they have always recommended someone who can. Tom

that education was an excellent way of acquiring new skills,

Connelly, in particular, has been an excellent support and has

and, more importantly, of also acquiring valid documentation of

sent me research papers to help with difficult cases.

those skills.

Finally, the most recent development in my life is that I am

I signed up for an introductory adult education access course

about to take over the management of a small, new Palliative

at Hull College, and quickly found that education was an ideal

Care Unit as part of my Ward Management role. These are the

environment for me - I enjoyed learning new things, taking

first Palliative Care beds in the Trust and I see this as a huge

information and making it mine, and found that I could write as

opportunity for me to be able to influence the direction this type

well (which would stand me in good stead later, but I'll come to

of care will take. I constantly try to highlight to the "powers that

that in a moment). It quickly dawned on me that I could do

be" my interest in hypnotherapy and Complementary Medicine

more than just re-train myself through education - I could, if I

per se. My manager is very supportive and has recently

was prepared to make a long-term commitment, gain the

agreed to fund my attendance at the 1st RCN Complementary

qualifications I would need to realize the old day-dream of

Medicine and Nursing Conference in October in York. As you

hypnotherapy. I think it's worth mentioning at this point that,

may be able to see, my only problem is that I need nine days

although I always believed (and still do) that a broad range of

in every week and 36 hours in every day (but who doesn't).

skills, not all psychology related, would be needed by me in

order for my dream to be actualized, I don't presume that the

same applies to every therapist. In other words, don't look on

my viewpoint as a blueprint; caveat emptor!

1. Training as a Hypnotherapist has hugely increased my

Taking four and a half years out of my working life was a huge

2. It has increased my people skills.

commitment in my mid-thirties, but was worth it. Completing

3. I help patients in a limited way within Trust policy.

college, I went on to university, where I studied for a Batchelor

4. I help staff through hypnotherapy.

of Science degree in Psychology and Communications, which

5. My current role is Ward Manager, about to be extended to

added a measure of technology and media skills to my growing

include Palliative Care.

arsenal of options. The technology element of my degree

helped me to get the job I'm currently doing. I'm basically a

I intend to continue the development of my private practice,

writer, which is where being able to write comes in handy..! The

and to continue to promote hypnotherapy and complementary

job is part of the overall plan as well, in the sense that it is

medicine within mainstream medicine.

paying for the last stage - acquiring hypnotherapeutic skills.

I chose the LCCH because it offers an excellent mix of theory

and practical skills, and because of its association with the

Open University. I was looking for a course with credibility, and

in my view this is it - the growing ties with the medical

community enhance this attribute even further.

So having spent ten years on this journey, I'm now at the stage

where I have my first paying customer and am on the verge of

establishing a business of my own. This is an exciting and

complex time for me - so many details to attend to, but so

many milestones behind me as well!

I now have a marvellous wife and a lovely house, and I still

have the temperamental dog.

Some years ago, I decided that I was going to become a

qualified Hypnotherapist. This wasn't an overnight decision by

any stretch of the imagination, because as far as I can

remember I've been interested in the subject (I suspect that a

misspent youth watching programmes such as Doctor Who

may be to blame here). However, interest never crossed the

line into actuality.... until ten years' ago, when the course of

my life changed completely, leaving me somewhat adrift. At

that point, all I had to my name was a single-room flat and a

temperamental border collie - clearly, it was time to consider

new options!

I'd spent some years in retail management and had basically

decided that I'd had enough of being nice to everybody who

walked into the shop, whether they deserved it or not.; Having

left that career path behind, it was time to do something

different, that had meaning to me. A close friend had just

completed a college course and she suggested that I should

Students on the Diploma course enjoying a break in the

give adult education a try. Although initially sceptical (at this

sunshine on the Beckett Park campus.

stage I'd been out of education for some 16 years), I realized