About me
Clinical Hypnotherapist & Psychotherapist in Harley Street, London
I’m Louise Squires, a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner based in Harley Street, London. I specialise in working with anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety and phobias, particularly when the problem feels automatic and difficult to control consciously.
Many of the people I work with already understand their anxiety logically. They know the plane is safe, that the physical sensation they have noticed is unlikely to mean something terrible, or that they probably don’t need to check something again. They may have already tried reasoning with themselves, distracting themselves or avoiding the situations that trigger the anxiety. Yet the reaction continues to happen anyway.
That automatic response is where much of my work is focused.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety
Anxiety doesn’t always look like someone who is obviously anxious. Many of my clients are successful, capable people who function extremely well in other areas of their lives.
Behind the scenes, however, they may be overthinking, anticipating what could go wrong, monitoring how they feel, seeking reassurance, planning escape routes or avoiding situations because of how they fear they might feel.
I regularly work with anxiety and panic attacks, health anxiety, overthinking, intrusive anxious thoughts, reassurance seeking, fear of losing control, social and work-related anxiety and anxiety associated with travelling.
My approach combines clinical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and NLP techniques to identify and change the automatic patterns maintaining the problem.
Panic attacks
For some people, the biggest problem becomes the fear of having another panic attack.
You might start monitoring physical sensations, thinking about whether you could leave somewhere quickly, avoiding situations where you have previously felt anxious or worrying about what would happen if you panicked and couldn’t escape.
This can gradually make your world smaller as more decisions become influenced by the possibility of panic.
My work focuses on changing the automatic response underneath that pattern, rather than simply teaching you ways to manage it when it happens.
Health anxiety
Health anxiety can involve repeatedly checking your body, Googling symptoms, seeking reassurance, worrying that something has been missed or becoming intensely aware of normal physical sensations.
Reassurance may help temporarily, but another sensation or thought can quickly restart the cycle.
I work with the patterns driving that response so that you can begin responding differently to sensations, thoughts and uncertainty.
Hypnotherapy for phobias
I also work extensively with phobias and specific fears, including fear of flying, driving anxiety, emetophobia, enclosed spaces, heights, hospitals and dentists.
A phobia can feel particularly frustrating because consciously you may understand that your reaction is disproportionate to the actual situation. That knowledge alone doesn’t necessarily change the automatic response.
Hypnotherapy allows us to work with that response at a different level.
A focused approach to therapy
Having worked with more than 1,000 clients, I know that therapy doesn’t necessarily need to become a long-term process.
My Harley Street practice is structured around focused, individual work. Depending on the issue and its complexity, I commonly work with clients over 1–4 sessions.
Each session is tailored to the individual rather than following a generic programme. The aim is to identify what is maintaining the problem and create meaningful change without spending months or years repeatedly talking about it.
Sessions are available face-to-face from my practice in Cavendish Square, Harley Street, London W1G, as well as online.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner, with specialist experience working with anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety, phobias and unwanted automatic responses.
My qualifications and professional training include:
• Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD)
• Diploma in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (DSFH)
• Clinical Psychotherapy
• NLP Master Practitioner
• Advanced training in anxiety, phobias and behavioural change
• Havening Techniques
• EMDR and EFT techniques
I have worked with over 1,000 clients in private practice, with much of my clinical work focused on anxiety and anxiety-related conditions.
I am registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) and am also a member of the National Hypnotherapy Society and Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP). I undertake regular continuing professional development and clinical supervision.
My ongoing professional training has increasingly focused on understanding and changing the automatic patterns involved in anxiety, panic, fears, phobias and unwanted behaviours. This specialist focus underpins the work I now offer from my Harley Street practice in London and online.
Member organisations
Each member of APHP has received thorough training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy, is competent and conscientious, and abides strictly by a code of ethics. There are four grades of membership: Licentiate (LAPHP), Registered Member (MAPHP), Accredited Member (MAPHP(acc.)) and Fellow (FAPHP), with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy is a member organisation of UKCHO (an umbrella body for the hypnotherapy profession in the United Kingdom).
The CNHC encompasses many types of alternative therapy, including hypnotherapy. In order to be admitted to the register a practitioner must have studied to the National Occupational Standards for that profession/discipline, or have reached the equivalent of the National Occupational Standards through other relevant training or at least three years of experience and been assessed by their peers. A practitioner must also have professional insurance and agree to abide by the CNHC Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy holds one of the largest registers of independent Hypnotherapists in the United Kingdom and strives to maintain the highest standards among its members. There is an agreed Code of Conduct, an established Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure and all members are obliged to maintain comprehensive Public Liability & Professional Indemnity Insurance, maintain regular CPD (continuing professional development) hours, and attend Supervision when needed.
The National Hypnotherapy Society is a Learned Society whose primary purpose is the advancement of the knowledge of hypnotherapy and the fostering of professional hypnotherapy expertise through training, accreditation and continued professional development of their members. The Society seeks to contribute to public wellbeing both through the use of hypnotherapy and by ensuring that hypnotherapists are safe, competent and ethical in practice.
The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH) was set up to provide information about a modern form of Hypnotherapy and its associated benefits to members of the public. The main aim of the AfSFH is to spread awareness of the benefits of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. Its secondary aim is to support Hypnotherapists in their businesses by encouraging good practice and self-care.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of hypnotherapy I deal with
info Information about health conditions (*)
Hypnotherapy can enhance the well-being of individuals diagnosed with serious medical conditions, but should not take the place of medical treatment and advice. If you have been diagnosed with - or suspect you may have - any of these conditions, please speak to your doctor before starting hypnotherapy.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£500.00 - £750.00
Free initial in-person or online session
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I offer a free initial consultation, available face-to-face at my Harley Street practice or online. This gives us the opportunity to discuss what you would like help with, what you would like to change and whether my approach is right for you.
If you decide to go ahead, Session One is an extended 90-minute appointment, giving us time to properly understand the issue and begin the therapeutic work.
My approach is designed to be focused rather than open-ended, with most clients working with me over 1–4 sessions, depending on the issue and its complexity. Where further sessions are appropriate after Session One, these are available at a package rate.
Private health insurance: Clients pay for their sessions directly and may then be able to reclaim the cost through their private health insurance. Reimbursement is subject to the terms of your individual policy and approval by your insurer, so please check your cover with them before booking.
Sessions are available in Harley Street, London, and online. Klarna is also available as a payment option.
Further information
My Harley Street practice
My practice is based in Cavendish Square, Harley Street, London W1G, with appointments available face-to-face in London and online for clients elsewhere in the UK and internationally.
I work particularly with people whose anxiety is affecting what they feel able to do in everyday life. You may be avoiding situations, constantly thinking ahead, checking how you feel, seeking reassurance, worrying about having a panic attack or arranging things around having an escape route.
Often, people come to me after they have already tried to rationalise the problem. They understand logically that they are safe, but their mind or body continues to produce the same automatic response. My work focuses on changing that response rather than simply helping you cope with it.
What to expect
My approach is practical, conversational and individual to you. We establish what is happening now, the pattern that is keeping it going and, importantly, what you want to experience instead.
I use a combination of clinical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and NLP, drawing on additional therapeutic techniques where appropriate. You won’t be following a generic script or programme.
I offer an initial consultation before therapy begins, giving you the opportunity to explain what you would like help with, ask questions and decide whether you feel my approach is right for you.
Appointments
Face-to-face appointments take place at my Harley Street practice in central London, with online appointments also available.
