What is Counselling? A Look Into The First Session
Booking and attending your first counselling session can feel like an intimidating process full of a lot of “what if” questions. Counselling, at the core, is a mental health service provided by highly trained practitioners. Depending on their training and registration, counsellors include social workers, clinical counsellors, and psychotherapists. A typical counselling session is 50 minutes in length, and allows you to explore with your counsellor what is beneficial for you. This might look like setting some goals, exploring meaning and feeling of situations or experiences, learning new ways of coping, or finding new tools or tips to practice outside of sessions. Counselling is very flexible, and you and your counsellor get to tailor it to benefit you!
There is often a societal belief that you have to be “broken” or something has to be wrong with you in order to benefit from counselling. That is not the case! Folks will access counselling for many different reasons at many different stages of their lives. A lot of the overarching themes that I see as a counsellor include clients wanting to know themselves better, they’ve gone through a difficult time or are wanting to process a past event, they’re wanting new tools to help with their daily functioning, or they’re simply needing a safe and confidential space to talk. There is no right or wrong reason to access counselling. If you are unsure if it is right for you, you are always welcome to try it out. Your counsellor will never force you to attend more sessions.
If you have taken the leap and booked your first session, there are a few key things that will likely take place. First, you will be greeted by your counsellor and taken through consent and confidentiality. If you have already filled out intake forms, you will have already read a bit about this. This is one of your counsellors most important jobs as it keeps both you and them safe. After that has been discussed, your counsellor might share with you a bit about themselves and their style of practice. Lastly, your counsellor will ask you about yourself and why you decided to access counselling. The counsellor is there to support you, so if at any point you feel confused, uncomfortable, or just have some questions, you are encouraged to express that. By considering counselling you have made a big step in your healing journey!
For more information on Nicole Greenstreet and her counselling practice with in Peak Wellness, visit our practitioner page, or click the link to book at the top of this page!
