If you have never attended any type of counselling before, picking up the phone to begin the process can be difficult and come with some anxiety. It is hard to know what to expect and that can be daunting.
For those who have never attended counselling, picking up the phone to begin the process can be unnerving. It is hard to know what to expect and that in itself, is daunting.
The 1st Step
At Shoreline Counselling, your first call or email will be answered by our knowledgeable and well-trained reception team that will work with you in order to gain a clear understanding of what type of counselling you are looking for. After knowing the circumstances of your situation we will be able to match you with one of our clinical counsellors who will ask you for your contact information and your consent for it to be used to book an appointment in our calendar program. They will then find an appointment date and time that works within your schedule. Before coming to our clinic you will be informed about the costs of treatment and have any questions that you may have regarding insurance coverage and our cancellation policy covered. We will then explain what comes next and what you should expect from us. Before you hang up the phone with us, we will ensure that you know where our office is located, how to find our suite in the building and the best places to park.
Post Booking
Once your appointment is booked with Shoreline Counselling you will receive a welcome email from us asking you to complete an online profile with us. This profile will help us better understand your circumstance to provide us with as much information that you are comfortable sharing with us. In addition to completing your profile, you will also receive a link to a form that only your clinical counsellor will have access to prior to your first session with us.
We ask that you arrive at Shoreline Counselling’s office 5-10 minutes early to ensure that you will have time to find parking and get inside our office. Once inside, you may have a seat in our waiting room as your counsellor will come out to greet you and show you the way to their office. Sometimes our counsellors run a few minutes behind schedule as we do our best to ensure that all of our patients feel ready to leave our clinic at the end of their session. Your counsellor will be with you as soon as they are able to.
During Your Session
Once your counselling session with your counsellor begins, they will go through and review a treatment contract with you, so that you are aware of the boundaries and limitations of the relationship between client and any of our Shoreline counsellors. They will talk about the meaning of confidentiality and its limitations. They will also tell you about their approach to therapy and ensure that both client and counsellor are on the same page about how the process will move forward over time. At any point during the treatment process, your counsellor will welcome questions or concerns and respect any boundaries that you may have so the two of you can communicate comfortably.
At the end of your counselling session, you may book another session with your counsellor at a later date or give our office a call to set up a future follow-up session.
If you have never attended any type of counselling before, picking up the phone to begin the process can be difficult and come with some anxiety. It is hard to know what to expect and that can be daunting.
We look forward to meeting you on the Shoreline.