Today, Donna interviews Kathryn Dunn, a former civil servant with 15 years of experience at the Electoral Commission. Kathryn shares her journey from supporting electoral administrators to becoming a cognitive behavioral hypnotherapist after taking on the role of caregiver for her mother. She discusses the challenges she faced in her previous role, including the complexities of electoral legislation and the importance of making electoral services accessible to the public.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Kathryn worked for 15 years in the civil service, specifically with the Electoral Commission, where she supported electoral administrators and provided guidance on electoral law.

• A significant challenge in her role was the interpretation of electoral legislation, which often varied among individuals. Additionally, making electoral services accessible to the public, especially to harder-to-reach groups, was a key concern.

• After becoming a carer for her mother, Kathryn transitioned from her public service role to training as a cognitive behavioral hypnotherapist, driven by a desire for a career that could accommodate her caregiving responsibilities.

• Hypnotherapy can address a wide range of issues, including phobias, anxiety, stress, confidence, and habits like nail-biting or smoking. Kathryn emphasises the importance of assessing clients to determine the appropriate approach.

• The hypnotherapy process begins with an assessment to understand the client's issues and may include homework assignments. Sessions are tailored to individual needs, with some clients requiring only a few sessions while others may need more extensive work to address layered experiences.

BEST MOMENTS

"I worked for the Electoral Commission and my job was to support electoral administrators in running their elections."

"Electoral legislation is very archaic in a lot of ways, because it's been developed over time."

"I decided to try training to be a cognitive behavioral hypnotherapist, because a friend of mine said, oh, you've got the voice for it."

"It's great because you can get change to happen really quickly."

"There are lots and lots of alternative therapies out there, but hypnosis has really started to grow, hasn't it, in terms of popularity?"

ABOUT THE HOST

Donna is a Registered Nurse who has worked in the NHS for three decades.

She brings you real-life stories from people in front-line public service roles. Some of the stories discuss war, terrorism, suicide, abuse, COVID, death, and vicarious moral injury, which may be triggering for some listeners. Alongside these are stories of joy, hope, empathy, and humanity, highlighting the positive impact individuals have made. Many of her guests have navigated career changes, found work-life balance, or transitioned into new roles, including charity work or entrepreneurship. If you have a story to share that could inspire others seeking change or additional income, please get in touch. Inviting individuals from fire, police and probation services, healthcare, military, teaching, social services, local government, and civil service.

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Email: Donna@lifeafterpublicservice.co.uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-bentley-carr

This podcast features real-life stories from frontline public service workers, covering tough topics such as war, trauma and loss, and may be triggering to some listeners. Guests also share their tales of everyday heroism, inspiring joy, hope, empathy and humanity. If you have a story to share that could encourage others seeking change or additional income, please get in touch.