Initial interview for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Everyone experiences times in life when we may feel challenged, stressed and alone, or find it hard to cope. We may be aware we need help but can find it hard to know what would be most appropriate.

The range of therapeutic options may additionally seem overwhelming and confusing...

Is a psychodynamic approach helpful, where the importance of the unconscious and past experiences are understood to be crucial in shaping current emotions, behaviours and attitudes?
Is a cognitive approach helpful, where learned ideas and beliefs are understood to drive behaviours and where a skills-based approach may be useful in making changes?
Is couple or family therapy a more helpful way forward?

At the Rock Clinic we offer everyone an interview lasting up to 30 minutes (for individual work) or a 50-minute initial interview, (for couples and families and young people) with an experienced and qualified therapist to discuss the kinds of problems you have been having, some of the background to these and the therapy option that might be best for you. These are currently conducted by video-conferencing and we are unable to offer telephone interviews.

Please see below for more information about appointments at Rock Clinic which we hope will answer some of the queries you may have about the interview and referral process. Individual interviews are charged at £25 and Couples and Family and Young Person interviews are charged at £50, payable at the time of booking.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for further information on the Therapy and Services at the Rock Clinic.

For individual clients aged 18 and over, please complete the Initial interview form in the sidebar and submit.

For young people aged between 13-17 years, please click here for access to the 13+ Initial Interview form.

For assessments, we operate a 48-hour cancellation charge - appointments cancelled within 48 hours and no shows will be charged for.

**Please note: the initial interview form must be submitted 24 hours in advance or the interview cannot go ahead.**

For details of our Therapy Schemes schemes see:

Options

Booking Initial Interview

All our initial interviews continue to be online only. Therapy is online and in-person. Essential to complete the Initial Interview Form below.

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Initial interview form

Click on the link below to complete the Initial Interview Form after booking in to ensure your appointment goes ahead.

Complete the form

About Initial Interviews at the Rock Clinic

How do I book an initial interview?

First click on 'Booking Initial Interview' to make a booking via our online system. Online payment is taken at the time of booking the appointment. Please then complete the Initial Interview Form online which is sent electronically to the Clinic. You will be sent an email by the system to confirm that it is complete. It is essential for you, and the therapist you will be seeing, for this to be returned at least 24 hours prior to your appointment and it will not be possible to conduct the interview without this.

Reception staff are more than happy to help with if you have problems with the online system, or questions or concerns relating to bookings and general information, and will refer any other queries, including about therapy itself, to our Clinical Management team.

Cancellations may be done electronically. To rearrange your appointment, please call the Clinic for an alternative date. Fees are refunded if notification is received 48 hours or more before the appointment time.

Assessment Type	Duration	Cost
Individual Adult (18+ years)	30 minutes	£25
Young Person (13-17 years)	50 minutes	£50
Couples	50 minutes	£50
Families	50 minutes	£50

What do I need to do before arriving for my appointment?

Please ensure that you have completed the Initial Interview form (Adult or 13+) and this has been sent to the Clinic.

Kindly note that all appointments are online using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.us which you will need to download prior to the meeting.

Your therapist will contact you before the meeting to invite you in. You will need to ensure you have a private space to talk as the therapist will be asking questions about what is troubling you and some of the background to this. Notes will be taken during the meeting but not for ongoing sessions.

What happens if I arrive late for my appointment?

Your appointment lasts for 30 or 50 minutes depending on scheme so if you are late then this will reduce the time with your therapist as we are unable to run over. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, we would need to reschedule the appointment for another day/time.

Where can I find further information?

Further information about the therapies and schemes on offer at the Clinic can be found on this website and these will also be discussed in the initial interview.

Information for New Clients

Referral

After your initial interview, you will then be referred on to an appropriate counsellor or therapist generally within 1-3 weeks. Please be aware this may be longer around holiday periods such as Christmas, Easter and the month of August. Contact is by e-mail so please remember to check your inbox and let the clinic know if you are able to come.

It is particularly important to make sure you know which clinic your appointment is scheduled for, as we cannot guarantee that your first choice of venue can be accommodated and you will need to be prepared to attend any clinic