What To Expect At Your First Session
First of all, if you reached out to me (or another counselor) for an appointment, that is the first step towards finding healing. Some people never reach out for help, so good for you!!
If you’ve never been to counseling before, (or even if you have!) it can feel a little intimidating. You’re sitting down with someone that you haven’t met before to share details of your life that are causing you pain, confusion, or anguish.
Here is what you can expect in the first session:
You will find a safe environment for all ethnicities, genders, and ages for counseling where:
you’ll be welcomed
you won’t be judged
you’ll be made to feel as though you matter
you’ll be listened to
you’ll be shown empathy
you’ll feel valued as a human being
you can ask questions
you’ll learn a little bit more about me, narrative counseling and my counseling philosophy
we’ll work together – you’re the expert in your story, not me
we’ll talk about some goals that we can be working towards
we’ll get to know each other
Assuming that you would like to keep working together we’ll figure out a good time / day for us to continue to meet.
p.s. It’s not like the movies, I won’t ask you to lie down on a couch to talk.
Expect the first session to last about 75 minutes. Since this is the first session and we’re getting to know each other, this gives us additional time to work on building a counseling relationship.
Some tips:
Counseling is hard work, you’re literally talking about situations and emotions that you might be trying to avoid. Know that you might be a little bit more tired for the rest of the day, or rest of the week, in some cases. Consider treating yourself to something that you enjoy and show yourself kindness knowing that counseling takes more than just physical energy, but also emotional and mental energy.
