What to Expect in Your First Counselling Session
Starting counselling can feel anxiety inducing, exciting, overwhelming, scary… For many people, just booking that first session brings a mix of relief, nerves, and maybe even a little uncertainty. Basically, there’s a lot of emotion involved - and that’s totally normal! It can help to ease anxiety if you know exactly happens in your first remote counselling session. That’s what this post is for! Here’s an outline of your first session with me:
Pre-Session:
By now you will have received your Google calendar invite with the link to our session, and an email with the counselling contract attached (have a read through this before our session!). A minute or so before the session, click on the meeting link and I’ll be there when our session starts!
YOUR FIRST SESSION
Checking In
We’ll say our hellos - I’m British so I’ll probably mention the weather, and then I’ll check in with you: “How are you feeling about your first session? Are there any nerves about starting counselling?” It’s both ok and very common to feel nervous - let me know so I can help ease the nerves if you have any!
Contracting
We’ll spend the first 10 minutes going through the counselling contract together (there’s nothing like a bit of paperwork to ease anxiety right?). This might sound a little formal, but it’s important that we have a shared understanding about creating a safe and clear framework for our work together. We’ll cover confidentiality, session boundaries, and what you can expect from me as your counsellor. Having this in place gives you time to ask any questions you may have, helps build trust between us knowing our work is ethically driven, and ensures you feel supported from the very start.
What Brought You Here
Once we’ve agreed to the contract, and I’ve answered any of your questions, I’ll ask “what’s brought you to counselling today?”. Maybe you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, low self-esteem, or just a sense of feeling stuck in life. There’s no “right” way to explain this - even “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer. Sometimes people come with a clear goal, and sometimes it’s more of a feeling that something isn’t quite right. In our session, it’s my job to make sure we take the time to explore this at whatever speed you’re ready for.
What You’d Like to Get Out of Counselling
As an integrative counsellor, I like us to work towards a goal. In the first session I’ll ask “what would you like to gain from counselling?”, “What will life look and feel like when you’re coming to the end of counselling?” and “How will you know when you’re making progress?”. Counselling with me is about pursuing the life you want to live - emotionally and physically. Change can feel gradual and subtle, so it’s important we notice and celebrate whatever steps forward you make throughout your counselling journey.
(Also - it’s totally ok for you not to have an answer to this in our first session, lots of my clients don’t. That’s something we can explore together over the first few sessions.)
Getting to Know You
Counselling isn’t only about the challenges you face, it’s also about understanding you. I want to get to know you - I’m interested in what makes you tick, what makes you, you! Your hobbies, interests, values, your childhood experiences, friends, family, what you do for work... I’m interested in you (it’s one of my favourite parts of the work). All of these threads form part of your story and help me shape an approach that feels right for you.
Wrapping Up & Next Steps
At the end of the session, we’ll take a few minutes to reflect on how the session felt and review what we’ve covered. Then we’ll book your next counselling session and say our goodbyes!
Whether you’re seeking counselling in Australia or the UK, your first session is about creating safety, clarity, and connection. There’s no pressure to have it all figured out - it’s simply the first step toward feeling heard, supported, and moving closer to the life you want. If you’re curious about remote counselling or want to see if we’d be a good fit, you can book a free 20-minute consultation directly through my website: sttcounselling.com/free-consultation
It’s normal to feel nervous at the beginning, but my hope is that you’ll leave our first session feeling a little lighter, knowing you’ve taken a meaningful step forward.
