What to expect....

After you contact me, we will discuss a convenient time to have an initial chat about what you feel you would like some help with. If you would then like to proceed to engage in therapy, we will discuss a suitable day/time. I will then send you office information and directions of where to find me, my terms & conditions and a client information form for you to bring along to your first session. I will also ask that you complete some questionnaires to bring along to your first session.

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Assessment

An initial assessment will be required to support our joint understanding of the presenting issues. During the 90 minute appointment I will ask about your history, alongside current difficulties. We will think together about what may be maintaining your difficulties. I will then share what my thoughts are and an overview of how I feel I may be able to help you.

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First session

During our first session we will discuss recent examples of where your difficulties have impacted your life, we will discuss your goals for therapy and I will explain further how CBT can help and what sorts of things we may do together to support your ongoing progress. Each session will be structures and focussed. We will create an agenda together and typically review any home practise completed since the last session. There is typically then a section for new information/understanding before thinking about and discussing a new home task for the next week.

Each week we will monitor your well being using a very short rating scale. Ongoing monitoring of symptoms has been shown to positively impact the therapeutic journey.

CBT is an evidence based therapy model. For optimal impact we recommend weekly sessions - this is because the approach is very active and requires learning and gaining new insights and then putting these into practise in day to day life. When there is a delay between sessions this momentum can be lost and optimal change is not acquired as well as weekly sessions.

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How long will I be in therapy?

Giving an exact length of time is difficult. We know that different presentations benefit form different types of interventions. A factor to consider is the severity of the presentation/symptoms and how long this has been an issue for. Generally the guidance is for anywhere between 10-20 weekly sessions. But this can vary, and will be influenced by your personal goals.