that it's not a case of if you can make it...it's when you are going to make it!
Now you are in practice full-time, what is life like as a busy hypnotherapist?
I can only speak for my own practice, but for the first time this year I have had to place potential clients on a waiting list because I have been fully booked on numerous occasions, and as much as I really enjoy the satisfaction of being able to help people to turn their lives around I can still afford to enjoy a satisfying life myself...which isn't bad given the current financial climate of late.
