Do I need help?
A skilled initial counselling session offers a safe and confidential opportunity to explore the issues you are confronted with. You probably are curious about: How much assistance do I need? How can I be helped? How long will it take? What frequency of sessions is most appropriate for me? How much will it cost? Can I actually be helped? Which style of assistance would be best for me?
The first session with a counselling psychologist can address these questions along with providing a general preliminary assessment of the nature of your problems and the manner in which they can be addressed within therapy.
I make no assumptions about what form of assistance may be of greatest practical benefit to a person. I often start with four or five weekly sessions then back off to fortnightly if budget or practicality demands it. The overall number of sessions and frequency of sessions depends on the individual. Some people need a burst of intense assistance and then a break from counselling; others thrive on regular spaced sessions (eg fortnightly even monthly). Still others derive great personal, practical, existential and also ‘spiritual’ benefit from weekly psychotherapy that continues for several years.
In relationship counselling, there is no one-size fits all approach that offers optimal benefit. Every relationship is unique. Some couples only need 4 or 5 session ‘relationship tune-ups’, other couples require a painstaking and thorough ‘relationship re-build’ that address long-standing in-grained trust and communication roadblocks.
To ensure old patterns of unconscious and sabotaging thoughts and behaviours do not revert to pre-counselling ‘default settings’, some form of longer term follow-up is essential. I encourage everyone to visit 2-6 months following cessation of regular counselling, to ‘check-in’ where they are at and share honestly what issues seem to be persisting or re-appearing and reflect on gains made during and subsequent to the counselling process. For example, with couples, after initial crisis style intervention has been effective, the frequency of sessions can be backed off to offer targeted support, monitoring and review of new behaviours, attitudes and commitments. Not all couples counselling achieves the goals one or other partner may have had. Some relationships are in acute crisis when they first present in counselling and either separate after some counselling or it is deemed by the counsellor that both parties best interests are not best served by the continuation of relationship counselling and may refer for individual assistance instead.
Typically, if you are asking, “Do I need help?”, then you probably would benefit from a counselling session devoted to this topic! You can always be assisted in refining or extending skills and perspectives, to assist you to deal with issues you are already dealing with. At the very least, you could find it re-assuring to know that you are doing absolutely the best you can, given your circumstances! At best you could find a ally, mentor and coach, with specialised training and highly developed skills that enable a productive working relationship aimed at bringing about important changes in your life.
Contact me here for an initial consultation or ring 0412911136 or email: kieranriordan@gmail.com
