How Can It Be For You?
It’s normal to worry before a meeting with a consultant. You will not only get to know a new person but also share with him personal, intimate, and painful experiences. This is stress. However, don’t worry—the consultant understands your condition and has the knowledge and skills to support you and lead the conversation in the right direction. And today we will tell you how the first meeting usually goes.
A Dialogue With A Client
The first session takes place in three stages:
- acquaintance;
- main part;
- completion.
Each of them has its own goals and objectives and an algorithm for the development of events. Let’s take a closer look at an example of a psychologist’s consultation.
Starting A Consultation
You can enter the expert’s office or contact him online. Then he greets you, introduces himself, and asks how he should address you. In the future, the specialist will use exactly the form of address that you name. The expert will then invite you to talk about what is bothering you. An example of a dialogue (the story is fictional; any matches of names or requests from real life are random):
– Hello! My name is Alex. How should I address you?
– Hello! My name is Sofia.
– Nice to meet you, Sofia. Our meeting will last 60 minutes, during which time I will try to understand your problem, and together we will outline a plan to solve it. Please tell me what brought you to me.
– I do not even know where to start.
– I know it’s hard for you to talk about it. Share what is bothering you right now. What do you want to talk about? Everything you say will remain in this office.
– I don’t sleep well. Something is bothering me, but I don’t know what.
– It is unpleasant. Let’s try to understand what’s going on.
Read our article on how to stop being embarrassed by a therapist and learn to talk personally.
Some experts start the conversation from afar:
- “How did you get there?” Was it easy to find an office?
- “Are you comfortable?”
- “Let me tell you how our meeting will go.”
This helps relieve tension and ease the client’s anxiety. After that, the specialist still asks, “What brought you to me?” and “What worries you?” The counselor then collects additional information to better understand the situation. To do this, he uses the following wording:
- “Let me clarify.”
- “So, you mean that…”;
- “Did I understand you correctly…?”
At the end of the first part of the session, the specialist asks, “What result do you expect from our meeting?” This helps to accurately formulate the request and determine the direction of therapy. Most likely, the expert will ask if you have contacted a psychologist before (with the same or another request). This will help him understand your expectations regarding therapy even better. According to a study published in the journal World Psychiatry, people who have previously attempted to understand their situation from other experts are less likely to seek therapy with a new specialist and have pessimistic expectations. If you have not found your expert before, this does not mean that you cannot be helped; believe in yourself and therapy.
At Online-Therapy, you can get psychological help by selecting a psychologist using the questionnaire. Answer a few questions, and the algorithm will select psychologists who will best deal with your request. Before proceeding to the main part of the communication, the specialist will repeat your complaints, thoughts, and feelings related to them. If you agree with everything, then the consultant proceeds to the main part of the meeting. After you and the specialist decide on a therapy plan and methods, the expert will offer to conclude a therapeutic contract.
Main Part
If you are concerned about several things, the specialist will offer to help you choose what to work on first. He may ask why you chose this topic. And he will clarify something else:
- “How long has this been bothering you?”
- “Have you already done something to solve the situation?” If so, what exactly?
- “Has this happened before?”
- “Were you able to cope with these difficulties?”
- “Do you have someone who supports you?”
Continuation of Sofia’s story about poor sleep and anxiety:
– Sofia, when did your sleep problems start?
– About a month ago
– Did you make any major changes last month?
– My husband and I are preparing for the birth of a baby. To be more precise, we have been ready for this for a long time; we have undergone examinations, and now we have switched to an “active offensive.” I don’t think it’s a big change because I’m not even pregnant yet. But other than that, nothing has changed.
– I understood you. In that case, could you please tell me how frequently anxiety has visited you this month?
– It doesn’t happen every night. Sometimes I sleep very soundly and easily fall asleep, so I get enough sleep. On other nights, I can’t fall asleep—something disturbs me.
– What is the reason for this, in your opinion? What separates the days you sleep poorly from others?
– I find it difficult to answer.
– You mentioned that you and your spouse were preparing for pregnancy. Do you or your partner have any limitations or difficulties in this area?
– Not. It’s just that we both believe that conception should be conscious. We are healthy. It was a routine medical examination. We both switched to a healthy lifestyle: proper nutrition and sports. Nothing special.
– What emotions do you experience when thinking about pregnancy?
– Joy and a little fear.
– I understand you. Having a baby is stressful. Change is always scary. Do you think your fear consists only of this, or is there something else?
– Sometimes I feel like I can’t do it. It’s such a responsibility. But I immediately calmed myself down, reminding myself that I read books about motherhood, that I have a strong shoulder next to me, and so on. I don’t think bad sleep has anything to do with it.
The dialogue below will be continued in the meeting’s final section. The specialist asks only about what is important for solving the request. It unravels your situation like a ball of thread and allows you to see the main thing. Trust an expert. Tell everything honestly. Remember that the consultant acts in your best interest and is guided by the principle of “do no harm.” Be active whenever possible. Psychotherapy is a two-way process. According to a study from the American Psychological Association, the success of therapy depends on the nature of the relationship between the client and the expert. Strive for cooperation, partnership, and the creation of therapeutic alliances.
Summing Up The
consultant repeats the main thoughts: “Today we found out….” Then he asks for feedback: “What did you take away from today’s meeting?” “How do you feel?” “How did our meeting meet your expectations?” and suggests continuing at the next session. Before saying goodbye, the consultant will make a recommendation or provide a self-help tool. For example, he will recommend keeping a diary of your emotions and telling you how to fill it out correctly. Or introduce you to an exercise that reduces anxiety and helps you relax. The consultant will select practical material individually, specifically for your case.
Option to end Sofia’s session:
– I’ve got you covered.Well, the time for our meeting is coming to an end. Let’s summarize. You and I need to understand why you sleep poorly and at what moments experiences become especially strong, which weakens and strengthens anxiety. Do you agree with this, Sofia?
– Yes.
– To do this, I suggest you keep a diary of your observations. Every day, write down important and interesting things, and describe your emotions, particularly the state before lights out.Make a note of the days when you have trouble sleeping—they almost certainly have something in common.At the next meeting, we will analyze these records together. Do you have any questions for me?
– Not.
– Then tell me, please, how do you feel? Has anything changed in your thoughts or emotions compared to before the session? To what extent did the meeting meet your expectations? What feelings did you get from it?
– I am feeling better. There was hope and even confidence that it would be possible to get rid of anxiety. And although it is still not clear what specifically caused it, there are guidelines. I know which direction to go. When I went to the consultation, I hoped that they would help me and listen to me. So, the expectations matched the reality.
– I understood you. Well, thanks for being honest! We’ll see you at the next meeting.
– Bye.
– Bye.
Psychological
counseling transcript In psychological counseling, a transcript is a recording of the main words, reactions, and actions of the participants at each stage of the session (audio or video recording of the session is allowed only if the client has given written consent to this). The specialist writes down something right during the conversation and something after. More often, experts record the main thoughts in the form of a table, for example, as follows:
| Stage of the conversation | Purpose and actions of the consultant | Client reactions (emotions, words) | Comment or hypothesis |
| Beginning | Establishing contact | Anxiously answered: “As you like, but not by name and patronymic.” | It is possible that the request is about the workplace since the official address causes negative emotions. |
| Main Part 1 | Identification of the request or asking why he does not like the official address | “It is associated with the office.” Everyone always wants something from me. If someone addresses me by my first and middle names or the full form of my first name, I am horrified; it seems that now I will again have to do someone else’s work or climb out of my skin. I’m tired.” | I think Michel is burned out. |
| Main Part 2 | Refine request/ “Did you contact me because you were tired of the office?” | Became calmer. Answered: “No. Actually, something else worries me. I don’t have the strength for anything. I lost interest in life; it lost its meaning. “Help me get a taste for it again.” | Burnout may have led to general apathy. |
| Main Part 3 | Clarify the request/ “I’ve noticed that the subject matter of the job makes you uncomfortable. In your opinion, is the general decline in strength somehow connected with professional fatigue? When did you first notice this? Do you like what you do?” | He became irritable again, but makes contact willingly: “Perhaps it is connected. I often skip weekends and take tasks home. I like what I do, but it is difficult for me to work in a team. It has always been: you always have to redo something for someone.” | Burnout is most likely associated with hyper-responsibility and distrust of others. |
| Completion | Summing up, consolidating the positive result/ “Asked how Michel’s state of health has changed since the beginning of the meeting” | Positive mood, calm, but sad. He replied: “Now I see what fatigue is connected with. I work a lot and take on other people’s responsibilities. I think the exercise that you recommended will help me delineate areas of responsibility. ” | Michel is ready to cooperate and understands the direction in which to move. |
The number of entries in each block is not limited. For example, in the main part of this table, there will obviously be more of them if we continue to develop the topic and make a full description of the session. In terms of the volume of records and the number and names of columns, there is no single template either. The format may be different: not a table, but simply a record of the dialogue with notes about important details (like a protocol). The expert makes notes for himself so as not to forget or miss anything important and to make the therapy as effective as possible. Like other therapy materials, these records are kept strictly confidential.
Analysis Of Psychological Consultation: An Example
Immediately after the meeting, the expert analyzes the consultation. In essence, this is self-analysis for the purpose of professional development and increasing the effectiveness of therapy. Researchers believe that a conscious approach to counseling greatly influences the effectiveness of therapy. They note that experts who achieved a high level of efficiency spent 2.5 more hours on professional reflection than their colleagues who reached an average level. Deliberate practice is the main factor in the effectiveness of a consultant. Elements of analysis:
- Basic information about the applicant. Name, age, request, and other important details
- Transcript of a psychotherapy session
- Statement of hypotheses and selection of techniques for their testing
- Direct analysis of the meeting: what methods the consultant used, what worked and what did not work, and why
- Conclusions and practical recommendations for the self-help of the applicant
The expert will introduce you to the last one; the rest of the information remains in his notebook. An example of an analysis of psychological consultation, supplementing the transcript that we have already analyzed (any coincidences of names and requests are accidental; the story is fictitious):
- Initial data: Michel, male, 30 years old, sales manager.
- Request: impotence and apathy, loss of the meaning of life. wants to regain interest and a taste for it.
- Hypothesis: Michel experienced professional burnout that affected his life in general. Burnout is associated with hyper-responsibility and attempts to control everything around you.
- Hypothesis Testing: I checked with Michel, and my hypothesis is confirmed so far. Michel is actively making contact; at our next meeting, we will look into the reasons for his hyper-responsibility. I’m going to ask a few questions about his childhood and family history.
- Conclusions: I am pleased with how the meeting went. I advised Michel to listen to her needs more often, look for hidden benefits, ask yourself, “Why am I doing someone else’s work or overworking again?” and perform the exercise “Area of
As well as writing down the main thoughts, the entire analysis is detailed or brief. The form presentation is also free. Now imagine how the meeting with the consultant goes. As a rule, the first session is spent getting to know each other, identifying the request, developing a therapy plan, discussing the rules of cooperation, and choosing therapies. What we have described is an example. Each session is unique, and the meeting algorithm differs depending on the request and approach in psychotherapy. But the ethical principles on which the consultant relies are unchanged. He will not evaluate you, criticize you, or impose his opinion. To understand you, he will try to see the situation through your eyes. Go to the session with the knowledge that the expert will certainly accept and support you; this will reduce anxiety.
