During your first session your therapist will explain their way of working and spend some time letting you become comfortable and ready to speak about why you have come to counseling.
Many clients find that they immediately begin to speak about their life and their issues and can become quite emotional at that first session. This is ok and your therapist is trained to respond and provide a safe, non-judgemental space for you to express how you feel at that time.
As all therapists are unique, as are you, all therapy experiences are also unique. Your therapist has professional responsibilities to you and will explain these but the process of therapy is a fluid one and does not follow a rigid path. The most important part of therapy is for your therapist to ensure that you are heard and feel free to be as you are at any given time in the therapy. To ensure you feel safe and supported as you explore your difficulties and try to find a way through them. Your therapist is here to listen and understand.
Your therapist will ask you to outline what has brought you to counseling at this time and what issues are causing you concern. They may give you a brief summary of how the therapy could progress. This can change as the therapy progresses however your therapist will explain any changes where appropriate.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Your confidentiality and sense of safety is extremely important if you are to feel comfortable in speaking about things that are important to you. Therefore, your confidentiality is important to us so your therapist will give a detailed explanation of the safeguards in place to protect your privacy and help you to feel safe.
HOW LONG IT MAY TAKE
The aim of therapy is to help you look at issues that are affecting your life and explore new ways of coping with these issues.
Sessions are 50 minutes long and usually once a week, although your therapist will assess with you the frequency of the sessions.
For therapy to have an effect it often takes a minimum of 8 sessions, as it can take time to build the working relationship with your therapist, however some clients find that they need less time. Your therapist will normally agree to review the work with you after 8 sessions. Many clients choose to continue the work after that in order to explore issues more deeply.
It is your choice as to how long you continue. However it is beneficial for you to commit to a number of sessions.
Your therapist will be happy to respond to any questions you have about any of this and we welcome you to contact us should you require further information.
COST OF SESSION
The cost per session is €60. If you need to reschedule or cancel a session we request our clients let their therapist know with at least 24 hours notice. It is our policy to charge €30 for missed appointments or cancellations, as this has an impact on the counselor’s availability.
ENDING THERAPY
One aspect to consider is that it can be important to finish the work after an agreed time and discuss feelings around ending the work before finishing. Very often you will develop a close professional relationship with your therapist and saying goodbye can uncover valuable aspects for your life outside therapy.
