What should I expect in my first appointment with a clinical psychologist?

It is not unusual for you to feel nervous or apprehensive coming into your first psychology appointment. We understand that for some people, it has been a journey to get to us. Our job is to explain the process to you and make you feel as comfortable as possible.

Before your appointment

You will receive an email confirming your appointment time and our located in Malvern. In this email, there will be a link to a registration and consent form. Your clinical psychologist will recieve this information automatically once it is complete.

You may also consider going to your GP to get a referral for our service. This can be done by booking a long appointment or a mental health appointment with your GP. You don’t have to have this done prior to booking. As long as you have the referral prior to your first appointment, you will be eligable for a Medicare rebate. Referrals can be sent to us through your GP or given to your psychologist on the day.

Introductions

Your psychologist will collect you from our waiting room and introduce themselves. You are welcome to speak to us about our experience or any initial questions you may have. Prior to starting, your psychologist will speak to you about our admin structure and the details of confidentiality. This can also be found in the consent form you provided

What has bought you here?

The session will then focus on what concern has bought you to our service. People come to our service for a range of reasons including for EMDR therapy, trauma work, depression, anxiety eating disorders, OCD, pain and general difficulty functioning in their daily life.

Getting to know you

Your psychologist will then ask more about your story. This includes your early history so that we can understand the things that may have made you vulnerable to mental health issues or difficult experience. It will also include your strengths and supports, your social network and family, mob or kin.

Collaborative formulation

Towards the end of your session, your psychologist will have a good understanding of what has bought you to our service and how we can help. We will talk to you about this to check our understanding.

Working together

You and your psychologist will talk about what you would like to get out of the sessions. Your psychologist will talk to you about therapy options and recommendations. This will include frequency of sessions, any reccomendation for psychiatrist or for any parenting or group programs.