Your First Consultation →

Your first consultation is as much for you to find out about the therapist as it is about your therapist to learn about you, so don't feel shy in asking any questions which may not have already been answered. The therapist should also inform you of their terms of business, you should feel no obligation to continue if at this point you’re not comfortable with the arrangements or the therapist fails to answer your questions adequately.

If you both decide you can work together the therapist may ask you to provide some basic contact and medical information such as known illnesses or allergies, which they should know about in case of emergency, together with an emergency contact if you have one.

Your therapy will be typically based upon therapeutic goals and objectives, which you both agree, which will likely have been already discussed during the session but may require further sessions to clarify and review.

Therapy will usually be weekly and regular as this is necessary for the therapeutic process to succeed. You should expect that there may be some enquiries about your past as well as your present circumstances, however, you should also expect that you will do most of the talking as therapy is essentially all about you.

At times your therapist may not say anything, this is not meant to make you feel awkward but reflects how important it is for them to listen carefully and for you to know that you are being heard. From time to time they may ask short clarifying questions, this is quite normal and just a way for them to ensure they have understood you fully.

Lastly, it's normal to review how your therapy is going and possibly to adapt or make changes to the overall therapeutic goal if this is necessary, it's also a chance to check that both therapist and you the client are working together as expected with both trust and mutual respect