Admitting and discussing personal problems is not something that comes easily to most people. However, doing so is often the best way to resolve any issues that may be adversely affecting our lives.
For Burlington residents who decide that seeking professional help for their personal problems is the way forward, making an appointment with a practitioner of Burlington counselling services is already a huge step.
Once it has been taken though, thoughts should really turn to preparing for the first session, to ensure the client understands what to expect and can hope to take the most benefit from it.
To achieve this, there are certain things that can be prepared by the client before a first counselling session. This includes ensuring you have all the relevant personal information with you, but a large part of the preparation is really being ready for what will happen during the session.
Never too much information
When attending your first counselling session, the more you and your counsellor can get to know each other, the better.
To save time that would otherwise be wasted on taking down details, it’s highly advised to take a full portfolio of any relevant personal information to the first session of your counselling services.
As well as the usual information, this should also include such things as any previous psychological tests or counselling you have undertaken, and also any medication you are taking or have recently stopped.
Don’t forget your list
The first counselling session is likely to be nerve-wracking for most people.
When we get anxious or flustered, it’s easy to forget important questions we had been meaning to ask or points we had been wanting to discuss. To ensure you get all the information you need, make a list of them and take it with you.
While the points you may want to discuss are personal to you, common useful questions to ask may include how the counsellor will approach the course of therapy, what is expected of you the client, and what the specific goals will be.
If medication is to be prescribed, you will probably want to know how often it is to be taken, how quickly it should have an effect, if there are any side effects, and if it will interact with any medication you are already taking.
Prepare to open up
If your counselling sessions are to have a positive effect, you are going to have to be completely honest with your counsellor.
This includes the way you are feeling during the meeting and your behavior outside of them. Don’t downplay things that you may not want to admit to friends or family; the amount of alcohol you drink or how often feelings of depression may come, for example.
Therapy is a team effort, and your counsellor cannot help you if you don’t open up. Part of the preparation includes making sure you know how to describe your feelings and any physical symptoms, and being ready to do so.
It’s normal to be nervous, it’s also important to remember that your counsellor will never judge you. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by opening up to them.
If you decide that you can benefit from counselling services, preparing fully for the first session will help ensure you and your counsellor are on the same page from the beginning.
Good preparation includes gathering all your relevant information and paperwork to take with you, writing down all of your questions and queries to ensure you don’t forget anything, and preparing mentally to open up completely to your therapist.
For anybody looking for counselling services in Burlington, Dr. Linda Johnston and her board qualified team are highly experienced.
To see if they are compatible with your own counselling or therapy needs, visit them online at website. You can also follow them on Google+.
