What to Expect

 

 

The experience of counselling can often be a very intimidating encounter. Because people either do not know what to expect or have the fear that counselling will resemble the couch and therapist dynamic, they often enter counselling with nervousness. So, it is hoped by describing what can be expected, that the anxiety of attending your first appointment will be decreased.

 

In the first session, clients can expect to give a lot of background. In addition to the standard demographic information like age and address, client should anticipate some questions about the concern that brings them in. The counsellor may be interested in the length of time the concern has existed, any precipitating factors as well as previous counselling experiences. Basically, the first session will be getting as much information as possible in order to get a better idea of what needs to be addressed to deal with the current concern.

 

Following the first session, the course of counselling is very individual. Depending on the nature of the concern and the clients’ goals for counselling, several different avenues can be travelled. Some things that clients may experience in following sessions when using IBP is breath work, body awareness exercises, boundaries exercises, and release work. Should any of those techniques be utilized in the therapeutic experience, the counsellor will explain more fully the technique before proceeding.