Fees and Information

By design, my practice is limited to only a few patients at a time. I accept only self-pay. Depending on preference, sessions are conducted in-person or virtually.

• Initial session and assessment – $300 Initial Consultation
• Individual therapy or hypnosis – $250 per 50-minute session

Therapeutic Approach

Dr. Elkins has received more than $20 million in federal research grants for his groundbreaking work on the development of mind-body research, which continues to receive high praise as advancing evidenced-based therapy for sleep disturbances, chronic pain, hot flashes, relieving stress, and helping people heal from trauma. He is an expert in cognitive-behavioral therapy, integration of hypnotherapy, and mindfulness intervention. His approach is integrative and pragmatic. Dr. Elkins also provides psychotherapy based upon the principles of post-traumatic growth (PTG). Post-traumatic growth is a therapeutic training approach that utilizes complementary and mind-body approaches to foster positive life balance and growth following the struggle from trauma.

Expertise

Dr. Elkins is a world expert in hypnotherapy in clinical practice and research. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the leading journal in the field, the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. He has published books including the Handbook of Medical and Psychological Hypnosis: Foundations, Applications, and Professional Issues; and Mindful Hypnotherapy: The Basics for Clinical Practice. Hypnotherapy has a wide range of applications in areas such as anxiety treatment, sleep disturbances, chronic pain management, depression, menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, and wellbeing. Dr. Elkins has received numerous awards for his leadership in the field and has served as President of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis; the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis; and the American Board of Psychological Hypnosis.

Why Do You Need Counseling or Psychotherapy?

Counseling and psychotherapy, terms used here synonymously, can be enormously effective in helping you to overcome life problems and further your personal growth. In my part-time private practice, I use pragmatic techniques to help you bring about the changes you desire in your life. I distinguish myself from many other therapists in that I employ action-oriented therapy techniques designed to help you achieve significant results in a brief time span. Unlike other therapists, I will not ask you to rehash the past over and over again. Instead, I will help you to find solutions to your problems and a new perspective that will ultimately empower you to find meaning and enjoyment in your life. To that end, I use a strategic integration of several therapeutic approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, clinical hypnosis, and mindful hypnotherapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been shown through more than 300 well-controlled clinical trials and at least 269 meta-analyses to be an effective treatment for a wide range of conditions, is based on the notion that our thoughts influence our emotions and our actions. By changing our thought patterns, deeply held beliefs, and unhelpful behavioral habits, we can indirectly change our feelings and improve the quality of our lives. For example, if a person thought that they were no good, always destined to fail, they would likely feel depressed, and would probably avoid challenging situations. Conversely, if a person believed that they were capable of managing stressful situations, they would feel encouraged and would face challenges head-on. Cognitive therapy helps people to change their thought patterns and engage in new ways of acting more effectively in the world.

Clinical Hypnosis and Mindful Hypnotherapy

Dr. Elkins is a certified, approved consultant in clinical hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Clinical hypnosis is a powerful tool that can help you to heal and gain self-control by learning to focus your mind in a natural state of deep concentration. Hypnosis involves the induction of a state of mind that is focused and absorbed, but at the same time relaxed and open. In this state of concentrated attention, you can become more open to positive suggestions for growth and healing. Thus, the hypnotic state can enable you to resolve life problems quickly and effectively. Also, hypnosis facilitates personal growth by helping people to overcome learned limitations. Hypnosis allows you to bypass the conscious mind, which often holds us back with worries, doubts, or limiting beliefs. As you learn to enter into the hypnotic state, you can put the interference of these conscious limitations to rest, thereby enabling you to change and live your life the way you want to. Hypnosis can also be used for pain relief, as well as mind-body communication and healing. A large body of well-controlled research indicates that hypnosis can reduce pain often to a greater extent than conventional medical treatments. Hypnosis can influence the body through the autonomic nervous system, a network of nerves connecting the brain to the organs of the body that controls the stress reaction and relaxation response. Brain imaging studies have shown that hypnosis also influences brain structures that gate signals from the body to the cortex for the regulation of thought and emotion. Contrary to popular myth, the hypnotist does not put someone in a trance and dominate their will. Instead, during clinical hypnosis, you will be presented ideas and suggestions that will evoke mental imagery and metaphorical associations which will help you to enter into your own self-hypnotic state. All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. Dr. Elkins serves as a guide to help you stimulate your own inner resources for growth and healing. Hypnosis is most effective when you are highly motivated to change or overcome a problem. The change that can occur from clinical hypnosis may happen rapidly or gradually, depending on your issue and your receptivity to the hypnotic state. Dr. Elkins has used hypnosis successfully to treat a wide array of emotional, behavioral, and mind-body issues.

Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy

Hypnotherapy is sometimes referred to as Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy (or HRT) because it involves the use of relaxation, mental imagery and suggestion for a therapeutic purpose. HRT involves learning how to use your mind and thoughts in order to manage emotional distress (e.g. anxiety, stress), unpleasant physical symptoms (e.g. pain, nausea), or to help you change certain habits or behaviors (e.g. smoking, overeating). HRT has been demonstrated to have a wide range of benefits, from simply improving symptoms or difficulties, to completely eliminating them. Most people describe hypnosis as a pleasant experience, during which they feel focused and absorbed in the hypnotic experience. Dr. Elkins will structure your suggestions based on your comfort and preference. The goal of HRT is to empower the patient and that usually involves teaching how to use hypnotic relaxation methods in a way that increases personal control and help you achieve what you want to accomplish.

How many sessions are needed?

Length of treatment depends on the severity of the problem and your specific needs.

HRT Is often used with other psychotherapeutic methods, and usually involves at least five sessions, which may range to twenty or more sessions.