It is challenging, and at times long, but it is also worthwhile and rewarding. The fact that you are considering working through your challenges is the first step to growth and fulfilment. This is the beginning of personal growth and creating a balanced life.
The first step is to make contact. You can send me an email through this website by going to “contact me”, alternatively, you can call me on the cellphone number provided. Any of the two means of communication is welcomed. If you choose to send me an email, I will call you back to schedule our first appointment. It is encouraged that you ask as many questions as needed as the aim is to make you feel comfortable in this journey in order to reap the best possible rewards from it.
The initial session will start with you completing all the necessary forms regarding consent, confidentiality, fees, and so forth. The main focus of the first session is history taking, problem identification and rapport building. This involves identifying the problem that brought you to therapy, gaining some background information about your life and the issue at hand. We will also be working towards building an effective therapeutic alliance between us. Knowing and understanding each other is crucial in this process as it ensures that there is trust, transparency and openness in the sessions. We will also use this session to develop an agreement on the treatment plan together.
The following sessions we will go deeper into the heart of the issue, and explore where the problem comes from, how you have dealt with it in the past, identifying healthy and unhealthy cooping mechanisms that you use, as well as skills we can add to help you effectively deal with the issue.
The most important aspect to remember when beginning the therapeutic process is that sometimes you just need a safe space to express yourself and explore your emotions.