- Duration
- 50–60 minutes
- For
- Children and adults
- Confidentiality
- Kept, with limits explained
A first session is mostly listening
There is no test to complete in the first minutes, and no label handed over at the end of a first session. What happens is a conversation: what brought you here, since when, what you have already tried, and what you want to be different.
For a child, part of the session runs through play and drawing, because that is how children show what they cannot yet say. We talk to parents on their own for part of it — and the child is told this will happen, because their trust is the foundation of everything we do.
By the end you have an initial picture and a proposed next step. If what you need turns out not to be therapy, we say so.
Confidentiality, and where it ends
What you say in the room stays in the room. There are three exceptions, which we always explain at the start rather than keep quiet until they arise: a real risk to your own safety, a risk to someone else, or a child who is in danger.
For sessions with children and teenagers, we set out from the beginning what will be shared with parents and what will not. Promising a teenager total confidentiality and then breaking it is the fastest way to lose any chance of helping them.
Frequently asked questions
Will I be given medication?
No. Psychologists do not prescribe — that is a doctor's job, specifically a psychiatrist's. If your situation may need medical treatment, we say so plainly and recommend a medical check, and if you want, we can work alongside that treatment.
My child refuses to come. What can we do?
Come without them first. A session with parents alone is often very useful: we can help make sense of what is happening and change how things run at home, and that alone often sets a lot in motion. A child forced through the door rarely opens up; a child whose parents change first often comes on their own later.
How long does this usually take?
It varies a great deal, and anyone who gives you a firm number at the first meeting is guessing. What we can do is agree on an observable goal and review it at intervals — so you know whether this is working, not just continuing.
Sources
The figures and recommendations on this page come from the sources below. The links go to third-party sites.
This page is educational and does not replace an examination by a doctor. If your child is unwell, or something does not feel right to you, have them seen first.