"Why see a clinical psychologist?"

Clinical psychologists work with people to overcome and cope with problems they are facing in their lives using well researched and proven therapeutic techniques. The problems people get help from a clinical psychologist for vary greatly. However, they tend to fall into one or a combination of emotional, social, behavioural or relationship problems.

When you see a clinical psychologist you can be assured that you are working with someone who has had extensive training (usually 7 to 9 years at university) in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychological and mental health conditions. Clinical psychologists are committed (and required) to undertake ongoing training to keep up to date with latest assessment and treatment methods. For more information about clinical psychologists or to see if a potential therapist is a NZ registered clinical psychologist you can visit the New Zealand Psychologist Board website http://www.psychologistsboard.org.nz/

"What can I expect when I come to see a clinical psychologist?"

When I see a client for the first time it's called an “initial assessment”. Appointments are usually 50 minutes. At the first appointment you can tell me about yourself and the problems and challenges that you are having and I will ask questions to get a clear picture of what things may be causing the problem. I might also ask you to fill out some pen and paper questionnaires to help understand the problem better. By the end of the first session, I usually find that together we’ve built up a pretty good picture of what triggered the problem and what things are causing it to continue. With some problems that have been occurring for a long time and/or effect a wide range of areas in a person’s life, the “initial assessment” might take a couple of sessions. Once I have a good understanding of the problem I will talk to you about what I think is the best approach to treating or coping with the problem and together we agree upon a treatment plan. I make sure that we regularly review this treatment plan and adjust it if necessary.

"What if I come once and then decide therapy is not for me/I don't think the psychologist is a good match for me/disagree with the psychologist about their treatment recommendations?"

Talking to a psychologist is voluntary and you can decide at any point in the assessment or treatment process to stop. Because seeing a psychologist is such a personal experience you need to feel very comfortable that the psychologist is a good match for you, and you need to feel comfortable with the type of treatment they recommend. If you have concerns its always good wherever possible to talk about these with your psychologist in the first instance. However, sometimes people don't feel comfortable doing this and you can decide to stop seeing a psychologist without saying your reason. If you decide to discuss your concerns with your psychologist they will be able to help you find someone who might be a better match or talk about changes that could be made to your treatment plan. 

"Will anyone find out that I've been seeing a psychologist/what I've told a psychologist?"

The things you tell a psychologist are confidential which means that the psychologist cannot share what you've told them with anyone else without your permission. There are some limitations to this. For example, if you tell the psychologist that you are going to harm yourself or another person they may need to tell someone else to make sure everyone is safe. Also, in some cases where an assessment as been requested by a third party (i.e. the Courts or ACC etc) some information or a report may be passed on to the organisation who requested it. If this is the case the psychologist will tell you where the information goes and whether they will be writing a report before you decide whether or not to share personal details.