People often feel a bit unsure, or anxious, about attending a Clinical Psychology appointment for the first time, as they don’t know what to expect.
Initial appointments usually last between one and one-and-a-half hours.
You will be asked questions about your family, school/college, your health journey, what you enjoy doing, things that are going well and anything you are currently finding difficult.
You don’t have to answer questions if you don’t want to; the sessions are for you and it is OK to leave early, or to change your mind about attending.
Young people often bring other family members with them to help with the talking; sometimes it might be helpful for us to talk to parents/ carers on their own as well.
You can talk about whatever is important to you.
Attending Clinical Psychology appointments is your choice and most people find them a helpful, not unpleasant, experience.
Sometimes young people find it helpful to bring things to the appointment that are familiar and help them to feel comfortable.
After the initial appointment we will decide together whether you would find further sessions helpful, how frequent these sessions will be, or whether it is best for you to be referred to a different mental health service. We might also decide that it is helpful to gather some more information from other people who support you, such as school, but we will ask your permission to do this.
