What happens in the first appointment and why is it only half an hour?
During the first appointment you will meet your matched psychologist and have a ‘taster’ session. This session is in place to help you get to know each other before you make a decision as to whether you feel that they are a good fit for you and you can develop a therapy plan for some ongoing sessions. The psychologist will go through all the practical information you need to know about how the sessions will work. You will also agree on the goals of your work together and the number of sessions you would like to have in the first instance. The session is shorter in duration because it is an introductory session that is in place to ensure you are well informed about the process and happy to commit to the therapeutic work. It is a way to ‘dip your toe in the water’ so to speak before making the decision to engage with a course of therapy.
How many appointments will it take to make me feel better?
The pace of progress and change differs greatly depending on the nature of your difficulties. Some therapeutic approaches we offer are short-term, so you should be able to notice a change within a few sessions. Other approaches are long term as they address long standing patterns in the individual that have developed in early life. During the first few sessions, your psychologist should be able to give you some guidance about what therapeutic approach is most indicated and the likely duration of the therapy.
As a rough guideline, short term therapy is considered to be between 6-12 sessions and is mainly focused on symptom relief. Medium to longer term therapy is between six months to a year and is aimed at addressing deeper, underlying vulnerabilities that increase the risk of difficulties resurfacing in the face of adverse life events.
I’m not sure if therapy is for me, should I book?
Having an initial session with your matched psychologist will give you a sense as to whether therapy is for you. You are not committed to any further sessions after the first appointment. Our clients often find that this first experience is helpful in deciding what they need and if the psychologist they have been matched to is the right fit for them.
