In our first session I will ask you to tell me about what has brought you to counselling now and what is going on in your life. I will also ask about your previous experiences of counselling and about your past more generally. When I am asking you these questions, I will be thinking about whether I am able to offer you what you need, and whether I am able to work safely and effectively with you. This is also your chance to get a sense of whether you feel comfortable working with me, and you are under no obligation to continue if it does not feel like the right fit.
Sometimes this assessment process may take two or three sessions, as we get a better sense of how we might work together. During assessment sessions I will be taking written notes to help me think about whether I am the right counsellor for you.
Once we have agreed to work together, I will no longer be making written notes during our sessions. I will be listening carefully, paying attention to what you say and how you say it, and also to what you might find harder to put into words. I will be interested in what is going on in your life, how you are experiencing yourself and others, and patterns that might be repeating themselves in your relationships with other people, including me.
Our work will not follow a fixed plan but together we will be working towards helping you feel more able to make sense of yourself, your relationships, and your life. Counselling is not about me offering solutions or advice. Instead, I aim to offer you a space that is consistent, respectful and safe, where you can think and feel at your own pace. I will do my best to understand you as you are, and to work alongside you rather than trying to ‘fix’ you.
Through the relationship we build, you might find that you are able to explore parts of yourself that have felt too vulnerable to share elsewhere. This can make it easier to manage the challenges you face and to live life more fully and authentically. Sometimes sessions might feel challenging, particularly if you are speaking about things you have kept inside for a long time. I will do my best to support you through that safely.