Therapeutic Hypnosis &
Guided Imagery Workshop

Effective & Relevant

As a social worker, you’re dedicated to helping clients overcome trauma, break harmful patterns, and build resilience. Hypnosis offers a powerful, evidence-based tool to deepen your therapeutic impact.

Clinical hypnosis can help your clients access subconscious resources, process difficult emotions more safely, and reinforce positive behavioral changes. It’s particularly effective for anxiety, PTSD, pain management, and breaking cycles of self-defeating behavior – challenges you likely encounter regularly in your practice.

This workshop will start your journey of learning hypnotic techniques that can integrate into your existing therapeutic approach, whether you work in mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, or medical social work. You’ll learn to guide clients into focused states where healing insights emerge more naturally and lasting change becomes more achievable. Expand your toolkit. Deepen your impact. Join us to discover how hypnosis can transform the way you serve your clients.

What You Will Learn

  • The amazing history of hypnosis and current evidence-based applications
  • Hypnosis and guided imagery within the scope of social work practice
  • Be introduced to different modalities of hypnosis
  • Common misconceptions of hypnosis – what it really is and isn’t
  • Hypnotic phenomena – how does it work?
  • Mind-body communication principles
  • The differences and similarities between hypnosis and guided imagery
  • Principles of hypnotic language patterns, which can be used to enhance effectiveness of interventions (even without hypnosis)
  • How to design and facilitate guided imagery sessions
  • The basic structure of hypnosis sessions and opportunities to practice skills in basic induction, deepening and emergence

    What to Expect

    If you feel uncertain about the role and potential use of hypnosis in your practice, you are not alone. Many people hesitate to either learn or make use of hypnosis, mainly because of unfounded fears about how hypnosis works or the effects it may have. Unfortunately, the media has created a lot of crazy myths about hypnosis which is not beneficial to the professional practice of therapeutic hypnosis.

    In this workshop, you will benefit from presentations and discussions which will remove the myths surrounding hypnosis and explain how and why it works. You will also have the opportunity to learn hypnotic skills and participate in skills practice, to the extent that you feel comfortable.

    The workshop sessions are intended to be interesting, fun and comfortable.

    Logistics and Investment

    Format: Online (Zoom)

    Duration: 8 sessions of 90 minutes each

    Next Dates: To Be Announced

    CPD Points: 11 (SACSSP) for Social Workers

    Includes: Workshop Notes, CPD Certificate

    Investment: R800

    Technical Requirements:
    The workshop is facilitated fully online via Zoom. Participants are required to remain on camera for the full duration of each session and should ensure that their equipment and internet connection is suitable for this kind of interaction. Attendance with a phone or tablet isnot recommended – it is recommended to use a PC or laptop since some of the screens that will be shared may include text or diagrams that would be too small to read on a cellphone screen. It is recommended that each participant should attend from a suitable physical space (for example, not while travelling or while sharing office space with others). The use of headphones is recommended – alternatively participants should be in a space not shared with others. It is not ideal for participants to share a device, since it will limit their interaction and participation.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I attend if I have no prior knowledge of hypnosis?
    Yes – the sessions will cover everything you need to know to start incorporating hypnosis or guided imagery into your practice.

    Will the workshop qualify me as a hypnotherapist?
    No – this is an introductory workshop. A qualification in hypnosis practice is usually a more rigorous undertaking.

    I am uncertain about the “esoteric” aspects of hypnosis.
    In this workshop, we focus only on the psychological aspects of hypnosis. Everything we practice has a psychological foundation and this is explained as we move through the sessions.

    Will I learn practical hypnosis skills?
    Yes – we will make use of discussions, watch and discuss short demonstration video clips, discuss the “how to” aspects, and depending on the group’s interest, demonstrate the skills during the sessions.

    Your Facilitator

    Werner is a Clinical Social Worker registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP). He offers counselling, consulting and training – with a focus on meaningful, evidence-informed therapeutic work delivered entirely online.
    His approach is relational and strengths-based – meeting clients where they are, and helping them build the insight and resources to move forward.
    Werner holds master’s degrees in both Psychology and Clinical Social Work, is registered as a Clinical Social Worker with SACSSP and SAASWIPP, and trained in EMDR, NLP and Hypnotherapy. He is currently registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register (UK) as an Advanced Level Hypnotherapist.

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