A week or so ago we wrote a post about what seeing a psychologist is really like as there are a lot, & we mean A LOT of false information on the internet that can influence people to not seek help. If you missed it, click here.
We thought we would continue to “debunk” misinformation about seeing a psychologist & psychology in general. So today we are discussing what a first session is like with a psychologist!
Before we start though, Shae (owner of SMP & blog poster) is a provisional psychologist, gaining registration as a general psychologist, all posts are based on her knowledge and understanding of training & study gained as a provisional psychologist.
What is the first session with a psychologist like? To be honest its nothing ground-breaking, it’s all about getting to know you.
Usually, there’s a reason you go to see a psych, whether it’s for stress, anxiety, coping with life, caring for someone or to have someone to talk to & that reason is usually the start of the conversation. The first session (50 minutes) is a chat about what’s been going on for you & how it brought you to seek help! It’s not as scary as you think or intimidating as people tell you.
Our role is to help you, help yourself it’s not about aimlessly diagnosing you & putting you on meds. The entire point of our job is to simply provide you with assistance, whether that’s talking you through your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour or designing a longer intervention plan- we work with what you bring & what you need.
Depending on what’s going on for you, you might need to complete questionnaires, which helps your psychologist make sense of what’s going on for you & allows them to enquire further about specific questions we may have. There is no judgement in what’s going on for you & that isn’t our aim of seeing clients. Sessions are a non-judgement & safe space for you to debrief and discuss what you’re comfortable with.
We hope that takes some stress & pressure off seeking assistance because now more than ever is a great time to talk to someone if you’re not having a great time.
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