Your counselling experience will be up to you! Typically, clients book biweekly sessions and attend 6-12 sessions. However, many clients prefer a longer-term, ongoing level of support and deeper exploration. It’s entirely up to you and you are in control of your own counselling experience – working at your own pace in your own time to best suit your needs.
Should you decide that you would like to engage my services, you will be contacted via email to fill out an online Intake Form and set up your first appointment. After your first appointment is booked, you will be given detailed instructions to set up your client portal account on Owl Practice and to review and sign an online Service Agreement and Privacy and Social Media Policy. We will review the forms during our first session, and I will answer any questions or concerns you might have.
During your first few sessions, we will get to know one another to try to get a better sense of the issues you are struggling with, what has led you to reach out for help at this time, what you would like to achieve from our work together and how best to proceed. It’s important for you to get a sense of whether you feel we are a good fit for one another. The biggest part of a successful counselling experience is feeling comfortable and connected with your counsellor, which may come over time. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have about me, as a counsellor or the counselling process itself.
What you talk about during a counselling session is up to you! At the beginning of a session, I typically invite you to share what’s been going on in your life, what’s on your mind or bothering you. You’ll be invited to speak openly and honestly – to say exactly what you think and feel without worrying that you’re going to be judged, shamed, or penalized in any way. Counselling provides you with a safe space to look inward and discover much about yourself and your relationships.
As we work together, I will continually check in with you and ask for your feedback on how things are going to ensure we are using the right approaches and meeting your unique needs and goals. My priority is to establish a safe, caring, comfortable space for you to feel supported and explore your own potential for growth and change.
If at any point you feel that our work together isn’t effective, we’re just not clicking or you need additional expertise, then you do have the choice to seek out another professional. I will organize referrals and ensure connection to other professionals who can support you most effectively and will be a better fit.
