What to Expect during therapy with a trained psychologist?
Currently, facing some mental health issues that you need to talk about? Or is stress or anxiety getting in the way of your day-to-day activities? Thoughts invading your sleep? Or do you often find yourself typing “psychologist near me” into your search engine?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of the above questions and are considering starting therapy, here’s an insight into what a therapy session with a trained psychologist would look like.
Finding the right psychologist for you
Whatever part of Australia you might be located in,telehealth psychologyservices give you access to experienced psychologists all over Australia, not restricting you to the mental health professionals in your area. This means there are often shorter wait times. When you are researching different psychologists and trying to find the best fit for you, there are two things you should keep in mind:
. Would you rather prefer a virtual counselling session to fit your schedule or would you prefer to see an in-person psychologist.
. Are you looking for a clinical psychologist or a registered psychologist?
In case you need to know the difference between both types of psychologists, click here.
Before your psychologist appointment
A therapy session is similar to a doctor’s appointment, whether it be virtual counselling or in-person therapy. Before your therapy session, either in person or in telehealth therapy, it is routine for you to fill out some paperwork to help the mental health psychologist understand your circumstances better. The mental health clinic may ask you for the following documents:
- Insurance information
- Medical history
- A questionnaire to help understand your symptoms better
- Therapist-patient services agreement
If you are unsure or uncomfortable sharing any of this information, you can contact the clinic or speak to the psychologist directly during the therapy session.
During the Therapy session
Your first therapy session will look different compared with your future appointments. In the initial session, the psychologist is going to ask numerous questions to get a deeper level of understanding of your situation and how you’re feeling about it.
It is vital for you to understand that the journey to healing from mental health issues is gradual and you can’t expect to see results after your very first session. During your first psychologist appointment, the mental health professional is likely to ask you the following questions:
- What is the reason you decided to come to therapy?
- How would you describe your life right now?
- Some questions regarding your childhood, your career, your living situation, and your relationship with your loved ones.
Patient Confidentiality
It is common to feel uncomfortable sharing personal details of your life for fear other people may find out.; However, privacy is taken very seriously. Unless you expressly allow your information to be shared, whatever you discuss during a therapy session with your psychologist is kept confidential. The only other reasons that a psychologist is allowed to share any information, is due to reasons concerning self-harm or potential harm to others, or due to legal reasons. This makes psychologist counselling a lot more comfortable for you to share and be honest with your views, thoughts and struggles.
A psychologist counselling session is intended to help you with your personal struggles and to promote a more fulfilling life. Contact us at Inner Psych to help you with your mental health journey. Click here to book an appointment with our professional psychologists.
