You are allowed to interview a practitioner before you book, and the good ones welcome it. Here are ten questions worth asking, with what each one actually tests. Most can be answered by email in five minutes; a practitioner who bristles at them has told you something useful too.

Before booking

  1. "Where did you train, and how long was the training?" Tests verifiability. Named schools and named lineages can be checked; vagueness cannot. Weekend certifications presented as mastery are the field's most common inflation.
  2. "Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?" Tests seriousness. The answer should be an immediate yes; insurers vet training, so this question quietly checks credentials too.
  3. "Are you a member of a professional body or register?" Tests accountability. Where associations exist for a practice, membership means standards and an ethics code — what exists per practice family.
  4. "What does the evidence say about this practice?" The most revealing question on the list. Honest practitioners describe their practice's real evidence picture without flinching; dishonest ones promise results. You can check any answer against the practice's evidence context on its Gyfts page.
  5. "What do you not treat, and when do you refer people on?" Tests scope, the core professional skill. The best practitioners answer instantly, because they think about it constantly.

About the work itself

  1. "What happens in a first session?" You should get a clear picture: intake, what stays on or comes off, touch or no touch, timing. Compare with the first-session norms.
  2. "Will you ask about my health history and medications?" The answer must be yes for anything hands-on or ingestible. Its absence is a red flag, not a convenience.
  3. "How many sessions would you suggest, and how will we know it is helping?" Tests honesty about outcomes. A fair answer names a small number and a review point. An open-ended "as long as it takes" with a prepaid package attached is a sales structure.

Practicalities

  1. "What are your prices, and what is your cancellation policy?" Published, specific, and unembarrassed is the standard.
  2. "Can I speak with you briefly before booking?" Many practitioners offer a short free call. How they handle five unpaid minutes predicts how they will handle sixty paid ones.

Using the answers

No single answer decides it; the pattern does. Specific, calm, referral- ready, and evidence-honest is the profile you are looking for, and it is exactly the profile the choosing guide is built around. Trust the practitioner who makes you feel free to keep asking.