What to Expect in Your First Therapy (Assessment) Session
Attending therapy for the first time can be understandably daunting. In this article I aim to ease some of the apprehension commonly experienced, by explaining what you can expect during an initial appointment with a therapist (in this case, me!)
What CAN I EXPECT BEFORE THE FIRST SESSION?
I offer a free fifteen minute consultation call (sometimes called a discovery call) to all new referrals. This is quite common among therapists nowadays. The purpose of this call is to help us both establish if I am best suited for your current needs, based on my training, experience and specialisms. If so, we will book in an initial ‘assessment’ appointment. If I’m not the best fit for you, I will try my best to recommend an alternative therapist who is.
Ideally arrive around ten minutes prior to your first appointment, as there are several bits of paperwork for you to read and fill in. If your appointment is online, you will be sent these in advance and asked to return them prior to the session. Forms typically include:
personal details, contact & emergency contact information
information & confidentiality consent form
a couple of short questionnaires related to common problems you may be experiencing
What IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSESSMENT SESSION?
The aim of the assessment session is for us to get to know each other and for me to learn, in depth, about what problem/s bring you to therapy, and what you hope to gain from attending.
What questions will I be asked?
The session commences by verbally going through the confidentiality information and the exclusions to confidentiality (You can read more about confidentiality in this post). I’ll then ask questions which enable me to get a good understanding of your current problem/s, to learn about your current life circumstances and personal history, and to ascertain what you hope to gain from coming to therapy.
You will be asked questions related to risk issues; for example, if you’ve ever had any suicidal or violent thoughts, plans or intentions. I will also enquire if you feel you are at risk of harm from anyone or anything. I ask every client I meet these questions. This is to ensure I can do my job, supporting you, to the best of my ability, and to keep you and others safe.
One of the final questions I’ll typically ask is, “If you attended a course of therapy with me and you left the final session feeling as if it had significantly helped & changed things for the better; what would be different?”. This might include differences in how you feel, think or behave. Perhaps have a think in advance about how you might answer this question and what it is you want to achieve from therapy.
“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
- Meister Eckhart
What will I gain from the FIRST session?
Before we finish, you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about therapy. I’ll feedback to you what my initial reflections are about your problem/s, how I think therapy could help you and what committing to therapy would entail practically. You’ll leave the session with a clear plan of how I can help you and what that help will look like.
What if you can’t help me?
On occasion, I may decide that I am not best suited to support you, based on my training, experience and specialisms. This is usually identified during the initial consultation call but on some occasions, this can’t be ascertained until following the assessment. If I do not think I am the best person to support you, I will do my best to connect you with a therapist who could.
What if I don’t want to talk about certain things?
What you choose to talk about, or not, is completely up to you. You are in control. You will not be made to talk about anything you would prefer not to. Due to time constraints (plus the fact that we’ve only just met and so I’m practically a stranger to you at the outset) it is unusual that we would discuss in depth anything deeply painful or traumatic to you in the initial session. Over several sessions of therapy, I hope we would establish a trusting and safe therapeutic relationship, in which you feel more able to share.
Previous clients have told me, that sharing something very distressing to them, something they historically have avoided thinking and talking about, usually results in a reduction in their distress in the longer term. They also typically say that sharing and discussing something painful out loud, is not as distressing as they thought it would be. Everything is done at your own pace.
What happens next?
Before we end the session, we will agree on your therapy goals and an initial treatment plan. Typically we will meet on a regular weekly basis, at the same time each week, but this is dependent on individual circumstances.
A couple of IMPORTANT caveats
This article discusses what a typical assessment session might look like with me. Assessment sessions with other therapists, will likely have a similar structure but may be different. Also, as every human is different, and every problem unique, the exact structure and format of an assessment session will differ from person to person.
Want to learn more about therapy sessions?
This journal article is part of a series of posts called Therapy 101. The series is a beginners guide to different aspects of psychological therapy and addresses some of the most common queries people have about it. If you’re interested in learning more, these articles might be useful:
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