What to Expect from Your First Psychology Intake Session

Embarking on a journey to improve your mental health is a significant and courageous step. Whether you’re seeking support for anxiety, depression, stress, ASD, ADHD or any other mental health concern, knowing what to expect from your first psychology intake session can make things feel a bit easier. Here's a friendly guide to help you feel ready and at ease for this initial meeting.

1. Before the Session: Preparing with Paperwork

Before your first intake session, you will be sent some forms to complete. These forms are essential for gathering some initial information and typically include:

·       Personal Information: Basic details such as your name, contact information, and emergency contacts.

·       Medical History: Information about your physical health, any current diagnoses, any current medications, and past medical conditions.

·       Background Information: Details about your upbringing, family, education, and work history.

·       Current Symptoms: A description of the issues or symptoms you're experiencing that prompted you to seek therapy.

·       Consent Forms: Documents that outline confidentiality policies, your rights as a client, and the limits of confidentiality (e.g., situations involving harm to self or others).

Completing these forms ahead of time helps make the intake process smoother and allows the psychologist to focus more on talking with you about your needs and goals during the session.

2. The Purpose of the Intake Session

The main goal of the intake session is for the psychologist to get to know you and understand why you're seeking therapy. This session helps set the stage for understanding your needs, concerns, and goals, allowing the psychologist to create a tailored treatment plan that best suits you.

3. Getting to Know You

The psychologist will start by getting to know you through a series of questions. These may include:

Personal Background: Information about your early development, milestones, upbringing, family, interests and any significant events.

Current Concerns: What brought you to therapy, including specific issues or symptoms you are experiencing.

Medical and Mental Health History: Any previous diagnoses, treatments, medications, or hospitalizations.

Lifestyle and Habits: Your daily routines, sleep patterns, diet, exercise, and any relevant behaviours.

For younger clients, these questions may be discussed with the caregiver, and the psychologist might use interactive games to get to know your child better.

4. Discussing Your Goals

An important part of the intake session is identifying what you hope to achieve through therapy. Whether it's managing symptoms, improving social skills, enhancing focus, or developing coping strategies, clear goals help in creating an effective treatment plan.

5. Exploring Therapy Options

Based on the information gathered, the psychologist will discuss different therapy options that might be helpful. They might explain approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), play therapy, or mindfulness-based strategies, and how these can address your specific needs.

6. Establishing Rapport

Building a trusting relationship with the psychologist is crucial for effective therapy. The intake session is an opportunity for you to see if you feel comfortable with the psychologist. Feel free to ask questions about their approach, experience, and how they plan to work with you. A good therapeutic relationship is built on mutual trust and respect.

7. Addressing Practicalities

Finally, practical aspects of therapy will be discussed:

Session Frequency: How often you’ll meet for therapy sessions (e.g., weekly, fortnightly).

Session Duration: Typically, sessions last about 50 minutes, but this can vary.

Payment and Insurance: Information about fees, payment methods, and whether your insurance covers therapy sessions.

8. Post-Session: Your Tailored Care Plan

After your first session, the psychologist will use the information provided to write a tailored 12-month care plan. This plan will include:

Goals: Specific objectives you aim to achieve through therapy.

Interventions: Therapeutic strategies and techniques that will be used to help you reach your goals.

Review Process: How your progress will be monitored and reviewed over the course of the year.

Further appointments will be scheduled, as well as monthly sessions with your support team to review the tailored care plan.

9. Your Role and Participation

Remember, therapy is a team effort. Your active participation, honesty, and openness are crucial for making progress. The psychologist will guide and support you, but your commitment and effort will play a big role in achieving your goals.

Final Thoughts

Feeling nervous or unsure before your first intake session is completely normal. By knowing what to expect, you can approach this first meeting with confidence. his session is an important step in your journey toward better mental health and well-being, and your psychologist is here to support you every step of the way.

If you have any questions or need further information, don’t hesitate to reach out to Living Dreams Disability Services. We’re here to help you take the first step toward a healthier, happier you.