First Session
Your First Session - What to Expect
Counseling involves a series of formal sessions where the therapist and the client talk about the client’s issues and feelings. Even short term therapy typically involves six to 12 sessions. The sessions take place at a regular, agreed time and in a ‘safe’ private place, or on-line, where the client and therapist will not be overheard or interrupted.
Therapy may involve talking about life events, feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. The therapist will listen, encourage and empathise, but will also challenge to help the client to see their issues more clearly or in a different way.
Counseling is not about giving advice or opinions, nor is it a friendly chat with a friend. The therapist helps the client to understand themselves better and find their own solutions to resolve or cope with their situation.
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During the Evaluation session you also have the opportunity to fill out several questionnaires allowing us to evaluate levels of depression, anxiety, functioning & well-being. The standard outcome of an Intake session includes an estimated duration (number of sessions) of therapy and an informed consent about treatment options.
What happens in therapy?
Counseling involves a series of formal sessions where the therapist and the client talk about the client’s issues and feelings. Even short term therapy typically involves six to 12 sessions. The sessions take place at a regular, agreed time and in a ‘safe’ private place, or on-line, where the client and therapist will not be overheard or interrupted.
Therapy may involve talking about life events, feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. The therapist will listen, encourage and empathise, but will also challenge to help the client to see their issues more clearly or in a different way.
Counseling is not about giving advice or opinions, nor is it a friendly chat with a friend. The therapist helps the client to understand themselves better and find their own solutions to resolve or cope with their situation.
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During your Evaluation session you have the opportunity to evaluate your current situation with your Counselor. This is primarily done by the asking of some questions to help you clarify and describe your issues. Some clients have a detailed picture or idea of the area where they would like to achieve change, while other clients may be starting to explore difficult issues for the first time in their lives.
During the Evaluation session you also have the opportunity to fill out several questionnaires allowing us to evaluate levels of depression, anxiety, functioning & well-being. The standard outcome of an Intake session includes an estimated duration (number of sessions) of therapy and an informed consent about treatment options.
Counseling services at Counselling Valencia are in accordance with the COP and BACP Code of Ethics which means we are ethically committed to confidentiality. We encourage you to discuss any concerns you might have regarding confidentiality with your therapist.
The Counseling service issues invoices for health care reimbursement. Insurance companies vary in their reimbursement policies and we encourage all clients to verify these requierements with their insurance company.