Michael Dempsey

Are you ready for change?

I am passionate about helping people realise their potential by understanding and harnessing the power of the mind. My professional journey—spanning education, the natural sciences, and social services—has given me a broad and grounded perspective on human behaviour and personal growth. I now bring this experience together with my hypnotherapy practice, counselling skills, and life experience to support you in moving towards the life you want.

I work by helping clients gain insight into the underlying causes of their difficulties so that meaningful and lasting change can take place. I have a particular interest in supporting those dealing with self-defeating behaviour patterns, relationship challenges, stress and anxiety, addictions, and significant life transitions. I am especially drawn to working with individuals who feel that life has lost its sparkle and are seeking to rediscover a sense of meaning, engagement, and enjoyment.

My approach is informed by integrative, psychodynamic, and person-centred traditions. I aim to offer a space that is flexible, empathic, and entirely non-judgemental, where you feel heard, understood, and supported. I bring reliability, compassion, and a genuine commitment to helping you achieve positive outcomes.

I offer a complimentary 15-minute initial telephone conversation so we can explore what you’re looking for and whether we’re a good fit. If we decide to work together, sessions are typically one hour on a weekly basis, with regular reviews to ensure the process remains aligned with your goals. In my experience, once therapy begins, it often leads to insights and outcomes that go beyond initial expectations—this is one of the most powerful aspects of hypnotherapy.

I take pride in offering a service grounded in warmth, professionalism, knowledge, and integrity.

Profile
I am based in Hoddesdon, South East Hertfordshire, and work from my consulting room at home. 

Free 15-minute telephone initial consultation.

My sessions are 60 minutes long and my regular fee is £60/session. I may offer concessions depending on your circumstances. 

I usually work daytimes and evenings, Mondays to Thursdays, but I will consider other appointments.

I am also a qualified counsellor. I am a member of the National Hypnotherapy and National Counselling Societies - working within their Codes of Conduct and Ethics.

I have regular supervision and have Professional Civil Liability Insurance.

Testimonials

I was very nervous and unsure about therapy when I first started looking into it. However, I felt so fortunate having referred myself to Mick. From the very first meeting I felt I was in a very safe and secure environment. I came to Mick looking for help with my addictions that could have spiraled out of control; but once we started looking into it, I could see that there were deeper issues which needed working on. With Mick I felt able to talk freely about anything from work, relationships and even my early childhood. This helped me get a better and deeper understanding of my feelings, thoughts and actions, and to make changes. It has been an incredible journey for me and I cannot thank Mick enough for that. I now look forward to what the future has in store. I highly recommend Mick to anyone who feels they have lost their way; let him help you get that spark back as he did with me.

You are not alone. We are not alone. Thank you again, Mick.

Ricky

Dear Mick. Thank you for helping me blow the clouds away!

DO

When I went to see Mick, I had been through years of avoidant, depressive behaviours; struggling with familial relationships and overthinking anything and everything. The world was a gloomy and stressful place. But after reflecting on my life with Mick's guidance, the darkness lifted and life started to offer me opportunities. Mick helped me "play the game of life" - and now I'm winning!

D

I had sessions with Mick when I was finding it hard to keep things together and my personal issues started affecting my work life. With Mick's help I found out I was struggling with things I had been totally unaware of. Together, we began to identify areas of my behaviours and thinking which we could work on and change, and Mick opened my eyes to other exciting possibilities. He was so easy to talk to and I always felt safe, comfortable and listened to. Now, through his insight and methods, I've found solutions and have started to heal and make plans for an exciting future. Working with Mick has had a massive impact on my life and I recommend his services to anyone.

PK

"I suffered with intense anxiety around my speech as a child; always worrying about using the phone or talking to people I didn't know well. It stopped me from going for certain jobs; it kept me shy and I found it difficult to socialize with new people.

It was when I was made redundant due to Covid that I was forced to look for a new job and I realized that I needed to address my anxiety in order for me to move forward. My wife and I looked for a local Hypnotherapist and we were lucky enough to find Mick through the Directory.

From the first initial phone call all the way to the final session he helped me to figure out why I have anxiety and taught me how to manage it. The affect it has had on my anxiety was huge, I can now speak on the phone to strangers without worry, and it has made a huge difference to my life in such a positive way.

Mick made me feel relaxed and safe during treatments and I would highly recommend him to anyone."

"I used to suffer from anxiety without knowing it… for years I would worry and stress over things and they would eat me up inside. I would over-think the smallest of things to the point where I would obsess over it and unless I had a back-up plan, I wouldn't be relaxed at all. To be honest, I don't think I was ever really relaxed.

It all came to a head during Lockdown and being furloughed from work. Without work as a distraction my anxiety really came to the surface and I had my first ever panic attack. Once I started work again it got worse and more frequent with the stress from work making me feel overwhelmed with seemingly no way to get out of it.

I reached out to Mick for help as Mick has previously helped my husband with his anxiety over his speech, so I was familiar with his work and successes. From the first session, Mick made me feel relaxed, calm and safe. I felt I could speak honestly and after our sessions I felt lighter and had a better understanding of why I behaved and reacted the way I did in certain situations.

I had an 8-week plan with Mick, with a mix of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy in our 1 hour weekly sessions. It is now 7 months later and I haven't had a single panic attack, felt overwhelmed or over stressed. The biggest thing I have noticed is that I no longer obsessively over-think things, This has been huge for me as I had done it almost all of my adult life, thinking it was normal.

I feel happier than I have for a long time; I am content with life and now have clear boundaries between work time and home life. I now spend more time on what I want to, rather than being consumed with work all the time. My quality of life is so much more improved and without Mick I don't think I would have got to where I am now.

I highly recommend Mick if you suffer from anxiety, stress or obsessive thinking. His gentle way of working makes the whole process feel comfortable, safe and relaxed."

RH

"Dear Mick,

I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the help and understanding you gave me throughout my therapy sessions.

I came to you when I was in an extremely dark place with my feelings of despair and fatalism regarding the surgery that was looming. I decanted all my thoughts and emotions into you.

You helped me understand exactly why I had these dark feelings and thoughts.

With hypnotherapy and your positive words I became more rational and able to proceed with the much needed surgery which I went along to with fresh confidence and hope. I am absolutely sure had I never found you to help me I definitely would not have had the surgery. May also add that I felt safe and relaxed in your presence. You brought out the best in me.

I will continue to keep in contact as I feel happy each time I leave my therapy sessions.

Thank you again,

CC"