Alison Fernandes
Cert NatSci (Open), Dip Hyp CS, BWRT®(Adv), EMDR (with Hypnosis), Rewind, GQHP, CNHC, GHR
About Alison Fernandes
My name is Alison Fernandes. With more than ten years professional experience, I am a BWRT®(Adv), EMDR(with Hypnosis) and Rewind practitioner, hypnotherapist, counsellor and owner of Alison Fernandes Therapy, offering sessions in Cheltenham, Bristol, and Reading. I also see clients online, on Zoom, or Teams.
I care passionately about helping my clients on an emotional, mental and spiritual level. I work with them to help identify and overcome those aspects of life they feel hold them back and prevent them from achieving happiness and fulfilment. I use therapist facilities based at The Practice Rooms in Cheltenham, Clifton and Reading. I am fully insured to work remotely with clients as well as face to face. In cases where travel can be a problem for either mental or physical health reasons, I can offer home visits in some circumstances. Please do ask if you are not sure.
My Journey To Becoming a Therapist
I first became interested in hypnotherapy when I consulted a hypnotherapist to successfully give up smoking. I had smoked for more than 30 years and I made many attempts to kick the habit but had fallen back into the habit each time. With hypnotherapy I managed to stop completely in only 2-3 weeks. This was in 2005 and since then I have not returned to the habit.
An Open University science degree course which I started in 2008 was cut short by a diagnosis of fibromyalgia in 2009 and I was unable to continue this. I gained a Certificate in Natural Sciences from the year I successfully completed and this gave me an enduring interest in the relationship between mind, body and diet which encouraged me to research and self-treat my condition so that I regained the ability to live my life in the way that I chose.
A year spent working within the NHS mental health services in an administrative role in 2011/2012 gave me a real insight into mental health in the UK and the need for yet more people to be contributing to our society in a meaningful and purposeful way.
Having returned to hypnotherapy for the second time in 2011 for confidence issues, I became a firm advocate of this as a valid and effective form of complementary therapy. It is fair to say that I have not looked back from that point.
As a result of my personal experiences, I decided to train as an analytical and solution-focused therapist and counsellor with Chrysalis (a UK based national training college). As a lone parent with a young son in primary school, I made time to study and undertake the required classroom work and case studies in my own time, side by side with my day job. I can say that gaining my Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Counselling Skills was something I was incredibly proud of achieving. Since then I have continued to develop my understanding, knowledge and experience as a therapist. There is nothing that fulfils me more than seeing the difference that my work as therapist makes to my clients.