What happens at your first counselling session?

Coming to counselling for the first time can feel a little unfamiliar. Do you need to prepare? Where do you start? And what if you don’t know what to say?

First, get comfortable

There’ll be water and tissues available, and you’re welcome to bring anything that helps you feel comfortable – a drink, a notebook, something to fiddle with. You don’t need to sit perfectly still or arrive with your thoughts neatly organised.

A few practical things

We’ll go through our counselling agreement, including confidentiality and its limits, safeguarding and record keeping. You’ll have time to ask questions, and we’ll make sure you understand and feel comfortable with how we’ll work together.

We’ll also work through an initial assessment. That sounds a little formal, but it’s a conversation about what’s brought you here, relevant background and how things are affecting you now. It helps us consider how best to move forward.

Where do we start?

Usually, we’ll talk about what prompted you to book and what you’d like to get from counselling. You might have a clear goal, or simply know that something needs to change. Either is enough to begin.

I’ll help the conversation along with questions, so you won’t be expected to fill 50 minutes on your own. You can tell me as much as you feel ready to share; your whole life story doesn’t have to fit into the first session.

As we continue, you’ll have a say in where we focus. We can look back at earlier experiences, talk through something happening now or consider practical ways to approach a difficulty.

Before you leave

Sessions last 50 minutes, which people often tell me passes surprisingly quickly. I’ll keep an eye on the time and let you know as we approach the end, so we can bring the conversation to a close.

We’ll check how the session has felt and discuss what you’d like to do next. You’re welcome to ask questions or say if something didn’t feel quite right – your feedback really matters.

You don’t need to know how to “do counselling”. We’ll work that out together.

I offer counselling for adults and teenagers near Horsmonden in West Kent and online. If you’d like to speak before booking a session, you’re welcome to arrange a free 15-minute introductory call at janebrownsupportservices.com.