Frequently Asked Questions

The first session usually focuses on understanding your concerns, reviewing consent and confidentiality, clarifying goals, and explaining how future sessions may work. Clear early expectations can help you engage more comfortably in therapy.

No. Many first-time clients are unsure what to expect. Counselling often begins with guided questions that help you describe your situation and the kind of change you want.

Counselling length varies based on your goals, concerns and therapeutic approach. Some services use short-term models, often around 6-8 sessions, while the appropriate length can also depend on the severity of your concerns and your progress.

Confidentiality is a core part of counselling and supports trust in the therapeutic relationship. Your clinician will explain confidentiality clearly, including any legal or safety-related limits.

Yes. Therapy should feel personal rather than generic. Your clinician can adapt the therapeutic relationship, coping skills and treatment plan as your needs and goals evolve.

A psychological assessment is a structured process that combines interview information, testing, scoring and clinical interpretation to answer a specific referral question and guide care planning.

Assessments are often used to clarify a diagnosis, understand strengths and difficulties, screen for risk or vulnerability, and support treatment or school/work planning.

A good assessment starts with a clear, answerable question. It may then use a combination of interviews, questionnaires, tests, records and information from more than one person.

Yes. Assessments may use different tools and referral pathways for ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety, behavioural concerns and broader presentations. The tools selected depend on what needs to be understood.

Assessment is used to inform decisions and treatment planning, not just produce a score. Results are typically translated into practical recommendations, next steps and areas of support.

A workshop is usually a structured psychoeducational session or series that combines education, discussion and practical skills to improve mental health knowledge and coping.

Workshops can support the general public, employees, parents and people receiving mental health care, depending on the topic and format.

Topics often include stress management, coping, relationships, self-compassion, resilience, sleep, communication and recognizing mental health concerns.

Workshops are usually educational and skills-based rather than a substitute for individualized therapy. They can still improve knowledge, coping, treatment engagement and willingness to seek further support.

Evidence suggests online workshops can improve knowledge, confidence and mental health literacy, with outcomes often comparable to in-person formats when the content is structured well.

rTMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment most commonly used for depression, especially when standard treatments have not helped enough.

Multiple randomized trials and reviews support rTMS for depression, with meta-analyses showing symptom improvement over sham treatment and good acceptability, although effect sizes and protocols vary across studies.

Candidacy depends on a clinical and medical review that considers diagnosis, treatment history, medications, neurological history and factors that could raise seizure risk.

Pre-treatment steps typically include psychiatric assessment, medical history, review of contraindications and alternatives, a treatment prescription and informed consent.

Session schedules vary by protocol. Conventional courses are spread over weeks, while accelerated protocols can deliver multiple sessions per day over shorter timeframes. The best dosing strategy is still being studied.

The most common side effects are usually headache, scalp discomfort, fatigue and brief treatment-site discomfort. Serious adverse events are rare.

Evidence supports a favourable safety profile when rTMS is delivered within established safety ranges and after appropriate screening. Seizure risk and rare serious events still need to be discussed during informed consent.