Five Things To Consider For Your Initial Psychotherapy Session

You have just made it to your initial psychotherapy session. Now what? There are five things that you should expect in a session, which should help you determine if you want to build a working psychotherapeutic relationship with the person in front of you.

Legal

Firstly, the Psychotherapist must discuss your rights under the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights. Prior to my initial client meeting I send an email that includes a one-page summary of the 10 Rights from the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC). In the session I go over the rights, stressing your right to be treated with respect, independence and to be fully informed. This means this initial session is a great place for you to ask questions and gain some information. Don’t hold back!

A Bit About You

Secondly, the Psychotherapist is likely to encourage you to talk about why you are there. I allow about 25 minutes for you to talk about whatever brought you to this session. Some people have specific goals, such as working on relationships and can give examples. Other people are aware that they feel anxious or flat or angry or going to be found out, and their goal is to work on this. It is also a good space to mention if you have had psychotherapy before, to outline your family system, and to say if you are on any medication such as antidepressants. Although you are giving information about you, you are likely to get a sense of what it would be like to work with the Psychotherapist if you chose to continue.

A Bit About The Psychotherapist

Thirdly, the Psychotherapist should touch on their style of working, including theories used in their work. I use the metaphor of an onion, to help explain my way of working. I say something like this:

Recall an onion, from the outside through all the layers to the centre. The outside of the onion represents reality in the here and now. Part way in is the ‘personal unconscious’ and right at the centre is the ‘collective unconscious’. It is a Jungian model. The deeper we go in the onion, the older the material we are working with. At the centre is what Jung would call the archetypes (e.g., Hero or Trickster).  It sounds like it is a linear process, but we can go all over the place (wherever you lead) finding where you might have been wounded. We process that, integrate it, move on, and sometimes double back! Although I have a Jungian frame, I draw on various styles of theory such Freud, Klein, Winnicott, Bowlby and that of intersubjective psychotherapy, ancestral trauma, body psychotherapy and transactional analysis. I can use some CBT work such as structured check in and identifying issues, options, benefits and risks.

Logistics

Fourthly, the Psychotherapist should be clear on how they work logistically. Be aware that different Psychotherapists may work differently. Consider both when you are available to work and how long you want to dedicate to working on your goal. Psychotherapy is usually open ended, taking as long as it takes. My clients typically work with me weekly at the same day and time. I am also able to offer fortnightly sessions to suit individual requirements. 

Going Forward

Fifthly, the Psychotherapist should allow some time to determine what you want to do going forward. You need to feel comfortable, not only with the style of therapy and logistics but also could you talk to them about your world? Near the end of the session, we pause and work out together whether there is potential for a good working relationship.

Ask yourself: Could I work with this person?