Thank you for continuing to gather information about the counseling process. I appreciate how nerve-wracking the idea of beginning counseling can be, and I will try to make this process as comfortable as possible. Everyone’s counseling journey will look different, but there are some things you can expect:
- You can expect that I will be compassionate and nonjudgmental when hearing your personal information. I want you to feel comfortable sharing and beginning the process of working through the issues that prompt you to engage in counseling.
- You can expect to work. Progress requires digging into some thoughts, feelings, and circumstances that can, at times, be uncomfortable and even painful. But…
- You can expect that I will work with you, and accompany you on the journey to wellness.
- You can expect that I will respect your beliefs (or lack thereof) and act accordingly. If you have a belief system that you want to incorporate into your counseling process, we will. Or not, that is up to you.
Since counseling is an individual process, I cannot guarantee the number of sessions it will take to achieve your goals. We will discuss that in your initial sessions, but it may change as you progress.
Our first session will likely feel different than most of the subsequent sessions. During our first meeting, there is a lot of information that I need to gather; this includes the issues that brought you to counseling, some background information about you and those issues, and other information that will impact our work together.
I encourage you to ask questions of me, as well. I will be as open and informative as possible about the counseling process, myself as a counselor, and anything else you may want to know.
Whether you consider yourself a geek or not, we can walk this journey together: learning about your history and writing the future story you want to live.
Jacqueline Flynt, LPC 