The Edinburgh Counselling Service

The initial consultation is your first appointment before beginning regular counselling sessions. In this appointment, you will be asked a variety of questions by your therapist, to help you both gain an understanding of what is leading you to seek support at this point in time. The initial consultation is also a space for you to ask any questions you may have about counselling.

 

Together with your therapist you can explore in greater depth what has brought you to counselling, your goals and anything else you feel relevant to you.

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Another purpose of the initial consultation is to try to establish whether the therapist you have chosen is best suited for your current needs, based on their training, experience, modality and specialisms. If the therapist feels they may not be the best fit for you, we will try to recommend an alternative service or therapist who is. 

 

If you aren't quite sure what you're looking for, that's also okay - your therapist will work with you to support you in discovering whether they can clarify what's causing you distress. 

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There is no obligation for you to commit to counselling at this stage.