Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I should have therapy?

It is a very personal and individual decision to have therapy, although other people may have recommended that it may be helpful for you. If you are experiencing psychological distress, for example feeling down, or anxious or if you think you are struggling with important areas of your life, such as your work, your relationships or parenting your children, then therapy could be helpful to you.

What will happen in my first session?

In a first meeting the therapist will usually ask you to speak about why you are considering coming for therapy. They will also ask you for some information about yourself and your life in order to think with you about whether therapy, and what type of therapy, could be helpful for you.

Will I have to talk about my childhood?

Some therapies such as EMDR and CBT have a much stronger focus on the here-and-now than on events of the past. However all therapies are likely to be more successful if the therapist is able to build up a clearer picture of your difficulties and their origins and this might include gaining an understanding of your early life.

Will I have to lie on a couch?

At Psychology Associates therapy takes place in a comfortable environment. Psychoanalysis and some psychoanalytic psychotherapies use a couch because the couch is considered to be a tool for gaining access to the unconscious. The couch is most commonly used in long term therapies where the individual attends twice or more a week. The therapists at Psychology Associates do not use a couch but have comfortable armchairs instead.

Will talking about difficult things make me feel worse?

In the first meeting your therapist will be thinking about how therapy might affect you. If they felt that therapy was likely to make things worse for you they would suggest that you do not continue, and consider alternative options.

If you and your therapist both felt that it might be helpful to continue it is still possible that talking about things which you usually choose to keep to yourself may initially make you feel more down or more anxious. However, over time allowing yourself to have contact with thoughts or feelings you have often hidden will help you to feel more able to cope with them.