The purpose of this blog is to equip you with understanding of what happens in your first session. Also, you will understand what happens at second and later sessions. This will help to manage your expectations, make your decision about working with me and facilitate our team approach to problems resolution.
What happens in your first session with me?
The purpose of the first session is to establish rapport - does our dynamic work for each of us and focus you positively towards establishing goals and solution outcomes. I will always tailor my input to your specific problems and issues, for example, other clients’ or my own experience of your problem as well as a tailed approach to resolution.
What follows are a list of questions that you will be asked. With some of these I have provided example responses to give you an idea of what others have said. I will listen carefully and make notes, ensuring that relevant valuable information is captured. This will help me to help you.
Me: What has brought you here?
Client: My GP said to come. Things are really building up and I cannot cope.
Me: So how would you like counselling therapy to help you with this?
Client: I am not sure…just by letting me relax…by helping me to cope better
Me: How will that help? /What difference will that make?
Client: I will not worry about things so much…I will be able to get on with my life better…I will not shout at the kids all the time.
I will then ask scaling questions relating to your outcome such as confidence, motivation, and happiness.
Me: Where are you now on a happiness scale, 0-10?
Me: What is the worst [most unhappy] that you been recently, 0-10?
I will then ask a world-renowned therapeutic question known as the miracle question, along with probing questions to build up your answer into a specific desired outcome with copious detail.
Me: Suppose that a miracle happens whilst you are sleeping tonight. You do not know that this is happening whilst you sleep. When you awake tomorrow the effect of the miracle is that all your worries, concerns and problems that brought you here today have gone. When you awake what is the first thing that will be different? What else would be different? What else would you notice? Who else will notice? What difference will it make to them?
I will then ask if any of this miracle is already happening even in small ways. We will explore how you did it as well as how you knew that it was the right thing to do.
The last part of the session is about your sharing anything that we have not covered that you consider it important for me to know. I may compliment you on what you are already doing to address your situation. I may also suggest something based on what you have told me in this session. I will give you a task based on doing something that will be helpful to you as you have noticed that things go better when you do this behaviour, for example drinking less alcohol.
The purpose of each successive session is to assess change and maintain it so that a solution can be achieved. Typically, I will, as your counsellor and confidante, elicit, amplify, and reinforce any signs of positive change and negotiate with you to identify the next small step towards a solution.
For example, a typical structure for a subsequent session would be:
What are your best hopes for today’s session?
What has been good about your week?
So, tell me ways that you are feeling better? What is better in your life?
Talk me through the high points just now. What did you do?
Talk me through the low points. What did you do?
Scaling, one through to ten, where ten is best outcome and best version of you?
What needs to happen for you to get to x+1?
What have you learned about yourself this week?
What resources/skills did you use that you knew/did not know that you had?
Reminders from the first session, for example, about how the mind works in relation to the problem/issue.
What is your next step?
I will issue you with my hypnotherapy cd for relaxation and confidence, explaining how, when, where and why to use it.
Other homework may be issued for you to complete as a ritual at the start and end of each day.
My goal is to help you to achieve your outcome as briefly though completely as possible.