You can ask your practitioner for details of their governing bodies (for example, The British Institute of Hypnotherapy and NLP (BIH)), and check that they are registered with full status. Your practitioner should talk through what you can expect within sessions, provisions for confidentiality, therapeutic boundaries, and terms of service. If you are not clear on whether your therapist is working professionally, you can reach out to them directly for clarification, or contact their governing body with any concerns.