What To Expect

First Appointment

It is very common to feel nervous about your first appointment, you are welcome to ask me further questions before booking in. The focus of the first appointment is to develop a shared understanding of what your difficulties are and what you would like to achieve with therapy. You do not need to come prepared with anything to the session. However, you are also welcome to bring notes on the key issues you want to cover if this helps.

Further Assessment

Sometimes, further more in-depth assessment is necessary. This may be to provide a diagnosis to access further supports or treatment. It may be needed to ensure the most accurate treatment planning. If requested, or recommended, further details can be provided regarding what the assessment process involves, how long it typically takes, and report writing time. This will depend on the kind of assessment required.

Treatment

Following assessment, we will discuss a plan for our therapy sessions. Therapy appointments are typically 50-60 minutes and may be booked weekly, fortnightly or less, depending on your goals. Therapy is a collaborative process, it requires time, courage, commitment and a positive working relationship with your therapist. Therapy is about providing you the space to learn more about yourself and process difficult experiences. It can also be a time to explore and develop strategies that help you manage difficulties so they do not get in the way of you living life in the way you want to.

Confidentiality

What you share in session is private and this information will not be discussed with anyone else without your permission. However, if you are at serious or imminent risk to the safety of yourself or others, and do not agree on involving others in a safety plan, confidentiality may be broken. In this case, if safe to do so, I will discuss with you what information I will need to share, why, and with who. This could include your emergency contact or a close family member, your GP and/or the emergency mental health service. Another situation where information may have to be shared regardless of your permission is if the writer is legally required to, such as in the case of a subpoena.