Free Consultation
After you complete and submit our contact form, one of our psychologists will be in touch to discuss your difficulties in more detail. They will arrange a suitable time to call you for your free consultation, which should take around 15 minutes.
There is no obligation to go ahead with therapy following this initial consultation, it is simply a chance to find out if we are the right psychology service for you. The psychologist may ask you a number of different questions, such as when your difficulties started, what you have tried so far to help, and what goals you might have for coming to therapy.
First Appointment
We understand that your first appointment can be a little nerve-wracking, particularly if you haven’t had therapy before and are unsure of what to expect.
In the first one or two sessions of therapy, your psychologist might ask you lots of questions. This is so they can build up a good picture of your present difficulties, the impact they are having on your day-to-day life, and an idea of the different things that may have led to your problems. These first sessions are known as an assessment. By the end of the assessment, your psychologist should have a good understanding of how you got to where you are today and what goals you might want to work towards during therapy.
Your psychologist might complete some questionnaires with you during your assessment. This will help them find out if you are experiencing symptoms of common mental health difficulties, for example depression or anxiety. They will also spend some time talking to you about the practicalities of therapy. This might include things like:
- How long each session will last
- How often you will attend sessions
- How many sessions you might require
- Information about confidentiality
Remember, the initial sessions of therapy also provide a good opportunity for you to ask your psychologist any questions that you might have. For example, you might want to learn more about the process of therapy, about your psychologist’s background and training, or about their preferred therapy approaches. It is also important to make sure you feel comfortable with your psychologist. It can be hard to open up about difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences that you have had. It is therefore important that you feel like therapy is a ‘safe space’ for you to be able to do this.
What Next?
Following your assessment, you and your psychologist will have a good, shared understanding of your difficulties and your goals for moving forwards. This will allow your psychologist to put a treatment plan together.
They will recommend the type of therapy that will best meet your individual needs, based on the information that they gathered during your assessment. If you would like to find out more about the different types of therapy that may be offered by our psychologists, please take a look at our services section.
Contact Us Today
For a free 15-minute consultation with a psychologist complete the contact us form.
