What to Expect in Your First Session with a Psychologist
When you’re thinking about booking your first appointment with a psychologist it can be a big decision. For a lot of people, this also raises a lot of questions like “Do I really need therapy?”, “What am I meant to say?”, and “Is this the right psychologist for me?”.
It is completely normal to feel a bit nervous or unsure about what the process involves when it’s new to you. Though at the same time, the first session can also provide a welcome sense of relief after finally being able to share concerns that have been on your mind for a while.
If you are seeking support for stress, burnout, anxiety, or depression, knowing what to expect can help ease those initial nerves and make getting started just that tiny bit more manageable. So, to answer some common questions and more, here are some of the things you can expect from your first appointment at Kelly Brooks Psychology.
What Happens in the First Appointment?
An initial appointment typically takes around 50 minutes and rather than diving straight into therapy with a stranger, it is mostly about getting to know a little bit about you and what has been going on in your life. The intake session can also be spread over more time so that you don’t feel rushed or pressured to try to fit everything in at once. The intake session will start out with briefly discussing privacy and confidentiality then focus on three main areas:
Your History: A broad exploration of your background, family history, upbringing, major life events, and previous experiences with mental health or therapy. This gives important context to the present moment to help us understand where you’re coming from.
Current Challenges: Discussing what brought you in, how these issues are impacting your daily life, why now, and what you’ve been doing to cope so far. This will usually include some form of questionnaire and helps define what the problem is more accurately.
Moving Forward: Identifying what you hope to achieve, feedback on what we think is going on, options for the type of evidence-based therapy most likely to help, and agreeing on session format, frequency, and duration. This aims to provide clarity by outlining a clear path forward.
Spending time discussing these areas helps us both to better understand relevant past experiences that could be contributing to what causes you to think, feel, and behave the way that you do today, as well as the life circumstances and challenges you are facing. This does not automatically mean that a diagnosis is given, but instead highlights the core areas to be focused on, tailoring the intervention to your specific situation and goals moving forward. After this, a regular ongoing appointment time will be discussed and your payment will also be processed if it has not been already. You will then receive a receipt and guidance on claiming any rebates you are eligible for. If you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan, your Medicare rebate can often be processed on the spot to make things as easy as possible.
“Do I really need therapy?”
Starting therapy is a very personal and dynamic decision that can change over time.
Many people get started for a variety of different reasons and at different times in their life. Typically this will be when they are struggling with things like persistent low mood, irritability, uncertainty, or when they feel like they cannot cope anymore. But, people also see psychologists for specific issues like relationship problems, lack of direction in life, after losing someone they care about, or to work through past experiences that still bothering them.
People also stop and start therapy, so it doesn’t have to be something you commit to forever. My goal is always to try to help you get to the stage where you can manage things more independently.
“What am I meant to say?”
You do not need to have all the answers or to be able to perfectly articulate your thoughts and feelings. That’s what therapy is for.
Therapy is a space where you can finally just talk. To say the things that are on your mind and ask questions about them with someone who isn’t going to judge you, tell anybody, or hold anything over you.
My role is guiding the conversation and asking questions that help us piece things together. That being said, people talk about all kinds of things. The weird and wonderful. The every day. Their wildest hopes and dreams, and, of course, some of their biggest fears and regrets. The level of structure you want, or need, can also be adjusted as we go. Whether this means giving you more space with someone who is really listening or letting you know when you’ve gotten off track.
How to Prepare for Your First Appointment.
You do not have to do any specific “homework” before your first appointment. That being said, spending a few minutes on these simple steps can help you get the most out of it:
Complete Paperwork: Check your email to make sure you have completed any intake forms or questionnaires before your session. If you have a referral, Mental Health Treatment Plan, or previous reports, have a copy ready if you haven’t provided them already.
Bring a Notepad: Create a short list of the items you wish to discuss so that you don’t forget, and remember it’s okay if you don’t know what to start with. You might also want to jot down key points or strategies we discuss during the session.
Have Water Handy: As somebody who talks for a living, I highly recommend bringing a bottle of water or a cup of tea that you can sip during the session. I’m also a big fan of a small snack before the session if you’re attending straight after work or school.
Give Yourself a Buffer: Whenever possible, try to give yourself a few minutes before and after a session to reflect, talk a walk, or decompress before jumping back into your day. Therapy can unexpectedly bring things up, so it’s good to practise giving yourself this transition time.
For Telehealth Appointments: Make sure you’re in a quiet, private space with a stable internet connection. Using ‘Do Not Disturb’ and a set of headphones is also highly recommended, as these help improve focus, as well as privacy and audio quality. If you run into tech problems, turning your device off and on again can fix most issues (find more tips for telehealth sessions here).
“Is this the right psychologist for me?”
Finding the right fit can require a little exploration. Taking the time to read about your psychologist’s approach, asking them some questions, and using the first session to get to know a little bit about each other can all be useful.
It’s not all tweed jackets, elbow patches, and laying on a leather couch anymore. It could be, but there are a lot of different styles out there now. Psychologists will focus on different things and prioritise different therapy approaches over others.
Some psychologists might dial in to what thoughts you’re having. Some might focus on coping skills to manage tough situations. Others might explore how your reactions disconnected you from personal values and look for ways to reconnect. These approaches can all be evidence-based, but what’s most important is for you to feel heard, understood, and aligned in the work together.
“How long does therapy take?”
The number of sessions really depends on you. Because therapy is highly personalised, there is not a one-size-fits-all timeframe that can be given.
Your background, challenges, and goals influence things. Some people can start to feel better after just a few sessions, especially when working from a structured, skills-based approach like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
If you’re wanting support to work through trauma or deep-rooted beliefs and behavioural patterns from childhood, Schema Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), or psychodynamic approaches typically involve working together over time. Whichever the approach, we design a treatment plan together and regularly check in to make sure the pace and level of support are working for you so that you can get what you need.
How Could Seeing a Psychologist Help You?
Working with a psychologist can help you untangle complex thoughts, make sense of overwhelming emotions, and develop new tools to move forward. There are so many different things that psychologists can help with, but seeing a psychologist can also be the chance to have a different kind of relationship. Where time is set aside and focused entirely on you and how you’re going with things. A portion of the day dedicated just to you, that you don’t have to feel guilty for. This one-sided type of relationship can feel unusual at first, but it is designed this way to be able to meet your needs so that you can continue to learn and grow. I often help clients navigate challenges such as:
Anxiety and Overthinking: Managing persistent worry, social anxiety, panic attacks, or overthinking that makes it difficult to relax, feel settled, or takes you away from being present.
Depression and Low Mood: Working through feelings of sadness, self-doubt, emotional fatigue, or a loss of interest and drive in the things that used to or ‘should’ make you happy.
Stress and Burnout: Navigating workplace, school or university pressures, chronic mental fatigue, and major life transitions before stress turns into distress when you don’t feel like you can cope anymore.
Trauma and PTSD: Cognitively and emotionally processing difficult or overwhelming past experiences in a structured, containing environment, so that you can move through them safely and securely.
Neurodivergence Support (ADHD & ASD): Practical support, assessment, and management for executive dysfunction, masking, sensory burnout, and navigating daily life, including for individuals diagnosed as adults.
Relationship Dynamics: Unpacking unhelpful communication patterns, practising setting healthy boundaries, and developing greater attachment security.
Life Direction and Values: Gaining clarity on your identity, values, and major decisions when you are feeling stuck or at a crossroads in life where you don’t know what to do.
If you are located in Brisbane or interested in accessing telehealth therapy sessions online, Kelly Brooks Psychology offers professional, private, and evidence-based support. If you feel like you or someone you know could benefit from starting to see a psychologist, I invite you to get in contact with any questions or to book an appointment.
Please note that Kelly Brooks Psychology is not a crisis support service. If you are in an emergency or experiencing a mental health crisis, please call Triple Zero (000) or reach out to Lifeline (13 11 14) for 24/7 support.
