The Difference between Provocative Therapy & Provocative Change Works (updated April 2026)

In recent times I was explaining to a colleague about the difference between Provocative Therapy and the Provocative Change Works approaches. The Provocative Change Works approach is very different in a number of respects to Frank Farrelly’s Provocative Therapy which is detailed in the original book of the same name that was published in the mid 1970s.

Provocative Change Works uses the “provocative elements of communication” alongside metaphor exploration, hypnosis tools and many other elements

Although Frank does not describe what he does in Provocative Therapy as “hypnosis”, many clients report going into “trance like states” This was certainly my experience when I first met him in 2004 and had my first interview with him! In PCW there are many set piece approaches like the “voice tempo exercise” that would never be included in Frank’s work, but have now become central to PCW. In Provocative Change Works, the use of hypnosis is very different to what uses passes for hypnosis, in that all the work is done conversationally and at some pace.

In Provocative Change Works I combine Ericksonian hypnotic patterns with elements of Provocative Therapy. I have found this combination of tools to produce the fastest, most successful and lasting results when working with clients. This combined approach which I use in my private practice is demonstrated extensively on the “Provocative Change Works for Phobias” DVD set.

In classic Provocative Therapy the therapist will start the session with the question “What’s the problem?” In Provocative Change Works I generally use this same opening question, which is a far better opening than “What do you want?”

In private practice I ask clients to complete a set of notes prior to seeing me in person and then begin the session by implementing “yes sets” to set the direction of the interview. Provocative Therapy also does not formally use sub modality work as found in NLP to change client states, but the Provocative Change Works approach does use this tool set alongside provoking the client while taking note of the different rep systems the client is using to feedback his or her responses. Information elicitation is essential for any problem solving. Without good information, the coach or therapist is mostly guessing about what is useful in the session.

Provocative Change Works also uses the “right here, right now” philosophy that Frank uses in Provocative Therapy and everything that occurs in the session is about what is happening in each moment and normally without many of the overt techniques used by some NLP practitioners. PCW is much more multi layered than Frank’s classic work and avoids the reliance on techniques which often occurs in NLP sessions.

PCW is radically different to classic provocative therapy in that we engage in metaphor explorations and at times work in a content free manner with the client. This is done conversationally, which is of course identical to classic PT, but there are many more layers to Provocative Change Works. Frank Farrelly really encouraged my creation of the PCW model and after 20+ years of exploration, I believe we now have a superb model that is being embraced by many across the globe. My incorporation of metaphors was also inspired by Andrew T Austin’s excellent work, which shows how to use metaphorical explorations in a conversational manner. The content free approach is very different to Frank’s work, but is in my view a logical expansion of classic PT and is a powerful took to assist with client change.

In Provocative Therapy, the therapist will often move between working directly with the client and in an indirect manner. Typically, Frank would engage in a lot of storytelling to draw the client;s attention away from the unhelpful thinking that creates the problem state. In PCW, I have added the “random” approach, which is extremely unconventional, but also highly effective. This addition is one of many that makes PCW very different to Frank’s classic model. I am however, forever grateful to Frank as without his influence I would never thave created the PCW model, which is now taught across the globe, both online and in live events.

There are many other differences between these two approaches, but its true to say that Frank Farrelly, Steve Andreas and Milton Erickson are the primary influences in creating the Provocative Change Works approach with astoundingly effective results. I run trainings in both Provocative Therapy (in “the classical sense”) and my own “Provocative Change Works” approach.