The first visit to a new psychologist can be a daunting experience. It’s completely natural to feel nervous about addressing your concerns head on with someone you’ve never met.
And this is especially true when it comes to a child psychologist who will be seeing your child or teenager.
But our clients typically find that taking that first step to come in for an initial 30 minute parent consultation is a very positive and productive step in the right direction.
And we’re here to make the experience as constructive and comfortable as possible.
So, what can you expect from a visit to our practice?
The first step is to book an initial parent consultation.
This appointment is just for you without your child present so you can discuss the issues openly (unless you have an older teenager who is keen to get on board from the start).
You’ll get to know each other, discuss your concerns and the background history in more detail, and form a plan of action to address your issues with some clear goals.
Our offices are comforting and inviting for children with beach and ocean-themed rooms, and our reception area has a lovely view of Port Melbourne beach.
Our psychologists won’t delve into anything too intensely or quickly – building rapport and making your child feel comfortable and happy is our top priority. Playing games, drawing and chatting casually are all important parts of the process.
To obtain the best outcomes we always include parents in the counselling process, even though they are usually not present for the entire session with a child.
While respecting your child’s privacy and confidentiality (appropriate to their age and the nature of the issues) we’ll make sure to keep you fully informed on the outcomes of sessions and what areas to focus on moving forwards.
We normally find that six sessions is a reasonable expectation for getting on top of most mild to moderate anxiety related challenges. We often see fairly quick improvements within the first few sessions and then it is important to make sure that the new skills are practised and well-established as habits.
We also like to stay in touch even when you are not attending regular sessions, just to check in with you occasionally and see how things are going.
Now, that doesn’t sound too scary, does it? 🙂
If you’d like to get in touch please click the button below.