First ever counselling session next week, feeling really nervous!

[counsellingnewbie]

I have my first ever session of counselling next week, through my employee assistance programme. Specifically, to talk through my social anxiety in the workplace.

I'm really nervous about it and not sure what to expect. It's over the phone, and is an hour's appointment.

Does anyone have any experiences they can share with me on what to expect? How should I prepare for the session?

I did this recently over zoom. It was fine and I was surprised how relaxed I felt given what we had to cover. The counsellor was excellent. Good luck

I had mine yesterday, also through my employer assistance programme. Firstly expect to answer some paperwork type questions, before talking about your specific issue/s.
I found it quite tough at times, as the counsellor probed and there was some difficult stuff to go through, but the counsellor was so lovely and really put me at ease.
You might feel drained afterwards so maybe plan something nice and relaxing to do. Good luck!

In terms of preparation, find somewhere comfortable to sit when you are on the phone, centre yourself, do some gentle breathing in through the nose and slowly out from the mouth, for at least 5 times to bring your heart rate down, and remember our job as counsellors is to help you, we create an enviroment where you feel safe and not judged, we completely understand what a big deal this is, good luck my love

In terms of preparation beforehand, think about what you want from the sessions. If it’s EAP there will be limited sessions available so having an idea of what you want help with will mean you use the time well. Short term counselling often isn’t the best for longer term issues, eg past trauma because that can take time.

Make sure you have a quiet, private space to talk, pour yourself a hot drink and make yourself comfortable. Have tissues handy if you might get upset. Most of all trust the counsellor - this is new to you but they know what they’re doing. It’s their job to help you speak freely so don’t worry if you feel a bit stuck. In saying that, if you don’t click or have a bad feeling about the person you’re speaking to, it’s ok to ask for someone else - the counsellor won’t be offended by that and it’s important you can talk to them.

@bettybyebye @Kimatthesnug @Jellycatspyjamas

Thank you so much, your advice is really helpful! The counselling session is during my workday over lunch, but I'll try and plan to have a lighter workload for the afternoon incase I am drained from it.

As it's about my social anxiety (something I've struggled with my whole life), I'm focussing on how it manifests at work to try and make it more of a smaller topic to focus on, rather than a long-term issue, as I'm aware I have limited sessions through the EAP.

Specifically, I want to talk about being quiet during meetings and struggling with going into the office and being around colleagues. I'm not sure what I want the outcome to be - does counselling just help you understand the 'why' or will it be more practical?