What to Expect From a Consultation Call

I would like to start off this blog by sharing with you a warm hearted congratulations. I know this may sound cheesy but stick with me. What I mean by that is, if you’re reading this you have decided to take actionable steps towards putting you and your mental health first.

Acknowledgement of starting the process and the decision to start therapy is an easy idea for some, but for others it can take time, and may even feel like a mental game or battle. That game or battle happens for several different reasons (all of which are completely valid).

Thinking in context, you are about to share your life with a complete, and total stranger! That is not always an easy task (at first). You may have worries, and questions about taking that next step. Some of those questions may be

What if they judge me?
What if me and my therapist do not click, and now I have shared my whole life story with this stranger?
What if I do not like the style of therapy that is being offered to me?
What if I want to bring someone to my session?
What can I even expect from therapy?

Do any of those sound like questions you have asked yourself? Probably so! Therapists are humans too (and most have their very own therapist.) I get it and have even asked myself some of these very same questions when searching for the “right fit.”

Quite honestly these are some questions you should ask yourself because it means you are investing in yourself and the therapy process, and want to find the right fit.

What is the “Right Fit”?

You may have heard this phrase a lot in the mental health industry, but it is a loaded question because there is not one standard answer! Most therapy practices have a website that will contain the bios of the providers they have on staff. These snapshots are helpful in narrowing down your search, but they may not give you quite enough information to help you determine which provider will be the best for you.

Finding your best therapist match is like searching for a job, which is a lot easier when you have a network of recruiters helping find the job that checks all the boxes. We wanted to find a way to be that network for you when you reach out, intent on starting your mental health journey.

In walks the consultation call!

At Calming Waters Counseling Center, we offer you a FREE fifteen-minute consultation call. This gives you an opportunity to ask questions, get a small idea of what your therapist will be like, and put us in the proverbial hot seat (in the best way).

These calls are designed to help alleviate your worries about starting the process by giving you a chance to “shop” for a therapist before committing to an appointment. And while fifteen minutes doesn’t feel like a lot of time, you actually can find out a lot about yourself, and your therapist.

What is the Process of a Consultation Call, and How do I Set One Up?

Start out by reviewing our therapist bios on our website, and become familiar with ones that appeal to you. We try to give as much detail as we can in our bios, but if you still need guidance selecting a provider, the office can pick for you when you call.
Call or email our office and schedule a consultation call. At this time, you can request a certain therapist from our office, or if you are unsure and are interested in more than one therapist, you can schedule a consultation call with multiple therapists. Remember this process is about you! It is okay to get a feel for more than one therapist. It’s like trying to find that perfect pair of jeans, keep trying them until you just KNOW they are perfect for you.
Provide your contact information. You will only need to provide your first and last name, and a good phone number to contact you.
That’s it! You’re officially set up! The therapist will call you at the day and time you scheduled, and at the number you provided. Be sure to pat yourself on the back because you successfully have taken the first step.

What Can I Expect During the Consultation Call?

No consultation is the exact same. Every consultation will be somewhat different and will feel different. This is a normal part of the process. Every therapist is unique just like you. Be mindful of how you are feeling during those fifteen minutes with each therapist, or the one you selected to have the consultation call with. I encourage you to jot these feelings down, especially if you are meeting with more than one provider. You may find that some feelings stick out over others, helping you to narrow down your search.
To begin, the therapist will ask “What brings you to seek counseling at this time?” This is the ice breaker question when the consultation call begins.
- If you are nervous, it helps to practice what you want to say and how you want to respond to this question. If you think you may need help keeping your thoughts organized, jot down some main bullet points so you know you cover all of your questions and concerns.
- Answering this question allows the therapist to explore further and also give you insight if this area is something they are skilled in or not. We are all about transparency, and if your main mental health concern falls outside of the scope of your therapist’s knowledge, they will let you know and will work to connect you with a provider that has the tools and skills to address your concern.
Questions! – Consultation is the time to ask questions to the therapist. There is NO question too big, small, or trivial. We answer all questions as they are equally important to you. We also have an FAQs page that may also help answer some of your questions.
- Most therapists disclose their therapeutic approaches on their page featured on our website, or will disclose more in the consultation call. Often they will also educate further on what those approaches mean and how they envision using them with you from your presenting problem.
Questions the therapist might ask you
- How do you feel about homework assignments? (Not like school homework, you won’t be graded!) Homework in therapy is to help you achieve your goals, and can vary depending on what works for you and the therapist.
- Have you received therapy before? If you have, what are some things you liked or disliked in that experience?
- What are some goals you’d like to achieve in therapy?
- How long have you been experiencing this, or when did this feeling first occur?
Wrap up by reserving a date/time for your first session- Your therapist may ask if you would like to reserve a time and a date for an intake appointment at the end of the call. Be sure to gauge your comfortability level when deciding to reserve a session date/time. If you are unsure and need to process further after the call, or after you have spoken to another therapist, then be sure to share that with the therapist.
- The therapist will not in any way whatsoever be offended or judge you for saying you need to think further on this. It is respectable, and understandable to need to process further after the call. Again, this process is for you. If you are uncomfortable, that will impede your progress.
- Reserving a time/date, DOES NOT confirm or officially schedule you for a session. You will need to formally schedule and get set up for an intake session with the front office after the call. You can do this through our Contact page, email, or by calling our front office and speaking with our support staff.

After Your Call

It is encouraged to once again reflect on how you felt speaking with your therapist. Questions you can ask yourself after your call,

- Did I feel comforted speaking with them?
- Did I like how they spoke to me, and their approach?
- Did that therapist seem confident they could help me?
- Did I like their ideas of how they would go about helping me?

If you answered yes to all those questions and felt the therapist you spoke to was the “right fit” for you, then you are officially ready for an intake session! You are encouraged to go ahead and email, call the front office, or use our Contact page to set up an official intake session with that therapist at this time.

Note, you do not have the ability to set up an appointment online on your own, you will need to make sure to connect with our support staff to set up and confirm your first appointment.

Consultation calls are beneficial but not always necessary. You do not have to do a consultation call to be seen by a provider in our practice. Consultation calls are an optional resource to help ease your worries, connect with the right therapist before you invest, and get your questions answered. Therapy is a wonderful new journey to better understand yourself, and it is okay to have questions about the process. Calming Waters is proud to offer these consultation calls in order to make the process of kickstarting your personal journey easy and stress-free.