When you first phone to make an appointment, our receptionist will ask if you have been referred to a specific therapist. If not, she or he will assist you to make an appointment with the psychologist most likely to be able to help with the specific problems you’re experiencing at the earliest possible time. They will take into account the reasons you would like assistance, psychologist availability that best matches your schedule, and the urgency with which you would like to make an appointment.

Within the first few sessions, we carry out an assessment to determine the best approach to suit your needs and personality. We monitor progress to ensure you see improvement within the first three or four appointments, and are happy to discuss other options should you find the therapist does not fit with your requirements.

Children – Primary School

Where an appointment is made for a child, we usually conduct an initial session with children to build a sense of safety to allow for effective therapy. This session includes assessments, and offers parents an opportunity to provide background in writing. We usually schedule a parent session after seeing a child twice, to discuss current challenges and a plan to address them. We try not to have long discussions in front of children, partly because hearing a list of problems they might be struggling with is rarely helpful for children, and partly because the sessions are meant to be engaging and therapeutic for the child and parent/therapist discussions are unlikely to be terribly engaging for them.

Adolescents – Secondary School

Depending on the age and reason for referral we typically request parents attend at the start of their teen’s first appointment, and then collaboratively make a decision about whether they will remain in the room. We again complete assessments at the outset of the process, and will offer parents feedback or information about how they can best support their teen.