You may have heard it said before that the initial consultation is meant to be a two-way interview, but what questions should you ask? When it is your first time reaching out to a therapist it can be hard to know what to expect and what to ask so I've put together a list of some questions you might want to use and why these can be helpful to know the answer to.
(Please note: if you are accessing counselling through an organisation it is possible that the counsellor you have at your initial consultation will not be the same as your ongoing counsellor. A lot of these questions will still be relevant though)
What is your availability for appointments?
Will this work for you? Don’t feel that you must accept their availability if it doesn’t work for you. Think about your work schedule, your childcare arrangements and how regularly you can attend. You’re less likely to see progress if you keep having to cancel appointments and it’s not helpful for the counsellor either as they won’t be able to fit anyone else into that slot. There are plenty of other counsellors out there who will be available at the same time as you so have a look around before you commit.
Are sessions expected on a weekly basis or do they offer fortnightly or monthly appointments?
Most counsellors request that their clients commit to weekly appointments at the same day and time each week, at least to begin with. This is not the case for all counsellors though so if money is an issue or your schedule cannot accommodate weekly sessions you can ask if other options are available.
What is the counsellor's/organisation's cancellation process?
Will you have to pay for missed sessions? Can you afford to do this? Think about what your job/boss is like, how regularly might you be asked to stay on at work, will this impact your attendance? What childcare arrangements do you have? Do you have trusted people that can look after them so you can still attend sessions? Knowing how the counsellor treats cancellations prevents any surprises down the line and will allow you to have any necessary conversations with your work or family to reduce the risk of needing to cancel last minute.
How much does it cost?
This is pretty self-explanatory and this information is usually available before you book in for an initial consultation. Some counsellors might offer different services though e.g. EMDR or walk-and-talk therapy which might come at a different price point. Other counsellors might offer sliding scales of payment so you will want to ascertain what you are eligible to pay before committing.
Given what the counsellor knows about you, do they expect this to be short or long-term work?
Whilst a counsellor can’t say for certain, they may be able to indicate based on what you have shared and the goal you have in mind. This can be helpful as it will give you a better idea of what to expect. Think about what you can afford though, if they indicate that the work might be long term, and this is too expensive for you right now it is worth communicating this. That way you and your counsellor can decide how best to approach the time you have together. This might involve changing your goal slightly or focusing in on one issue rather than working on everything at this time. Remember you can always come back for more sessions later.
What methods will they use?
Perhaps you’ve been recommended CBT or been told you need to work on Inner Child healing, now is your time to ask questions about the counsellor's training and experience to see if they can work with you in the way that you need. Think about their style of working too, if you like to work creatively ask if this is something that they do in therapy room. If you want resources to take away or homework to do between therapy sessions, see if this is something which they can offer you.
How often would we review progress?
Most counsellors will regularly offer reviews to ascertain how you are finding therapy so far, what is working well, what could be done differently, whether you want to continue focusing on your initial goal or if you have an alternative one in mind. Reviews are also a chance to reflect on your current position, do you want to change counsellor, do you feel ready to come to an end, do you want to reduce the regularity of sessions? It can be a helpful check-in point to ensure both you and the counsellor are on the same page and working in a way that works for you. Counsellors might offer a review after just a couple of sessions initially; others might be more likely to do so every six-eight weeks. Knowing how often these reviews take place can give you a point to work towards and allow you a specific window of time to decide if this is the counsellor for you.
Do they offer hybrid appointments?
Some counsellors offer both face to face appointments and remote appointments (via video or telephone). Some people find the opportunity to have a mixture of both can be helpful, for example if your work requires travel and you can't always be there in person, or if you want to start remotely due to high anxiety but gradually move towards coming in to see them in person. Some counsellors might only have a room on certain days of the week so it can be worth checking if you booked a remote appointment that you would be able to swap down the line without having to alter your appointment date and time.
I hope this list has given you an idea of some useful questions to ask your counsellor at initial consultation. Perhaps, whilst reading it you have thought of some more questions you'd like to ask. It can be hard remembering everything at your initial consultation so I would encourage you to jot them down and bring them along with you - your counsellor won't mind.
If you are after more ideas of how to best prepare for your initial consultation or counselling sessions read my other blog article here. I've also provided you with some questions to ask yourself before you start too.
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