Our first contact
You may have contacted me by email or phone in which case I will usually ask you some initial questions about why you are seeking counselling or psychotherapy at this time.If I think I can offer you some help after an initial chat with you then I will suggest we make a formal appointment for our first session where you can share more in detail about what is going on and what you would like some help with.
Meeting - what happens?
The first session has two important purposes. Firstly is for you to share your story of what's led you to seek help at this time. This can be a difficult thing to do initially and having some anxiety around the first meeting is normal and healthy - it's always an act of bravery and risk to say 'I want help'.
The second important purpose of our first psychotherapy session is that it gives us a chance to meet and find out if we want to work together. The first session is helpful to me in terms of making a proper assessment of how I can help you.
Equally important is that it is an opportunity for you to interview me for the job of being your therapist. It is not easy to hold on to this idea if you are experiencing great distress yet I believe it is an important part of the initial process. Why? So that you are aware you have choices and power too. This is why I like to gently remind potential clients that the first session is always a two way process of assessment and sharing.
Once we decide that we want to to work together, we will usually schedule a few sessions and co-create a simple agreement about what you want to work on, for how long, and when we will meet. Sometimes 1-6 sessions is all that is needed, sometimes longer term work may be advisable. In the unlikely event I can't offer you help, I will refer you to a colleague or service that is suitable.
Where and when
We would normally meet weekly at a regular time slot for 50 minutes. Due to Covid-19 most of my practice is now only thru the secure platform Zoom. I hope to return to face to face work in The Practice Rooms very soon.
Getting started
You may have been thinking about counselling or therapy for a while so maybe it's time to take the next step and make the call? You may have known therapy is an option, but do you know the lasting impact it could have on your life? I can't promise you miracle cures, but I can promise an inclusive space where you can find and make changes.
If you'd like to know more get in touch.
