Your first counselling session can be daunting if you don’t know what to expect. If you haven’t been to counselling before, or if this is your first time with me, you might want to know what happens.

Booking Your Session

Sessions are booked via the Counselling Booking Page. The page shows you how to make a booking, what sessions are available, and the costs and discounts. You will also see links to other pages for information. When you have chosen your session, you complete a booking form, supplying your name, address, phone number and date of birth, and then navigate to the payment page.

Beginning Your First Session

When you arrive at your session, our first task is to check that you understand the limits of confidentiality, and to inform you about counselling. If you attend face-to-face, we do this in person. If you have booked your session by Phone or Zoom, you will have downloaded and returned the confidentiality agreement prior to your session. Full instructions of this are on the booking page. Clarifying confidentiality is a legal and ethical requirement of all counsellors and other mental health therapists. After confidentiality has been dealt with, I may get brief background information so I have a context within which to better understand and help you.

Talking at Your First Session

Next is for you to tell me why you have come. This usually means explaining a problem and why it has brought you to counselling at this particular time. You can do this in your own way, in your own time. It may be that you want to unload and share your feelings. Or you may want to learn new skills to help you work though your difficulties.

You may want help to manage feelings, such as grief, anxiety or depression. Or you may be looking for strategies, ideas, help making decisions, or any one of a number of things. For most clients, it is a combination of several things. I will ask further background questions as needed. We look at your strengths and supports, your vulnerabilities and any other information relevant to your situation.

Important is to find out what you would like to achieve from counselling. What is the goal or outcome you are looking for? Sometimes I may ask where you are now on a scale of 1-10, as opposed to where you want to be. We can then check periodically to ensure that we stay on track and work towards the outcome that you want.

After Your First Counselling Session

Depending on the complexity of your issues, I may need to get more information at your next session. Together, we work out a plan to move forward. We discuss the best therapeutic approaches to meet your needs. There is likely to be a combination of therapy, psycho-education and homework. You might learn new skills, try new approaches, or think about things in a different way. Before you know it, life looks brighter and you feel better. To book a counselling session, go to Counselling Bookings. I look forward to meeting and working with you.

For More Information

See also link:
What is Counselling?

Also see downloadable PDFs:
Attending Your First Counselling Session
About Counselling 2019

Contact Radiance Hobart Counselling & Self-Development
now for more information about what we have to offer

Between Stimulus and Response, man has the freedom to choose (Stephen Covey)