What to expect
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, especially if it’s your first time. This page walks you through what happens, so there are fewer surprises and you know roughly what to expect.
Getting started
If you’d like to enquire about an initial session, the easiest way is to get in touch with reception or complete our intake form online. When you do, attach your referral and mental health treatment plan from your GP if you have one.
Our intake team reviews every enquiry and works to match you with a psychologist who suits what you’re looking for. We aim to get back to you within a week to let you know whether we can offer an appointment and what the next steps are. If there’s no availability that suits, or we’re not the right fit for what you need, we’ll point you towards some other options, so you’re not left without a direction.
Getting to know us
Between intake and first session
Once you’re booked in, we’ll send through a welcome pack. It covers the practical bits, how to find the clinic, what to bring, and what to expect, so your first session can focus on you rather than logistics. Reception is happy to help in the meantime if you have questions about booking, fees, or getting to the clinic.
When you arrive
You’ll be welcomed by our reception team. They’re warm, kind, and know the practice inside out, so if you have questions or you’re not sure where to go, they’re the right people to ask. You’re welcome to a cup of tea or coffee, and the waiting area is a calm, soothing space to settle in before your session. You might even be greeted by Daisy or Mishka, the practice dog and cat, who takes the job of helping people feel at ease very seriously.
If it’s your first time, there’s no need to do anything special beforehand. Just turn up a few minutes early if you can.
Your first session
The first session is mostly about getting to know each other. The psychologist you’re seeing will ask what’s brought you in, a bit about your background and health, and what you’re hoping to get out of therapy. They might ask you to fill in a questionnaire or two, which helps build a picture of what’s going on and gives a starting point to track how things change over time.
It’s also a chance for you to ask questions. How the psychologist works, what their approach is, anything you’re unsure about. There’s no right way to do this. You won’t be expected to share more than you’re comfortable with, and you can take it at your own pace.
Everything you discuss is confidential, with a few limited exceptions to do with safety, which your psychologist will talk through with you. By the end of the session, you and your psychologist will usually have a sense of how to move forward together and what the next steps might be.
The sessions after that
Therapy isn’t one size fits all. How often you meet, and how long you continue, depends on what you’re working on and what suits you. To begin with, sessions are often weekly or fortnightly. As you start to feel better, you might space them out.
Each session tends to build on the last. You and your psychologist will set goals together and work towards them at a pace that feels manageable. Some weeks will feel productive, others harder. That’s normal, and it doesn’t mean therapy isn’t working.
Your psychologist will check in along the way about how things are going and adjust the approach as needed. It’s your therapy. You’re always welcome to raise what is and isn’t working, ask to try something different, or talk about wrapping up when the time feels right.
If you’d like to learn more, you can read about the different therapy approaches used in sessions and the assessments available at Eucalyptus.
If you’re neurodivergent
Therapy spaces aren’t always set up with neurodivergent people in mind. If that’s you, a few things worth knowing:
- You’re welcome to share how you communicate best, whether that’s more direct questions, written notes, or a bit of extra processing time.
- The rooms are quiet, and you can ask to adjust the lighting or seating to suit you.
- You don’t have to make eye contact. You can stim, move around, or take a break whenever you need to.
- You’re welcome to bring a support person to your first session.
- If coming in feels like too much, telehealth is an option.
There’s no pressure to mask or to “perform” being okay. You can come as you are.
Practical things
Sessions run at the Olinda and Mooroolbark clinics, with telehealth available if that suits you better. Bring your Medicare card so any rebates can be processed. If you ever need to cancel or reschedule, just let reception know ahead of time.