The first appointment is in a slightly different format to subsequent sessions. In this session I’ll start by gathering some background information and ask what brings you to therapy. It is always helpful if you can prepare for the first session by thinking about what you want to get out of therapy.

We will spend a few minutes talking about the terms and conditions of counselling such as confidentiality.

Although it is important for a counsellor to be appropriately qualified - apart from that it has been proved that the most important thing is finding a counsellor who you feel listens to you and makes you feel cared for and not judged. It is important to me that we both weigh up whether we are a good fit. I believe you need to feel comfortable if you’re going to talk about the hardest and scariest parts of your life. Similarly, if I think I’m not the best person to help you, we would discuss this.