MAKING AN APPOINTMENT
Appointments, Referrals and Cancellations
Appointments are typically 50-60 minutes long and are at a regular time that will be arranged at your first appointment.
For privately funded sessions, you do not need a referral, simply email or call to make an appointment (if possible please don’t text). Please be aware that you may need to leave a message on my own secure and confidential answerphone, as I may be consulting at the time of your call.
Online tele therapy can also be made in the same way.
What to Expect from Your First Appointment
Whatever the reason for seeking help, you will probably feel more comfortable and confident if you know what to expect from the first appointment. In the first session you will have an opportunity to talk about why you have come and what you hope to achieve. Ashley may ask you some questions in order to reach a shared understanding of what the issues are. Some of the things you might talk about will include:
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The reason for seeking psychotherapy
This will involve discussing the particular issue that made you decide to seek help. It will be useful to know what attempts you have made on your own and how successful these attempts were at resolving the issue.
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Your personal history and current life circumstances
Human behaviour does not occur in isolation because we are part of a larger system. The way we cope will also be influenced by other factors. Our family history has a profound influence on how we experience and relate to other people, the world and ourselves. Therefore it is useful to have an understanding of your personal history and current life circumstances.
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The impact the difficulties you face are having on your life
The difficulties we experience may be more noticeable in one area of our life or may have an impact on all areas of our life. Understanding the impact of the difficulties you are experiencing will assist with formulating an assessment, diagnosis and determining the appropriate treatment.
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Active participation as part of psychotherapy
Therapy requires a great deal of work and like any relationship is reciprocal. It is understandable that it takes time to build up trust, particularly if you want to discuss sensitive issues. You should attempt to be as honest and as open as possible and know that you should never feel pressured to talk about anything you do not wish to share. The session content and therapist are guided by you. To maximise the benefit of psychotherapy, it is suggested that you make the time to think about and reflect on what you want to work on before coming to the session.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel or change an appointment, please give at least 24 hours notice or a cancellation fee will apply. This policy is in place because the time has been kept specifically for you and should you cancel, it allows Ashley to offer the allocated time to another client who is on a waiting list for an appointment.
