Teenagers aged 16 and over do not need the permission of parents to access therapy. However, for teenagers aged 12-15, we will need to get permission from your parents to start therapy. But this doesn’t mean that your parents will be informed of what we talk about as all sessions will follow the privacy and confidentiality codes outlined by your therapist in the first session.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
What will the first session be like?
Typically, we will have a conversation about what’s going on for you right now, and the skills and expertise I can bring to the table to help. Like every therapy session, this may look different for everyone. Some people come in ready tell me lots of details about themselves, their circumstances and what they want to get out of therapy. For others it may take a bit more time to develop trust and feel comfortable before opening up. Some people may not be quite sure what they want out of therapy just yet, and that’s okay. I will go at your pace, and seek to understand what’s going on for you in a style and approach that is comfortable and effective for you.
How do I get started?
You can send me an email to contact@insessioncounselling.com letting me know what you’re after. You can email me for any general enquiries, to book an initial 15-minute phone session or to schedule either a phone, video or face to face session directly. When I receive your email I will get back to you via phone or email, and we can discuss the next steps forward for you.
What if I want to stop counselling?
How long will I need therapy?
This varies a lot between people, and depends on the complexity of the challenges you’re coming in for and your own preference the number of sessions you’d like to have. The good news is I have no limit how many sessions I can provide and you really don’t need to decide this straight away! Often, it is best to have 3-4 consecutive sessions, and after that you’ll probably get an idea of whether you want to continue, stop completely or pause and come back later, and whatever you choose is totally okay! You may need 3-4 sessions of goal focused skill building parenting support sessions for your teenager who refuses to go to school. Or you may have experienced family violence at a young age, which is causing you to feel anxious in social situations as an adult and to work on this it may take you 10 – 15 sessions a few years.
You can stop counselling at any time for any reason. I’m here to help you with whatever emotional and therapeutic support you need at the moment, so if you choose to stop therapy, you are free to do so at any time. It is recommended to try at least 3 sessions before coming to a decision about whether you want to stop or continue with therapy as by this time you are more likely to know if it is right for you.
What if I don't connect with my therapist?
How do I convince my teenager to start counselling?
This can be a hard one, but such a common question that I get asked. It can be really difficult when you see your child struggling emotionally or behaviourally. As a parent your instincts to help and protect them kick in and you just want to do something, anything! So if you’ve tried time and time again to get them into counselling but they absolutely refuse there are a few things you can try. You can access my parenting skills and support service where we can talk about what’s going on for your child and what you could do in the home and as a parent to help them as best as possible. Or you can suggest other services for them which are perhaps less confronting such as eheadpsace or kidshelpline for telephone and online chat counselling, talking to a teacher or school well being.
The tricky thing with humans helping humans is that connections cannot be forced or manufactured. So, if you find you don’t click with your therapist, that’s totally okay and just a part of the job for any therapist. But to ensure you still get the support you need, we can have a chat about other options for you such as finding another therapist.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule a session?
I totally understand that life can be unpredictable, so if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment you can, but please let me know more than 24hours before the session. This will ensure that appointment times remain available for all people in need of appointments. Appointments cancelled or rescheduled within 24hours cannot be refunded unfortunately.