What to expect in therapy

 

Seeing a psychologist for the first time can be a daunting experience for some. It is completely normal to feel nervous or apprehensive, so knowing what to expect before your first appointment may be helpful.

 
 

ARRIVING

  • Please arrive approximately 5 minutes early to your first appointment to find your bearings. You may also be required to complete some initial onboarding paperwork if you have not already done so.

  • Standard appointments run from approximately 50-60 minutes. EMDR sessions may run for 90 minutes.

INTRODUCTION

  • Simon will begin by introducing himself and providing some information about his way of working. After the initial introductions, Simon will talk briefly about confidentiality.

  • Many people already know that the conversations you have with your psychologist during your appointments are private and confidential. However, there are limits to confidentiality, for example, if Simon determines that you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or if file notes are subpoenaed for legal reasons. Rest assured that should either of these arise during therapy, Simon will check in with you about this first.

  • If you would like your psychologists to communicate about your treatment and progress with practitioners outside of the clinic (for example your GP or psychiatrist), you will be asked to sign a consent form allowing them to do so.

  • If you are seeing Simon under a Mental Health Care Plan arranged by your GP or psychiatrist, Simon may be required to provide brief treatment updates after the 6th and 10th appointment as per standard Medicare reporting requirements.

WHERE SHOULD WE BEGIN?

  • Your first visit with Simon will usually be about getting to know you and your current issues or concerns. Simon may ask you to describe some of the symptoms you or your family are experiencing, and the concerns you have. This may include:  

    1. Describing a recent example of the problem you are experiencing.

    2. What if anything makes the problem better or worse.

    3. Where the problem occurs or doesn’t occur (e.g. work, school, home)

    4. How much it interferes with and impacts your daily life.

    5. Any other problems related to this issue.

    6. What you’ve tried so far in dealing with the problem.

    7. What your thoughts are regarding the causes and solutions to the problem.

    8. Anything else that concerns you.

  • Simon will then ask you to describe the history of your symptoms (when the problem first began, how long it has been happening, whether the problem has changed since it first began, any remissions, and the frequency, intensity, and duration of the problem).

 

YOUR BACKGROUND & HISTORY

  • Simon will also be interested in your family background, social life, your mental health history and other factors which have shaped you and your presenting concerns.

  • Simon will explore the mental health history of your family to understand you better, and to create a formulation and plan for treatment.

  • Your goals, plans and expectations for therapy will then be explored, with an eye to collaborating with you to ensure optimal therapeutic progress.

care-counselling.jpg

recommendations

  • Simon will provide you with feedback and his views on the presenting issue(s), possible causes and maintaining factors. Based on Simon’s assessment, he will provide a rationale for the type of evidence-based treatment suited to your unique situation.

  • Depending on what the presenting problem(s) are, evidence-based treatments may include cognitive, behavioural, dialectical, schema therapy and/or mindfulness-based therapeutic approaches. These treatments are too involved to explain here, however, Simon can discuss these approaches to you, answer any questions you may have and provide you with further information resources.

COLLABORATION & session PLANNING

  • Future psychological therapy sessions involve working collaboratively on your goals and working at the presenting problem(s) to improve your mood and coping.

  • Simon will make a recommendation about the frequency of your psychological therapy sessions based on your individual circumstances.  Often people attend on a weekly or fortnightly basis to start off with, gradually reducing the frequency of their sessions as they improve.

  • After your first session, Simon recommends booking a series of therapy appointments to ensure you are able to consistently work towards reaching your goals.

Please click the button below to learn more about Simon’s treatment approaches and areas of speciality.

Alternatively, please fill out the form below if you would like to ask Simon a question or book an appointment.