It’s really up to you. The only thing I specify at the beginning is that it’s not enough time to go into detail about traumatic experiences. We can discuss them briefly but it’s important you leave the chat feeling regulated and not triggered. Some people come with questions they want to ask about therapy, their diagnosis/situation, and the approaches that could suit. Other people come to check the vibe. If this is the case, I always ask if you want to be interrogated by me (I can ask 1 million questions if I’m not checking myself) or whether you want to have a back-and-forth conversation.

Clients either come with long-term issues they want to work on, or in a situational crisis.

If it’s a crisis, it’s important that we work on stabilising your situation and ensuring your safety. I can gather all the information that I need as we problem-solve and take action if required.

If you’re already in a stable environment, the first appointment is generally spent working on completing a bio-psycho-social assessment. That sounds so corporate and but it’s essentially getting an understanding of your past, present, and future. Some topics that generally come up include family, friends, social connections, relationships, sexuality/gender expression. spirituality/religion, culture, diagnoses/disabilities, medications, hospitalisation history, drugs and alcohol, trauma history, coping skills, informal and informal support network, hobbies, special interests/hyperfixations, work/school/study, and finances.

That sounds like a lot to cover. I don’t follow a script or anything like that. I just weave it into the conversation, so it doesn’t feel draining and clinical.

I’ll never say I cannot support someone but there might be specific rules around who else needs to be involved while we work together. That’s particularly the case if we are working on treating and managing an eating disorder. That’s for your best outcomes and mine too, as a clinician with a very strict duty of care I take very seriously.