How we keep clients safe

Most people who see a hypnotherapist are relaxed, trusting, and alone in a room with someone they've only just met. We take that seriously. No website can promise that a person is safe, but this is what we do to keep unsafe people off this platform, to make it easy to speak up, and to act quickly when someone does.

Before a practitioner can work here

• We check their identity against photo ID.
• We ask for a basic DBS check, which shows unspent criminal convictions, and record the date we saw it.
• We check their qualification certificate or, for students, their course enrolment. Until we have, they can only take on everyday issues.
• They sign our code of conduct, which includes keeping professional boundaries: no sexual or romantic contact with a client, and no touching without asking first.

Each practitioner's page shows what we've checked and when, and anything we haven't seen is marked "self-declared".

What you can expect in a session

• You stay aware and in control the whole time, and you can stop at any moment just by saying so.
• Hypnotherapy doesn't need physical contact. No one should touch you without asking you first.
• You're welcome to bring someone with you, or to have your sessions online from home.

If something isn't right

Use Report a concern — it's on every practitioner's page, every booking page and every feedback form. It comes straight to us, never to the practitioner. You can stay anonymous. We also hear about it when someone scores a session low for feeling comfortable and at ease.

When we get a report about safety, we can take the practitioner's website and bookings offline straight away while we look into it. We keep the records of every booking on the platform, and we'll share what we hold with the police if you ask us to, or if we're required to by law. We tell the practitioner's insurer where that's appropriate.

If you're in danger, call 999. If a crime has happened, you can report it to the police on 101 whether or not you tell us.