What to Expect: What is Counselling Like?

So, what do counsellors do? What is counselling like? Here is the general approach Head Start Counselling takes, however depending on your needs the process will be tailored to suit you.

• Initial consultation: Your first session provides time for you to establish your concerns and reasons for attending counselling. Your expectations of counselling, personal history, and the services offered by Head Start Counselling are also discussed. Any housekeeping such as ensuring you understand and agree our Service Agreement and Privacy Policy will also be covered. Housekeeping aside, rest assured that initial consultations can be potent therapeutic experiences for clients!
  
  We will also establish your desired counselling outcomes and measures of therapeutic success. Finally, this time also allows us to begin establishing a sound counsellor-client working relationship. Studies have found the client-counsellor relationship to be an important factor in client improvement, so this is your opportunity to ensure Head Start Counselling is the ‘right fit’ for you.

• Consultations 2 to 4: These consultations establish a plan to address your concerns and monitor your progress. Repeat visits allows the counsellor-client relationship to develop and ensures you are invested in therapy.
  
  Generally, for counselling to be most effective it calls for an active effort from the client. This means you may be advised to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home. This approach improves the likelihood that you will experience lasting changes as a result of counselling. 

• Consultation 5+: At this stage we will review your progress. The ultimate goal of counselling is to support your journey towards feeling confident to end counselling, and enjoy your life having overcome your initial concerns. Depending on your progress, a collaborative decision will be made at this stage to end or continue your counselling sessions.
  
  Everyone is different, so you may require ongoing counselling or fewer sessions to address your concerns. Either way, your experience will be based on your needs. 

Note: Head Start Counselling does not offer psychology services. Counselling primarily addresses a persons issues through talk therapy, while psychology services encompass a wider range, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders using various therapeutic modalities and evidence-based approaches.