The decision to come to counselling and finding a counsellor who feels right for you can be daunting. Our counselling sessions will begin with an initial appointment. I believe that the counselling relationship is crucial to the success of the therapy and the initial appointment should help us to find out whether or not we feel that we could work together.
At the initial appointment I will ask you in your own time and in your own words to tell me what has brought you to seek counselling. I may ask you a couple of questions – for example about your hopes and expectations of therapeutic counselling, or about any previous periods of distress or difficulty you may have experienced. I may ask you to tell me a little about your childhood or important relationships. But mostly I will be listening, and supporting you to describe in your own words, what might be troubling or preoccupying you.
You may also have questions to ask me about my approach and the therapeutic process, and I will do my best to answer these as clearly as possible.
Towards the end of the session, we will come to an agreement about whether we are going to continue working together. If we agree to go ahead, we will arrange when we will meet to begin our regular weekly counselling sessions.