New Clients
Thank you for your interest in working together!
Most Important Pages on this Site for New Clients
Most of the information you’ll need about what to expect from treatment is covered in 3 pages on this site.
1. The current page (which includes information about the first appointment and a big list of free resources).
2. What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
3. FAQ
Preparing for our first appointment.
The first part of working together is an assessment.
The purpose of the assessment is for me to learn the information I need to develop the most effective treatment plan for you.
A psychological assessment covers a lot of ground. The questions I’ll ask you will mainly be about the problems you’re currently experiencing.
These are some of the first questions I’m likely to ask you. Hopefully they’ll give you an idea of what to expect.
1. What are the problems you’re currently experiencing i.e. what brought you to come to see me?
2. If you’ve had the problems for awhile, what brought you to see me now?
3. Which of your problems is the most important to you to work on first?
4. For each of the problems you’re currently experiencing, please answer the following.
a. Please give a detailed description of the problem. Depending on what type of problem it is, I’ll usually ask you to tell me about the last time the problem occurred, or a typical day in your life.
b. When did the problem start?
c. What was going on in your life around the time the problem started?
d. If applicable, how often does the problem occur?
e. Does it seem like the problem is getting worse, improving, staying the same?
d. What makes the problem worse?
f. What makes the problem not-as-bad (e.g., if you’re depressed and your average mood is 2 out of 10 on a 0 to 10 scale, what are the times it rises above a 2)?
g. What have you tried to improve the problem? Did any of these things help?
h. What are the consequences of the problem i.e. how does the problem impact on your life and your significant others’ lives?
i. Is this the first time in your life you’ve had the problem? If you’ve had the problem before, how did you overcome it last time?
Free CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Resources – Client Handouts
The following free resources might be useful for better understanding your current problems and learning about what’s involved in overcoming them from a CBT perspective.
Brief Handouts – You should probably start with the these brief versions. They still contain a lot of information but aren’t too overwhelming
Causes and Treatment of Depression
Generalized Anxiety and Mindfulness
Causes and Treatment of Panic Attacks
Others (Including Sleep, Unhelpful Thinking Styles, Social Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder and More)
Longer CBT Workbooks
Coping with Panic Attacks
Mastering Your Worries (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Resources for GPs
CBT Resources for GPs.
