Okay, you've made contact and booked in for an initial session. Well done - that's a wonderful first step! Although maybe now the nerves are starting to creep in. Even if you're an online ninja, it can still be anxiety provoking to be facing an unfamiliar situation, meeting someone new and adjusting your routine. I get it. Which is why this page exists, to provide you with as much information as possible in advance. And, if there's something i've missed, please just reach out via email.  

 

The image at the top of this page is my virtual background, so it's what you'll see when you join via Zoom, plus of course my face. If the background causes any sensory issues, please let me know and i can change it. No problem.

 

I will normally email the Zoom invite 24-48 hours in advance of your session. If for any reason you need to cancel or reschedule, please let me know in advance. My policy around missed sessions is outlined in the contracting page.

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The first session is an opportunity for us to meet each other, to share the same virtual space and see how it feels. I'll ask a few questions mainly relating to what you hope to gain from our time together, whether you've sought support before, and if so, what you found helpful and not-so-helpful. You only ever have to share as much as you feel comfortable sharing. It's totally okay to say "i prefer not to answer". I'll also let you know what happens if either of our internet connections drop out.

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The initial session is also an opportunity for you to ask me anything about my practice, my training, and how i work. For example, what do i mean by trauma-informed, what experience do i have in certain subject areas and/or what types of therapeutic methods and interventions i have in my 'toolkit'. For example, inner-child work, IFS (Schwartz, 2013) neurosequential modelling (Perry, 2016), practical polyvagal mapping (Porges & Dana, 2018), trauma model therapy for dissociation (Ross & Halpern, 2009).

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At the end of the session, there's no pressure to decide there-and-then if you wish to continue working together. In fact, it's often better to let things settle and take a few days to decide if i'm the right fit for your needs and preferences. If you decide you want to continue working together, simply ping me an email and we can get your next session organised. 

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Finally, i ask whether you'd like me to press the 'leave meeting' button or whether you'd prefer to end the meeting and leave first. I'm totally happy with either because it's important to me that you feel comfortable. 

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