Fife anxiety specialist and hypnotherapist Katy Stevenson works all over the world without having to leave home.
She is based in Dunfermline, but online technology means she can easily help clients globally.
The married mother-of-two explained: “Location is never an issue. Zoom sessions are just as effective as being in my office face to face.
“I’ve done some great work with people all around the world via my laptop.
“As a home-based anxiety specialist, I am able to do a job I love and still be there for my family, which I am very grateful for.”
Katy had a variety of jobs after studying at college, but what she really wanted to do was help people on a personal level.
She explained how an advert in a magazine was the catalyst for her career.
“One day, while reading a holistic health magazine, I saw an advert for a hypnotherapy school.
“A bell rang in my head, and I knew that was what I wanted to do. So I went for it, and I got myself qualified as a clinical and analytical hypnotherapist.”
Katy Stevenson’s Hypnotherapy became official on Valentine’s Day 2009. Nearly 14 years later, she says she loves helping her clients.
She said: “Over the years, I’ve added to my skills to be able to help others quickly.
“I love learning new things and better ways to help my clients.
“Hypnotherapy may sound scary to some people, as they associate it with control being taken away from them and putting them in a vulnerable position.
“However, once my clients have experienced it, they love it.
“It gives them back the control of their lives, which they’d given away to fear, worry and self-doubt.”
Fife mum helping others overcome anxiety
The issues she can help with range from anxiety and depression to burnout and sleep issues.
Katy said theses issues can have a huge impact on her clients’ lives.
“It affects their relationships with friends, family, and their partners.
“It can reduce their concentration levels, therefore affecting the quality of their work.
“Many feel much more irritable and they struggle to deal with even small incidences.
“Helping my clients overcome the underlying issues gets them back into the right headspace so they can live a happier, calmer, and a much more contented life.”
Katy began to specialise in anxiety in 2019 after realising it was an issue affecting a huge percentage of her clients.
She said her programme can allow people to achieve changes in their lives in only four sessions.
“Having struggled with trauma, anxiety, and depression in my own life, I feel that I have a real insight to the issues my clients have.
“I can offer an insider’s perspective on how I managed to overcome my own issues and got myself back on my feet. I feel that this makes me a great therapist to all my clients.
“Even after one session my clients report back feeling lighter and more empowered, which is lovely.”
Clients of all ages
She said her clients range in ages, but that since the Covid pandemic the number of young people she sees has soared.
Most of her appointments are held online, though she does see a small number of local clients face-to-face.
Katy says she has a busy but balanced work life, working from her home office.
“My job is extremely satisfying, and I love what I do.
“How many people get to help people on such a level that it changes their client’s lives, forever? All whilst raising my two sons, being able to be there for them when needed.”
Conversation