The first session is mainly about getting to know each other. There’s no need to come prepared, with your thoughts in order or with answers — just coming is enough.
What happens in the session
The session lasts about 50 minutes. At the start we’ll talk about what made you reach out right now: what’s troubling you, how long it’s been going on, and what you’ve already tried. There’s no need to tell everything in one session, and you can say explicitly what you’d prefer not to talk about at this stage.
Later we’ll ask about the wider context — family, work or studies, health, and significant periods in the past. The aim is not to interrogate but to understand the picture, because the same difficulty can stem from completely different sources in different people.
What you’ll leave the session with
Towards the end we’ll define together what you’d like to change, and you’ll receive an initial impression: how I understand the difficulty, what way of working seems suitable, and what the rest of the process is likely to involve. If another professional is needed — a doctor, psychiatrist or assessment — I’ll say so in the session itself.
- An initial understanding of the difficulty and what feeds it
- A proposed way of working and initial goals
- Information about session frequency and fees
- Answers to any question you’d like to ask
What won’t happen in the first session
You won’t be asked to reveal things you aren’t ready to reveal, and you won’t receive a definitive diagnosis on the basis of a single meeting. There is also no commitment to continue: it’s entirely fine to leave the session, think it over and decide it isn’t right for you.
How to prepare
No preparation is necessary. That said, some people find it useful to jot down what has been bothering them in recent weeks, or questions they want to ask. If you take regular medication or have had previous assessments or treatment, it’s worth mentioning.
If you’re coming with a child, it helps to explain to them beforehand, in simple language, where you’re going and why — for example, “We’re going to talk to someone who helps children when things are hard for them.” Children cope better when they know what to expect.
And what about the personal fit
The fit between therapist and client is one of the factors that most influences the success of therapy, more than the method chosen. So it’s fine, and even advisable, to check whether you feel comfortable. If after a session or two the feeling isn’t good — that’s important information, and you can say so openly.
Sessions take place at the clinic in Majd al-Krum or online, in Hebrew or Arabic.