This is probably the question I get asked most often, and I completely understand why. When you’re struggling with anxiety, stress, a habit you can’t break, or a feeling you can’t shake, the last thing you want to do is spend weeks figuring out which type of therapist to see. You just want help.
So let me try to make this simple.
Note: This article provides general information and reflects my perspective as a clinical hypnotherapist. It is not intended to discourage anyone from seeing a psychologist – quite the opposite. For mental health support, contact Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) or Lifeline (13 11 14).
The Simple Difference
Psychology – and its most common therapeutic approach, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – works primarily with your conscious mind. It helps you understand your thought patterns, identify unhelpful beliefs, and develop strategies to manage them. It’s structured, evidence-based, and covered by Medicare under a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Hypnotherapy works primarily with your subconscious mind. It accesses the part of you that operates below conscious awareness – where habits form, where emotional responses are stored, where deep-seated beliefs about yourself live. Through focused relaxation and guided suggestion, hypnotherapy helps you change these patterns at their source.
Think of it this way. If your mind were a house, psychology is the renovation happening in the rooms you can see. Hypnotherapy is the work happening in the foundations.
Both are valuable. Both are legitimate. And they’re not mutually exclusive.
When Psychology Tends to Work Well
- When you need a formal diagnosis (a psychologist can diagnose conditions; a hypnotherapist cannot)
- When you want structured, evidence-based treatment for conditions like clinical depression, OCD, or PTSD
- When you need Medicare-funded support (psychologists are covered under a Mental Health Treatment Plan; hypnotherapy is not)
- When you benefit from homework, journalling, and cognitive exercises between sessions
- When you want to understand the “why” of your patterns at a conscious, intellectual level
When Hypnotherapy Tends to Work Well
- When you’ve already done the conscious work but the pattern persists (“I know why I do this, I just can’t stop”)
- When the issue is habit-based: smoking, overeating, nail biting, phobias
- When you want faster results – hypnotherapy often produces change in fewer sessions
- When you’re looking for help with issues like IBS, insomnia, or pain management, where the mind-body connection is central
- When traditional talk therapy hasn’t been able to shift a deeply ingrained emotional pattern
- When you’re working with children who respond better to imagination-based therapy than talk-based therapy
They’re Not Competitors. They’re Teammates.
This is the point I really want to make, because I think the “vs” framing is misleading. In my practice, some of my best outcomes happen when a client is seeing both a psychologist and a hypnotherapist.
Here’s a real example. A woman came to me with severe anxiety. She’d been seeing a psychologist for six months and had done excellent work understanding her triggers, building coping strategies, and developing self-awareness. But the anxiety was still there. She knew why it happened. She had tools to manage it. But the underlying emotional charge hadn’t shifted.
We did four hypnotherapy sessions focused on the subconscious beliefs driving her anxiety – beliefs she could describe intellectually but couldn’t release through conscious effort alone. After our work together, she went back to her psychologist who commented that something had clearly shifted. The conscious strategies that hadn’t been fully landing were now working, because the subconscious resistance had been removed.
That’s the ideal scenario. Psychology builds the understanding. Hypnotherapy removes the blockage. Together, they create deeper, faster, more lasting change than either one alone.
What About My Qualifications?
I think this is an important part of the conversation, because the therapy industry in Australia can be confusing.
Psychologists hold university degrees (typically a minimum of six years’ study) and are registered with AHPRA, the national health practitioner regulator. Their title is protected by law.
Clinical hypnotherapists hold diplomas or advanced diplomas in clinical hypnotherapy, and reputable practitioners are members of professional associations like the Australian Hypnotherapy Association (AHA). Hypnotherapy is not AHPRA-regulated in Australia, which is exactly why checking your hypnotherapist’s qualifications and association membership matters.
My qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science in Disability Studies with a major in Psychology from Deakin University, a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy from The School of Hypnotic Sciences in Melbourne, certification in NLP, and over 25 years of clinical experience. I’m a Clinical member of the AHA and the author of The Anxiety Relief Handbook. I say this not to boast, but because I think you deserve to know who you’re trusting with your mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see a hypnotherapist and a psychologist at the same time?
Absolutely, and I encourage it. They complement each other well. If you’re seeing a psychologist, let them know you’re also working with a hypnotherapist, and vice versa. Collaboration produces the best results.
Is hypnotherapy covered by Medicare?
No. Hypnotherapy is not covered by Medicare or Mental Health Treatment Plans. Some private health funds offer partial rebates under complementary therapies – check with your insurer. Psychology sessions can be covered under a GP-issued Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Is hypnotherapy evidence-based?
There is growing research supporting hypnotherapy for specific conditions, particularly IBS (where it’s well-studied), anxiety, pain management, and sleep. The Australian Government’s position is that more research is needed. Many of my clients come to hypnotherapy after finding that evidence-based approaches alone haven’t fully resolved their issue – hypnotherapy addresses what other modalities can’t always reach.
How do I know which one I need?
If you need a diagnosis or Medicare-funded treatment, start with a psychologist. If you’ve done talk therapy and still feel stuck, or if your issue is habit-based (smoking, weight, phobias), hypnotherapy may be the missing piece. When in doubt, I’m always happy to chat in a free 15-minute consultation and tell you honestly if I think hypnotherapy is the right fit.
The Right Help Is the Help That Works for You
I have enormous respect for psychologists and the work they do. Several of my clients were referred to me by their psychologist. Several others I’ve referred to psychologists when I felt that was the right path for them. There’s no competition here – just different tools for different aspects of the same challenge.
If you’re sitting there wondering whether hypnotherapy might help with something that’s been sitting under the surface, something you can’t quite talk your way through, something that feels stuck at a deeper level than words can reach – then I’d welcome the chance to talk with you about it.
➤ Book Your Free 15-Minute Consultation: Call Olivia on 0425 726 732 or visit hypnotherapistinmelbourne.com.au/contacts. Sessions available in Bayside Melbourne or online via Zoom.