What to expect from your first appointment with your Psychologist

So you’ve made the big step to contact and book your first appointment with a psychologist. It is a common experience to feel nervous in the lead up to the initial appointment where you will meet your psychologist. This is a normal response and your psychologist will most likely be anticipating these nervous and uncomfortable feelings.

While a first appointment with a psychologist can vary from person-to-person and clinic-to-clinic, some components to a first appointment are generally similar. Like any time that you see a new health professional, there is paperwork to complete before the first appointment. Some services will ask you to complete this in the reception area and others may offer to send these to you prior to your appointment so that you can fill them out at home. If your GP has referred you to the service then you may have paperwork to bring along from them, or they might have sent this through to the practice on your behalf.

Once your paperwork is completed, your psychologist will meet you and show you to their room. At the beginning of the appointment, your psychologist will run through the paperwork you completed and discuss confidentiality, give you an outline of what the first appointment will cover, explain how they tend to work with clients, and give you information about any other policies in place with the service. Questions are welcome throughout this process so that your psychologist can help make sure you have an understanding of what is being discussed.

The rest of the appointment will generally be spent discussing the issues that have brought you to see a psychologist. Your psychologist will ask you questions about your current concerns, as well as exploring background history about yourself and your development. They are trying to develop an understanding of what might be going on for you and what is contributing to it. To do this, they might ask questions about your family, relationships, work, health, any significant events in your life, and your strengths.

Sometimes it can be challenging to talk about sensitive information with someone you have just met, so if you feel uncomfortable about talking about any topic or answering any question, just let your psychologist know. Your psychologist will understand and they know that developing trust and open communication with someone may take time. In the first appointment your psychologist will also likely share with you the process for following sessions and working together. They may discuss how therapy works and expectations around commitment, attendance, and goals outside of the appointments.

When it comes to working with a psychologist, the relationship between client and psychologist is incredibly important. The therapeutic “fit” is crucial in the process, and it is important that you feel you can talk to your psychologist. It is okay if you don’t “click” with the psychologist and your psychologist won’t take offence at this – they want you to have the best support available to you.

Having a conversation with them about the relationship can help therapy progress, and can help your psychologist better understand what you are looking for in a therapist. If they’re not the right fit for you, talking about this can also help them source someone who may work best with you. It is not uncommon for psychologists within a practice to suggest another psychologist at their practice whom they think may be a better fit, and help introduce you to them with your permission. The aim of therapy is for the process to be beneficial to you, and your psychologist is there to discuss any concerns that you might have.

If you would like to discuss booking a first appointment with a psychologist from Involve Psychology, you can get in contact with us on (07) 3482 3466 or reception@involvepsychology.com