Here is some information to help you understand what to do in preparation for your first support session.
When you first get in contact with us at Arthur Ellis you will be asked to fill in a questionnaire that tells us a little about you and your circumstances. We may have already received information from your school, employer or GP but we like to get your point of view, and your parents’ if you are under 16.
How to prepare for your first support session with us
Accessing any form of therapy for the first time can be a daunting process, that’s why we have laid out some ideas to help you prepare for your first support session.
Once we have booked your session you will get sent an email from our helpful virtual assistant EEVON, who will remind you of the date and time of your first session, the name of your Mentor and it will include a link to your Mentor’s waiting room. You will use this link every time you have a session with your Mentor.
You can do the following things to get prepared for your first therapy session:
- Pop the date and time into your calendar. It might be a good idea to set a reminder in the morning and set aside 15 minutes before and after your support sessions so that you can get into the right headspace and decompress after.
- If you are comfortable with it, let a trusted person know. Ask if they can give you a ring or be with you to talk about it after the session, it can be helpful to unload and talk through your experience.
- Put the link to your session in a safe place. It could be in your notes on your phone or put the email in a folder labelled Arthur Ellis. You could also text or email it back to yourself.
What happens in your first session?
In your first session you will meet your Mentor. They will introduce themselves and tell you a little about themselves. They will ask you to introduce yourself and they may ask you some questions about the information we have on file to ensure that it is all correct.
Most of the time, the first support session is all about your Mentor getting to know you and your situation, they might touch on some subjects that are difficult, but you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. From this first meeting, the Mentor might be able to help you establish some goals that you may want to achieve.
Throughout the following sessions you will work on some strategies and mechanisms that will help you achieve those goals and manage anything that you want to work on.
How do we keep your information confidential?
Your information is stored on a new system that is extremely secure. We only keep information that is relevant to your sessions and for communicating effectively with you.
If you are under 16, we will not tell your parents anything unless we believe you are in direct danger, either from yourself or others, or unless you ask us to disclose information to them.
All our Mentors are also professionally supervised. This means that each week they discuss their sessions with a qualified Supervising Mentor. In these meetings, they may discuss your sessions, however, all names are kept anonymous and do not go any further than those meetings.
Everything you say in your session is only shared with people who are here to help you stay safe.
Check out our FAQ page if you still have questions, or get in touch at justask@arthurellismhs.com.
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