Preparing for your Appointment Psychology appointments usually occur weekly or fortnightly and usually last for 60 minutes. It is important that you attend the appointment at the agreed time. Please provide as much notice as possible for cancelled appointments. Appointments cancelled within 48 hours of the appointment time will be liable for the full cost of the appointment. Online Appointments Prior to the first appointment it is a good idea to test accessing the appointment link for the meeting to see if you need to do any setting up with your computer / phone. It also a good idea to prepare for any technical issues on subsequent appointments but checking that you can access the appointment video link ahead of the appointment time. At your appointment time, please click the link to enter the video call. If you are having any technical issues accessing the meeting then please contact the psychologist via phone call or text/WhatsApp message. Ideally aim to have a private space where you won't be interrupted and have a reasonable Wi-Fi signal. It is not safe to be driving during your appointment.
Try to minimise background noise or distractions during the appointment if possible. You may also wish to use a white noise app on your phone near to a door or wall where you think others may be able to hear you in your household. Headphones can really help to improve the sound quality of the call, either by preventing others from hearing what the psychologist is saying to you, and also to improve your ability to hear what is being said. It reduces the chance of feedback of your own volume on your device. Ensure that you charge your device or have access to a plug to charge during the appointment It is helpful to have some tissues and a drink next to you during the appointment If you are not using your Wi-Fi and are relying upon phone data, it may be helpful to check what the costs may be for such a video call using phone data. Be mindful that engaging in therapy in your own home can be difficult and you may need some time before the appointment to prepare and after the session to get ready to return back into your day-to-day life. Clinic Appointments When you arrive at the clinic there is a reception area which is currently not staffed due to Covid-19 but you are welcome to come in to use the toilets and get a drink of water from the water cooler if needed. After your Appointment It is important to give yourself some time to process the information discussed in therapy appointments. This may involve some space to reflect upon what has been discussed immediately after the session or taking some time to relax before continuing with your day. It may also involve writing down any ideas that have come to you on paper or in your phone to bring to the next session. It can be helpful to look back on to see your progress too. Sometimes people may need to protect some time each week to think about the work they are doing in therapy to ensure they are making the most of the time they have between sessions.
Some people find it helpful to make notes after their session as they may forget some of the content of therapy. Please discuss this with your psychologist if you may need additional support with retaining information during or between sessions.
It is normal that you may find yourself thinking about the content of therapy sessions in between your appointments and this is part of how we process the work we are doing. Sometimes this may involve a change in dreams, sometimes it may involve observing more difficult memories or nightmares. It is normal that we may sometimes feel a little bit worse before we see improvement. Please let your psychologist know if you are struggling or any adaptations may need to be made to the work.