How to make the most of your free phone consultation

You have made the decision to reach out and get professional help with the issue that you are currently facing.  You know that you want to make changes in your life, and yet you might not know exactly how to start.

As you begin your search for a counsellor, you realize that you have a LOT of options, and it can be hard to know which therapist is right for you. 

So maybe you’ve taken a look through websites, and have narrowed it down to a couple of people that sound like they would be a good fit.  But how can you know for sure before spending money and opening up? 

At Panorama Wellness Group, we know how important it is to have a good fit for you and your therapist.  That is why we offer a free 15-minute phone consultation.  Starting therapy with a sense of confidence that you will have rapport with each other can set the tone for a positive experience in counselling.

We recognize that jumping on a phone call might sound like a good idea, but can also feel overwhelming and create a sense of anxiety.

You may be wondering things like “How will I know if this person is the right fit?” or “What do I say? How do I start?” You may also just hate talking on the phone. 

I thought I would share some ways that you make the most of your phone consultation. My hope is this helps take the edge off, and helps make that next step toward healing that much easier.

1. Take the Leap

Talking on the phone is something that a lot of us avoid at all costs.  We’d rather send a text or email than start a phone call. 

One way to think about  this phone consultation is that it can be like diving off a diving board into a pool. You might stand there for a minute fearing the cold of the water, the form of your dive or cannon ball, and wondering if maybe you should just not swim today.  You may be feeling as if the anxiety in your chest is going to explode…so you better just back away and go back down that ladder.

I want to encourage you not to back away, but to dive in. You’re taking a big step in getting help for yourself.  The anxiety of the phone call is real, but you can handle it, and it is worth it. Once you take that first leap off the diving board, you will fee relief and confidence in your decision-making process.

It may be helpful to remember: This phone call is only 15 minutes and will help you gauge your fit with your therapist. Moreover, I have found that once you start talking to a real human on the other side, you already start feeling better.  About the phone call and yourself.

What’s the worst case scenario? You get on the phone and you hate it. The person is not a good fit for you. However, all you’ve lost is 15 minutes. Since we believe so strongly in placing you with the best therapist for you, if this happens, our Intake Coordinator will be happy to work with you to find the best therapist for you, whether that’s inside Panorama Wellness Group or somewhere else in Langley, BC.  Please feel free to contact us at info@panoramawellnessgroup.ca if this happens. 

The best case scenario? You find that your instinct was right, and you’ve found a good therapist for you and your personality. You begin to feel relieved, and look forward to your first appointment and this new therapy relationship. 

2. How to Prepare for Your Free Phone Consultation

Know that counselling is a for you, about you, and for you to use however you wish.  That includes the first phone call. 

Just like your actual therapy session, there is no “right” way to do this phone call.  This is a time to ask questions related to the needs that you have as you move forward in getting help.  It’s okay to state your needs, and have your own thoughts and feelings about what you’re facing and how the therapist is answering you. 

To begin to get there, if you have a thought come up during the call and you’re wondering “Should I ask that?” the answer is almost always yes. Of course, the same foundational rules of respect and common decency apply in therapy as they apply elsewhere.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before your call.

What are your hopes and fears for counselling? It’s okay if you don’t entirely know. And yet, this can be a good place to start your conversation with your counsellor, and to see how they respond. You may learn more than you think.

Do you want to primarily have a safe space where you lead and unpack what’s on your mind, or do you want the therapist to take a lead?  Do you hate being given homework?  Make sure this isn’t someone who thinks that’s a crucial part of therapy.

It’s also okay if you don’t entirely know this answer to this. Many therapists can be flexible to meet you where you are, and you can work together to put language to your needs over time.

If you do have an idea, it’s important to express your needs and that starts in this call.

What can you afford to pay for counselling? As you search for a counsellor in Langley and the surrounding area, you may see a range of rates.  For counselling, that rate is generally between $120-$150 per 50-minute session.  Each therapist will have a set rate.  Some of them are able to offer a sliding scale fee, or reduced rate to help you get the help you need. 

If you are needing a lower rate than the counsellor has advertised, your counsellor will often ask you what you can afford and encourage you to take the lead in that conversation. Be honest with yourself and with them.  If you can’t afford the full rate and don’t speak up you may avoid going to your counsellor because of this, and that doesn’t help you in moving forward.

Therapy is the type of engagement that you will get out what you put in. The counsellor is a trained professional there to help you grow. Honour their fee as much as you can, and honour your needs as much as you can.

Try to avoid asking for the lowest fee possible just because “cheaper is better,” and try to avoid paying so much that you’re at risk of not being able to pay your bills. As you begin this journey, it’s good to remember that authenticity, honesty, and balance are key.

If you are wondering if your health care benefits will cover seeing this counsellor, this is a good time to ask.  You can also read more about whether these services are covered in another blog we wrote here.

Discomfort Does Not Mean Don’t Do It. As you are meeting with a counsellor, you will be putting yourself out there. This can be uncomfortable at first.  Discomfort does not mean you shouldn’t do it, or that this is a bad fit.

As you may have already experienced, a degree of challenge and discomfort is necessary to grow in any area of your life. This discomfort will also ease over time, particularly with the right counsellor to guide you and walk alongside you.

Check in with yourself and that discomfort.  Is it about the process and the work you’re about to start, or because the therapist you’re talking to doesn’t feel like they’re someone you want to move forward with?

Have Patience With Yourself and the Process. It is possible you will experience a strong connection on your first phone consultation. Many clients we work with do. However, it’s also possible the fit doesn’t feel right for one reason or another. That’s why we offer this service, and hope you know it doesn’t mean that counselling is not right for you.

Therapy really does look different therapist to therapist. I would encourage you to try again.

You might even decide ahead of time that you are going to try 3, or maybe up to 5, phone calls with different therapists. It may feel like a big time investment up front, but you are worth it.

3. What Questions Could You Ask in Your Free Phone Consult?

We have written about this in another blog post about finding the right counsellor for you, which you can read here.

Asking questions about a therapists’ training, how they work in session and what their approach to therapy are good places to start. 

4. What Does Your Potential Therapist Want to Know in This Phone Call?

In order to hear if a counsellor is a good fit for you, it can help them to know a bit about you and what your needs are.  This helps them provide answers that are specifically suited for you rather than speaking in generalizations.  Consider sharing the answers to these questions. 

Why are you interested in beginning counselling?  This will help your potential counsellor identify how to best meet you where you are and help you get the most out of your work together. 

Have you been to therapy before? If so, what was that experience like? What worked or didn’t work for you with your previous counsellor? 

What are you hoping to work on?  Again, it’s okay if you don’t have a specific answer to this yet.  If you do, the phone consultation is a great opportunity to share with the therapist and learn more about their experience with that issue area.

5. How Does This Work? 

Learning what the practical information is about the work you will do together is generally anxiety relieving for many people. 

You can ask questions like:

• How long is the session?

• What is their cancellation policy?

• Do you partner with any other professionals like psychiatrists or nutritionists?

• How do they accept payments and when? Do they take credit card, e-transfer or debit?

• What do your interactions look like between sessions? If you have a question that comes up are they okay if you email or text them, or would they rather you wait until meeting again?

6. Trust Your Intuition

While the phone consultation is a good way to see if this relationship is a good fit for you or not, it’s important to remember that it is only 15-minutes.  This call is meant to be a way of checking your gut instinct against what you’ve already learned about this counsellor. You will learn more about your fit over time.  Being in person (or online) and for a full session will help you confirm that you made the right decision.  And know that you have the freedom to change your mind any time. You are not trapped into who you choose today.

During the call, tune in to yourself and ask things like:

• Do you feel as though the counsellor is listening to you?

• Are the questions they are asking related to you and getting to know your needs better?

• Are you curious to meet with the counsellor in-person to get a better understanding of your fit and the work together?

• Do you feel as though there is potential for your trust and relationship to grow?

7. Schedule Your First Session

If your instincts are telling you that this therapist is someone you want to move forward with, I would encourage you to schedule your first session before ending the phone call. Working off that momentum and connection you’ve made and booking your first session can help you feel positive about yourself and the fact that you are getting help for what you are facing. 

Meeting with your counsellor in-person (or online) will give you a sense of what it’s like to begin working with them. It will give you an even better chance to confirm that this is the right person to help you reach your goals for therapy.

Throughout this process, you do need to have a little bit of faith. Like any relationship, the therapeutic relationship takes a little bit of time to grow and deepen. 

You will get a sense of your comfort level and your potential with your therapist through this phone consultation and your first appointment, but the goal here is really not to be “fixed”. Counselling, and healing, can take time. You deserve to give yourself that time and space regularly. 

If the unknown and undefined time ranges make you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. If this is you, I recommend giving yourself an experiment time frame. Give yourself 5-6 sessions.  If you don’t start to feel a bit different, or haven’t learned a handful of realizations about yourself, your thought or behaviour patterns, or your hopes and fears, you may want to reconsider the counsellor you’re working with.

Until then, some good rules of thumb are:

• Be open to the potential for change and viewing things in a new light. You have done things a certain way for a long time for likely very good reasons. However, these reasons may not be serving you any more. Be open to the idea that there may be a better way. Hey, it’s worth trying. You can always go back to your way if you hate it.

• Be curious about your thought and behaviour patterns. You may be surprised how much you learn if you are open to digging a little bit. Be the observer, take note of what you see, hear, and feel.

• Be aware that often things feel like they get worse before they get better as you start the healing process.

• Be honest and authentic with your therapist. As you begin to feel safe and build trust, the more you put in and the more you share, the more you’ll get out.
  A note here: Do not feel pressure to share before you’re ready. As mentioned above, counselling is a space about and for you. You can use it in any way you need, and you may need more time, particularly if something is very raw or very traumatic for you.

• As best you can, communicate your needs. If you are thinking something could be better or worse, share with your therapist. This, too, may take time, but it will ultimately help your therapy become what you need, and it will have a ripple effect on helping your relationships in the rest of your life become stronger and more open, as well.

I hope the above suggestions help you in your phone consultation and beginning stages with your therapist.

If you have thoughts, comments, or suggestions based on things that have worked especially well for you, or things that did not work well, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us and find out how healing comes together at info@panoramawellnessgroup.ca

Lisa Catallo is the Owner and Director at Panorama Wellness Group.  She, and the team here, all feel strongly that helping you find the best counsellor for your personality and needs is so important that if we don’t have a good match within our team, we will do our best to find another qualified therapist who is.  Thanks to Alyssa Petersel for a framework for answering your questions about having the best phone consult experience.