- In your first session we begin with a warm welcome. It doesn’t matter what type of session you choose (in person, online, walk & talk, or phone) gathering important information, outlining my ethical commitment to your confidentiality and finding out about you and why you have come to therapy are the starting blocks. This is a great opportunity to get to know one another and begin building trust.
- As we move through the early stages of therapy more time is spent assessing your situation and exploring what has been happening. You are never judged, your views and experiences will be heard, and we will begin to outline your therapy goals and a treatment plan. This comes in the form of sharing; talking, writing, completing tasks, and facing challenges with your well-being at the centre of every stage. In therapy we work together.
- In the middle stages of your therapy you will be learning new skills and testing them in your home or non-therapy environments. These skills, tasks, and new ideas are often called interventions and this makes them sound a bit clinical. It is my job to ensure you feel comfortable at every stage of therapy, so I avoid clinical terms as much as possible focussing on natural, organic progression to suit you.
- Towards the end of therapy, we will begin to consider whether you’ve achieved what you hoped to, or expected to. This gives you an opportunity to decide on continuing with additional sessions or finishing with a review of your progress. You will leave therapy with a ‘mental tool kit’ or ‘psychological skill set’ and the knowledge you have been honest, brave, resilient, and strong.
