It’s understandable and completely normal to feel a bit apprehensive before your first therapy session, especially if you’ve never had counselling before. Here’s what you can expect to help ease your mind:
Discussing Your Reasons for Seeking Counselling: In your first session, we will talk about why you decided to seek counselling. This helps to identify your main concerns and what you hope to achieve from therapy.
Personal History: We’ll explore a bit of your personal history to provide context for your current situation. This can include discussing significant life events, relationships, and previous experiences with mental health support, if any.
Therapeutic Goals: We’ll discuss what you would like to get from therapy. Setting initial goals helps tailor the counselling process to your specific needs and provides a direction for our sessions.
Getting to Know Each Other: The first session is also an opportunity for us to get to know each other. It’s important for you to feel comfortable with your therapist, and this session helps determine if I am the right person to support you.
Therapeutic Boundaries and Confidentiality: We will go over therapeutic boundaries and the importance of confidentiality. You’ll learn how your information is protected and the limits of confidentiality.
Session Logistics: We will discuss practical details such as what to do if you need to cancel or rearrange a booked session, session length, and frequency.
Entering counselling is a brave and positive step toward personal growth and well-being. Knowing what to expect can help alleviate some of the initial anxiety and make your first session as comfortable and productive as possible.
Rebecca Mapp Counselling in Bristol 