Bill O’Hanlon

Bill O’Hanlon is a dynamic, inspirational professional speaker and prolific author (about 40 books so far) who has worked to motivate people and organizations to determine what they are meant to be doing and to remove the barriers to succeeding at those goals. Bill maintains an online presence with offerings on Ericksonian Hypnosis, the Solution-Oriented Approach, becoming a paid public speaker, and how to write and publish books. Originally trained as a psychotherapist, Bill became known for his collaborative & respectful approach, irreverent humor, storytelling, clear and accessible presentation style and his infectious enthusiasm for whatever he is doing. During graduate school, he studied with the eccentric and creative psychiatrist Milton Erickson and became Erickson’s gardener (he was Dr. Erickson’s only work/study student). He was so confused and impressed by Dr. Erickson’s work, he felt compelled to spend the next several years of his career writing and teaching in an effort to make Erickson’s approach more understandable and accessible. Bill then moved on to develop his own method, the Solution-Oriented Approach, a brief approach to change focused on identifying and using strengths to reach goals and overcome challenges. It has been applied with individuals, couples, families and organizations. Bill has now authored or co-authored over 40 books. He is frequently heard to say, “Stop me before I write again!” and occasionally awakens in the middle of the night, exclaiming in frustration, “I’m having another book!” His books have been translated into 16 different languages. He has written over 50 articles or book chapters. In 1999, he appeared on Oprah with his book, Do One Thing Different: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life. He has also appeared on The Today Show, Canada AM, and Body By Jake. His work has been featured in O Oprah’s magazine, Ladies Home Journal, New Woman, Newsweek, Bottom Line, Self, Women’s Health and The Psychotherapy Networker