How Young To Accept Client??

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe K Fobes on July 10, 2010 at 5:48pm

If I had a five year old that did sit still I would be worried.

Joe

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Permalink Reply by Shirley R. Patterson on July 10, 2010 at 6:25pm

What is it that your client wants you to do with her son?


Shirley

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Permalink Reply by James Malone on July 10, 2010 at 8:03pm

Michael, I'm with Joe on this one. You need to dig deeper, how does a 5 year old have "attention deficit" issues? Did some type of "professional" offer this opinion or is it a concern of the parent? As the father of a 5 year old I know from observing the kids in her pre-school program that there is a wide range of behaviors and maturity that I suspect will mostly level out over time. Make sure there is an actual "problem" before commiting your energy towards solving it. Jim

JoeK said:

If I had a five year old that did sit still I would be worried.

Joe

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on July 10, 2010 at 8:13pm

There is no reason not to teach a child relaxation methods (such as pmr), concentration exercises, tools for creativity and imagination or meditation. These are all hypnotic skills. They are valuable to learn as an adult, and valueable to learn as a child.
I would teach these things to any kid, one with or one without ADD/ADHD.
Personally, I do not take children, but that is a personal preference (I have my own kids and really don't want to spend my time with yours). In the past, I have worked full-time in mental health settings with kids.


As a hypnotist, you should not be "treating" ADD/ADHD anyway. But if I were interested in working with kids would I teach them the skills listed above, you bet I would.... and I have. Kids are easy to work with in that they have no adult opposition to learning, and are naturally creative. My book "Inductions and Deepeners" and my DVD set of the same name have demonstrations of child hypnosis inductions....

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Permalink Reply by Graham Old on July 10, 2010 at 10:47pm

I'd be inclined to work with the parents on that one.

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Permalink Reply by Antoine Pruyssers on July 10, 2010 at 11:47pm

I only work with clients that present their own need to change, whether it is a minor, or an adult.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on July 11, 2010 at 2:25am

Bravo,

JoeK and James M. are right on! Parents and the people who assist them must be aware of how normal childhood behaviors are being medicalized and turned into disorders...

Shelia is right on -- Knowing what the parents want hypnosis to do for their son is essential to any discussion on this subject.

Richard N - Gets the gold...

I am with Graham -- I would insist on working with the parents-- if I decided that I could help their child ala Richard N.

Antoine only works with clients that present their own need to change, whether it is a minor, or an adult - Me too! -- Like minds and stuff...

Hey Michael-
Every child is unique just like very adult is unique -- Let's remember that hypnosis is symbolic healing as in the pain-relieving powers that a Mother's kiss can have on a 5 year old's boo-boo. - Younger children can easily be assisted with stories or games, etc. -- I would not recommend conventional entrancement --

I really enjoyed this thread - I hope it helped you.

Michael E.


JoeK said:

If I had a five year old that did sit still I would be worried.

Joe

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on July 11, 2010 at 5:34am

Hi Michael,

I am currently working with a 5 year old gem of a boy who was booted out of pre-school for his "defiant and inattentive" behavior (which includes temper tantrums) and parents are worried about the upcoming school year. In our two sessions together, once we got acquainted, Mom and Dad sat in the reception area,with the door between us open, and my little friend and I hung out on a magic blanket ( no adults allowed lol) on the floor of my hypno room.

Some of the "games" we have played have included puppet play wherein the "tickle monster" defeated the "angry monster", blowing the angry feelings into a balloon near his shoulder and popping it so that it splatted all over the room, making a string of paper doll-boys whose faces contain different emotional expressions and coloring a puzzle made of the different parts of him. I "awarded" him one of my karate medals that had a magic red button; when he presses it, any feelings that he dislikes drain into it. (Hat tip to John C., for the core dump idea!) By the way, all of these adventures were conducted with eyes open, in that natural and wonderful state of heightened imagination enjoyed by children.

Another powerful technique I used was to invite him to sit in my office chair while I reclined on the couch. I told him I had this terrible problem (create something appropriate) and ask for his advice. My client told me to "take a breather" and demonstrated beautifully to me how he does it. I was extremely grateful and complimented his smart brain for coming up with that one...

Today I am creating a recording of "bed-time" stories. When he arrives at our appointment tomorrow morning, my photographer daughter will be waiting in her studio next door to do a mini-photo shoot of him with a selection of fun props and costumes.

As you can probably tell, my approach is to build this boy's self-esteem. He did confess to me early on that he is not happy with getting angry and getting in trouble so often. His "teacher made him feel stupid and bad". While I personally would wonder about a 5 year old boy who DID sit still for a prolonged period, he will need to feel strong about himself once he enters the public school system.

When you meet your young client, be sure to kneel down to his level, sit on the floor at or below his eye level and talk directly to him. He's the most important person in the room and you will gain his respect and attention if you treat him so.

I am also working with the parents privately so that they can build tools to help their wonderful son and the family in general. As they sit and listen in the adjoining room, they have gained new insights into their son's personality from a new perspective, which has been helpful. It's also been enlightening to watch my client as he interacts with me and every now and then darts into the other room to share with his parents.

Michael, just recall how exciting or intimidating life can be when you are little. Shrink yourself down to that size again, now armed with your experience and wisdom of your years, and step into your client's world for a while. You will love it and will naturally find the right course to help him.

Best wishes,

Kelley

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on July 11, 2010 at 6:20am

Kelley,

Have I mentioned recently how brilliant you are?

I have to agree with Richard. (Okay, I don't have to, but I do quite often.) If there had been an ADD diagnosis around when I was a kid, I would have had it. I thank my stars there wasn't, so no doctors pressured my parents to dope me up with a bunch of drugs.

Hypnosis training would have been very useful to me. I was such a daydreamer that I was basically slipping into trance all the time anyway. Of course, our society does its best to beat that out of children, instead of recognizing hypnotic talent. :-)

James

Kelley Woods said:

Hi Michael,

I am currently working with a 5 year old gem of a boy who was booted out of pre-school for his "defiant and inattentive" behavior (which includes temper tantrums) and parents are worried about the upcoming school year. In our two sessions together, once we got acquainted, Mom and Dad sat in the reception area,with the door between us open, and my little friend and I hung out on a magic blanket ( no adults allowed lol) on the floor of my hypno room.

Some of the "games" we have played have included puppet play wherein the "tickle monster" defeated the "angry monster", blowing the angry feelings into a balloon near his shoulder and popping it so that it splatted all over the room, making a string of paper doll-boys whose faces contain different emotional expressions and coloring a puzzle made of the different parts of him. I "awarded" him one of my karate medals that had a magic red button; when he presses it, any feelings that he dislikes drain into it. (Hat tip to John C., for the core dump idea!) By the way, all of these adventures were conducted with eyes open, in that natural and wonderful state of heightened imagination enjoyed by children.

Another powerful technique I used was to invite him to sit in my office chair while I reclined on the couch. I told him I had this terrible problem (create something appropriate) and ask for his advice. My client told me to "take a breather" and demonstrated beautifully to me how he does it. I was extremely grateful and complimented his smart brain for coming up with that one...

Today I am creating a recording of "bed-time" stories. When he arrives at our appointment tomorrow morning, my photographer daughter will be waiting in her studio next door to do a mini-photo shoot of him with a selection of fun props and costumes.

As you can probably tell, my approach is to build this boy's self-esteem. He did confess to me early on that he is not happy with getting angry and getting in trouble so often. His "teacher made him feel stupid and bad". While I personally would wonder about a 5 year old boy who DID sit still for a prolonged period, he will need to feel strong about himself once he enters the public school system.

When you meet your young client, be sure to kneel down to his level, sit on the floor at or below his eye level and talk directly to him. He's the most important person in the room and you will gain his respect and attention if you treat him so.

I am also working with the parents privately so that they can build tools to help their wonderful son and the family in general. As they sit and listen in the adjoining room, they have gained new insights into their son's personality from a new perspective, which has been helpful. It's also been enlightening to watch my client as he interacts with me and every now and then darts into the other room to share with his parents.

Michael, just recall how exciting or intimidating life can be when you are little. Shrink yourself down to that size again, now armed with your experience and wisdom of your years, and step into your client's world for a while. You will love it and will naturally find the right course to help him.

Best wishes,

Kelley

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Hanover on July 11, 2010 at 6:43am

You rock, Kelley.

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Permalink Reply by Joe K Fobes on July 11, 2010 at 10:47am

Simply brilliant.

Thank you Kelley.

Joe

Kelley Woods said:

Hi Michael,
I am currently working with a 5 year old gem of a boy who was booted out of pre-school for his "defiant and inattentive" behavior (which includes temper tantrums) and parents are worried about the upcoming school year. In our two sessions together, once we got acquainted, Mom and Dad sat in the reception area,with the door between us open, and my little friend and I hung out on a magic blanket ( no adults allowed lol) on the floor of my hypno room.
Some of the "games" we have played have included puppet play wherein the "tickle monster" defeated the "angry monster", blowing the angry feelings into a balloon near his shoulder and popping it so that it splatted all over the room, making a string of paper doll-boys whose faces contain different emotional expressions and coloring a puzzle made of the different parts of him. I "awarded" him one of my karate medals that had a magic red button; when he presses it, any feelings that he dislikes drain into it. (Hat tip to John C., for the core dump idea!) By the way, all of these adventures were conducted with eyes open, in that natural and wonderful state of heightened imagination enjoyed by children.

Another powerful technique I used was to invite him to sit in my office chair while I reclined on the couch. I told him I had this terrible problem (create something appropriate) and ask for his advice. My client told me to "take a breather" and demonstrated beautifully to me how he does it. I was extremely grateful and complimented his smart brain for coming up with that one...

Today I am creating a recording of "bed-time" stories. When he arrives at our appointment tomorrow morning, my photographer daughter will be waiting in her studio next door to do a mini-photo shoot of him with a selection of fun props and costumes.

As you can probably tell, my approach is to build this boy's self-esteem. He did confess to me early on that he is not happy with getting angry and getting in trouble so often. His "teacher made him feel stupid and bad". While I personally would wonder about a 5 year old boy who DID sit still for a prolonged period, he will need to feel strong about himself once he enters the public school system.

When you meet your young client, be sure to kneel down to his level, sit on the floor at or below his eye level and talk directly to him. He's the most important person in the room and you will gain his respect and attention if you treat him so.

I am also working with the parents privately so that they can build tools to help their wonderful son and the family in general. As they sit and listen in the adjoining room, they have gained new insights into their son's personality from a new perspective, which has been helpful. It's also been enlightening to watch my client as he interacts with me and every now and then darts into the other room to share with his parents.

Michael, just recall how exciting or intimidating life can be when you are little. Shrink yourself down to that size again, now armed with your experience and wisdom of your years, and step into your client's world for a while. You will love it and will naturally find the right course to help him.

Best wishes,

Kelley

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tommy Vee on July 11, 2010 at 12:07pm

8 years and above. Parent must be present at every session.

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