What is a Consult and How can it be Helpful for You

Like many therapists I offer a free consult for clients to ask any questions they may have about having therapy with me and what it could look like working with me.  The reason why I offer consults for my private practise is because I think they are very helpful. 

If you have not had therapy before it can be a great way to find out more about therapy and how it could look like for you working with a therapist.  It can also be a great way to put your mind at ease.  You may have lots of questions that you would like to ask before therapy or you may want to make sure that what you want to talk about during therapy is something that I work with.  Any question that you may want to ask during our consult that is linked to therapy is valid and worth asking.

Booking that consult session may feel hard.  Worries that you may feel judged when you tell the therapist what you want to talk about.  You may feel that you can not do it, you are desperate for help and to talk to someone and have been thinking about therapy for a long time but the thought of actually speaking to someone gets your heart racing and you start to feel quite shaky in your body.  But just imagine after the call your body has relaxed, your heart is slowing and you have been able to do something that you have been thinking about for a long time.

You may feel concern that you will be judged for coming to therapy.  I want to assure you that there will be no judgement.  Making the first step towards therapy is an incredibly brave thing to do.  You are stepping out of your comfort zone and that takes strength and courage.

Having therapy with someone that you have never met before may feel quite jarring however having a consult where you can see the therapist and hear the therapist can help to start building the relationship.  It can help you to feel safe and supported so that when you have that first therapy session you already know who you are going to be talking to.

You may have concerns about how you will feel during a consult.  Questions such as what if I cry?  (Ive written a blog about this here). What if I don’t know what to say?  What if I freeze may come up for you.  I want to reassure you that if any of those things happen it is okay.

If you do not have the right words, a clear reason or a specific goal to bring during the consult to talk about that is ok because you can show up exactly how you are and how you are feeling.  Together we will go through the consult and I will go at the right pace for you.

If you are feeling nervous before our consult call or during the call I want to reassure you that that is absolutely fine and very normal to feel this way.  Feel free to tell me that you are nervous and I will do my best to put you at ease.

There is no right or wrong way for our consult call, it won’t be official in any way, just a conversation where I can tell you a bit about me and you can ask me any questions that you may have.  If you do have questions it can be helpful to write these down before our consult so you can refer to them.

I think it is important to let you know that there is no commitment, obligation or pressure if you decide to have a consult with me.  I will not be offended if you are not ready for therapy with me, I want you to do what is best for you. 

If this has prompted you to want to find out more please do get in touch here.

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