What happens at the first appointment?

First sessions are slightly different for everyone, due to a number of things.

A number of my clients I may have met in person at a conference or training programme. In such cases I may have a brief understanding of your therapeutic issues before we are actually in the room or online together. 

Some of my clients are referred by a friend, family member, another professional or an organisation. If that’s the case usually we may have had a couple of phone conversations and are aware of what the therapeutic work is before we are actually in the room or online together.

Usually we would have done all the pleasantries and checked that what you need is what I have to offer and that the location that we are having the sessions suits us both adequately.

We would have also had a conversation about costs and the methods of payment for the initial session.

I normally offer a non-committal one off session to see if we feel right when working together. This is usually good for both of us, my Grandma has an old saying which states; “See me and live with me are two different things” which means we may like the look of each other but we are not compatible.

In the first session I may ask you to fill out a questionnaire which really helps you to understand the therapeutic process in the way I work and the boundaries that need to be in place to make sure we are both safe when working together. The questionnaire also solidifies your objectives.

A few of my clients may be arriving directly after a crisis and may experience their first sessions as one in which their primary needs are being taken care of such as their personal safety or current well being.

In a nutshell the aim of the first session is to familiarise you to me and me to you, as well as to clearly identify your issues, goals and outcomes.

For further reading on first sessions go to www.goodtherapy.org/blog/faq/what-will-happen-in-my-first-therapy-session.

 
 

Does it mean that I have a mental illness if I go into therapy?

 

I imagine that if you are asking this question that you’re worried about stigmatisation or feeling a little scared of the thoughts or feelings that you are currently experiencing.  

If you have experienced emotional trauma, childhood sexual abuse, incest or have been raised in an incestuous household, been trafficked at any time in your life i.e. been taken and forced to live and do things against your will, been raped or you are currently in a relationship where you are being continuously raped, including marital rape. You may at times be extremely overwhelmed or behaving in ways that you cannot control. This does not necessarily mean you are mentally ill.

Let’s also remember if you do have a mental health diagnoses that this diagnosis is to identify a set of symptoms, which should help you gain greater understanding of what is happening to you. The diagnosis also provides helping professionals with a framework in which to fine tune the support they offer to you.

Have a read of the following articles if you need more information:

Recognising the Warning Signs and How to Cope http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/recognizing-warning-signs

Misconceptions about Therapy https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sahaj-kohli/misconceptions-about-therapy_b_7286204.html

Does it mean I am a loser if I come into therapy?

Absolutely not; therapy is for the courageous. The majority of my clients are very industrious successful people and usually have areas in their lives that feel incomplete or dissatisfactory.

In addition, many have stated that they usually feel that there is or are unnamed or even forgotten parts of their lives which they wish to reclaim.

Will therapy be of benefit to me if I am not experiencing a crisis?

In my mind every single person can greatly benefit from putting their lives on pause for a couple of hours per week. Even more valuable to your healing is stopping and getting off the roundabout of life completely via therapy retreat which can be arranged especially for you.

I’ve tried to address this problem before and it didn’t make any difference. Why will it be different with you?

A number of us try several adhoc or unaligned interventions in addressing particular life issues, (i.e. we visit the doctor when we have an aching jaw, when we really need to be visiting the dentist.) Some of us have tried various training programs to develop ourselves; others of us have tried a variety of alternative health mediums or general counselling to address specific psychological needs. In a short we did not find the correct tool to address the problem.

Therapy at its best requires a few fundamental things, trust, one’s personal capacity to use the medium of therapy, coupled with the therapist having the skills set required to serve your particular issues. The therapist also needs characteristics which are compatible with your own. This fine tuning is necessary to building a solid relationship for the work i.e. the healing to take place. If you are reading this you are most probably ready to have a conversation about whether you and I can work well together.

Contact me and we can have a chat about whether we are going to be a good fit, if we are not I can give you a few pointers as to where you can go next.

Read More:

5 Ways Therapy can help you: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/delia.../5-ways-talk-therapy-can-h_b_686825.html

 
 

How will I make payments?

The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae. Mauris id fermentum nulla. Suspendisse nec congue purus. Phasellus sodales massa malesuada tellus fringilla, nec bibendum tellus blandit. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam.

 
 

How long will the therapy process take to resolve my issues?

That, my friend, is the most difficult of questions. Therapeutic work often deals with addressing life issues in an organic way. Each identified or resolved item can be much like peeling of the layers of an onion, revealing a deeper layer that was hidden from view or awareness.

At some times you may experience the new layer as brown and like the outer skin in parts and you may want to continue peeling, at times you may find that the next layer is clean, unblemished and shiny and a perfect place where you wish to stop and use as a new beginning.

The therapeutic healing journey is one which has periods of short and long walks sometimes we will move rapidly and through rough terrain, at times it will feel comfortable, the perfect place to just plod along. A significant point that’s useful to remember is that you are the one who is in control of the duration.