Step 1: Notice where the rules already shape your day
Start by writing down every place you regularly go where smoking or vaping is off-limits. Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act, Act 27 of 2008, signed on June 13, 2008, prohibits smoking in a public place or a workplace, with listed exceptions such as private residences and tobacco shops, according to the Department of Health page cited below.
If you are connected to Harrisburg Area Community College, add its campuses to the list. HACC's Policy 375, in effect since August 10, 2015, does not allow tobacco products anywhere on college-owned property, including parking lots and college vehicles, and it covers electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.
This list shows you where you already go without smoking or vaping. That is useful information for planning.
Step 2: Write down your own reasons and your hard moments
On one side of a page, list your reasons for stopping smoking or vaping. On the other, list the times you reach for a cigarette or a vape most: after meals, in the car, on breaks, with certain people. Bring this page to every provider conversation.
Step 3: Talk to your doctor or pharmacist
Before choosing a provider, it is worth a conversation with your own doctor or pharmacist. They can talk you through options and answer questions about your health. Providers in this directory are coaches, hypnotists and group programs, not health professionals.
Step 4: Choose a format
Decide which kind of provider suits you:
- A coach for one-on-one planning and check-ins, often by phone or video.
- A consulting hypnotist if you are interested in a hypnosis-based approach.
- A group program if you would like to meet with others on a fixed schedule.
Think about your Harrisburg routine. If you commute in from the suburbs, a video option might fit better than another drive downtown. If you are on the HACC schedule, look for times that fall around classes.
Step 5: Shortlist three providers
Choose three providers in the format you picked. Read how each describes their sessions, their schedule and their fees. Leave off anyone who makes sweeping promises or will not explain what a session involves.
Step 6: Ask the same questions of each
Call or message each provider and ask:
1. What happens in a typical session? 2. How many sessions do you suggest, and over what time frame? 3. Do you work with people who vape, smoke, or both? 4. What is your training, and where did you get it? 5. What is the total cost, and what is your refund or cancellation policy? 6. How do you follow up between sessions?
Compare the answers. Choose the provider who explained things most clearly and whose schedule you can actually keep.
Step 7: Set a start date and prepare your space
Pick a start date that does not land in a week you already know will be hectic. Before that day, clear out ashtrays, lighters and spare vape devices from the car and the house. Tell one or two people you trust what you are doing and when.
Step 8: Keep going after a slip
If you smoke or vape again after starting a plan, note what set it off, tell your provider, and adjust the plan together. One slip does not cancel your effort.
Step 9: Revisit the plan every few weeks
Every few weeks, look back at your Step 2 page. Which hard moments have changed? Which still catch you? Share that with your provider and decide together what to focus on next.
Step 10: Keep your records together
Keep one folder or note on your phone with your provider's contact details, your session dates, your Step 2 page and any materials they give you. If you change providers later, that record makes it easy to explain what you have already tried and what you would like to do differently. It also gives you a clear view of how far you have come, which can matter on the harder days. If a session no longer fits your schedule, reschedule it rather than skipping it, and let the provider know as early as you can.
About this directory
This site lists independent stop-smoking coaches, consulting hypnotists and group programs in the Harrisburg area. We do not run sessions or programs and do not review providers' credentials. Use these steps to make your own choice.