Title: “Using the case Study at the end of the module assess the clients issues and describe your treatment plan. What ethical issues might arise?”

In this essay, I am going to assess the issues of the client to be known as Miss E, a 29 year old woman wanting to lose weight. I will then describe my treatment plan for her, and explain the role that hypnotherapy can have with the presenting condition. I will discuss the strengths and weakness of using hypnotherapy in these cases, and ethical issues will also be addressed regarding the assessment and following treatment of Miss E.

The first step after being approached by Miss E would be to arrange an initial consultation. During this consultation I would discuss her desired goals, what it is that she is hoping to achieve from having hypnotherapy. I would then be able to assess whether or not these goals are realistic and therefore attainable.

It is important to ascertain whether or not the client really needs to lose weight. This is done by assessing their BMI ( Body Mass Index), by squaring a person’s height in metres and dividing the result by their weight in kilograms. A BMI of 20 – 25 is considered ideal, from 25 – 30 overweight and 30 or greater is considered obese. For the purpose of this essay I will assume that Miss E does need to lose weight

Miss E wants to lose 2 ½ stone in three months. This is an unrealistic goal and it that would need to be addressed. Although it is tempting to want to lose weight quickly, this usually results in weight being promptly regained, because it is difficult to sustain. I would explain this to Miss E and recommend that we created a smaller , more achievable goal. I would also suggest that once this goal is reached we would then fix another equally achievable goal to work towards.

The national health guidelines state that to lose weight at a safe rate of 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb to 2lb) per week, the recommendation is to stick to a daily calorie allowance of 1,900kcal for men and 1,400kcal for women. The calorie intake does differ from person to person and is determined by our metabolic rate, the rate at which we burn off calories. Increased activity increases metabolic rate. A reduction of calorie intake and an increase of activity will therefore result in weight loss.

It is important to get a detailed record of a client’s relationship with food and dieting. Miss E says that she has struggled with her weight since she was 12 or 13, and that she has been on many diets but always seems to put the weight back on again after a while. This would suggest that there are other underlying issues that are preventing Miss E from maintaining a healthy weight. At this point it would be imperative to assess whether or not I am qualified to treat Miss E. I would have to ask if she was on any medication and assess whether or not there are any signs of psychosis and if necessary consult my supervisor, and be prepared to refer Miss E to a more suitably trained therapist or her GP. In this instance, from reading the case study I feel that Miss E is lacking in confidence and that as a result of negative parenting she does suffer from low self esteem. Food can often be used as a replacement for love. I feel that this is the case for Miss E. Not only was she badgered by her parents for being unattractive and consequently for eating too much, she has recently had a failed relationship. Her previous partner of 6 yrs was very controlling and appeared to want her to stay overweight. This has resulted in her being afraid of the prospect of a new partner, although she would like to meet someone new.