It’s normal to have questions before starting Psychology
If you’ve had a question about starting Psychology, odds are you’re not alone. Here are a few more things you may want to know.
How long does a Psychology session go for?
Your first session usually lasts 90 minutes as you’ll need time to tell your story and let me know where you’re feeling stuck. After this, we’ll meet once a week or fortnight for around 55 minutes. Sometimes we’ll have a longer or double session if we think it’s needed.
What’s the difference between talking to you or my best friend or family?
Family and friends are great to talk to. However they don’t have the training to help you look at your situation in a fresh way, to teach you new skills to cope and to listen without judgement or expectations. When you talk to a professional, your session is completely confidential, so you don’t have to worry about others knowing your business. There’s also a risk that you’ll start avoiding the friend or family member once you’re feeling better as you don’t want to be reminded of the negative emotions you had.
How does this all work? What do I have to do in my sessions?
Your sessions will be tailored to you as you’ll have your own goals for therapy. And therapy is more than you talking to me for almost an hour every week or fortnight. I’ll ask you to actively notice and change your behaviours, using the new skills I’ll teach you. I’ll explain this as we go but trust me, you’ll get it, and you’ll start to notice things without me prompting you.
How long will I need to attend Psychology sessions?
There is no firm answer for this. Your personal circumstance is unique and the length of time you’ll need will factor in achieving your goals from therapy. It will also depend on your commitment and the factors driving you to seek therapy in the first place.
How do I make the most of my therapy sessions?
To get the most from your session, you’ll need to be an active participant and dedicated to the result. As we only see each once a week or fortnight, you’ll need to do some work outside of our sessions to help you see your personal growth and development.
Need more answers?
If you’ve still got questions, please get in touch with me. I’d be more than happy to chat with you about how it all works and help you feel at ease with starting therapy.