What to Expect at Your Child’s First Therapy Session

Your first therapy session will comprise of an initial assessment by your psychologist. We call this an Intake Assessment or simply, Intake.

Intake is a session for your psychologist to understand you as a person and discuss the issues that have brought you to therapy. It is important that this takes place in a safe, private, and non-judgemental space. You may be asked to complete a form with your basic personal information prior to Intake.

Through guided conversation, your psychologist will begin to develop an understanding of your concerns and other underlying factors, and explore relevant background or history; for example, information about your family, social relationships, work history or any past counselling that you have done. With the gathered information, your psychologist will work with you to craft a collaborative and flexible plan for future therapy sessions. You may wish to bring a notepad to record these and other useful discussions that occur during your session.

Intake sessions typically run for 90 minutes. If the concerns or the issues you face are complex, your psychologist may request that you extend your Intake session or return on another day.

Psychotherapy

(psychotherapy works best when you follow through!)

What does psychotherapy look like?

Therapy is different for every child and family.

At intake, and throughout therapy, your psychologist will work with you to understand your child’s needs and develop a management plan. This plan will be refined by your psychologist as therapy progresses.

It is helpful to share information that may be relevant to your concerns, including your child’s development, family context, school experiences, medical history, and current stresses. Therapy works best when there is open communication between the child, family, and psychologist. This collaborative relationship is sometimes called the Therapeutic Alliance.

Your psychologist will provide a supportive, respectful, and non-judgemental space to explore difficult issues. Together, your psychologist will work with you towards understanding the patterns that may be affecting your child’s wellbeing, behaviour, emotions and relationships, and identify practical ways forward.

What you share in therapy is confidential.

There are limited legal and safety exceptions, such as where there is a risk of harm to your child or another person, or where disclosure is required by law or court order.

With your consent, we may also share relevant information with other medical, mental health, or educational professionals involved in your child’s care.

By the end of therapy, your child and family may have developed new skills and strategies to better manage current concerns and future challenges.

Therapy sessions typically last 60 minutes. During a session, your psychologist may also carry out clinically relevant tasks, such as reviewing the management plan, arranging follow-up consultations, or communicating with authorised parties where needed.

These tasks are part of providing safe and effective psychological care. They help ensure that therapy remains coordinated, responsive, and suited to your child’s needs.

So how many sessions does it take for me to feel better?

This is a difficult question to answer. But we’ll tell you some of the factors that affect the number of sessions needed. Typically, this depends on:

Ψ the psychological complexity of issues
Ψ how long you wait before seeking help
Ψ how frequent you turn up for sessions
Ψ whether you complete your “homework”

By way of example (and only as a guideline), persons who present with non-comorbid depression or anxiety typically take at least 10 to 15 weekly to fortnightly sessions before they feel well enough to be discharged. More complex issues such as Personality Disorders may take significantly longer.