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A first psychotherapy conversation can start with whatever feels hardest right now. Goals, confidentiality and review can all be discussed openly.

A clinic known for massage and hands-on treatment may not be the first place you think of for talking support, yet many people find it easier to raise emotional strain in a setting that already feels familiar. If that is you, there is no need to prepare a tidy account of your life before you walk in.

Starting from where you are

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, also holds qualifications in psychotherapy and offers sessions at the Lane Cove clinic. A first conversation with Christine might begin with what has become hard lately, how long it has been going on and what you would like to be different. Patterns in sleep, relationships, work and any support you have tried before can help sketch a starting point.

Questions you are welcome to ask

• How will we decide what to focus on?
• How will we check whether the sessions are useful?
• What does confidentiality mean here, and where are its limits?

There is no standard number of sessions that applies to everyone. Knowing the name of a therapy method also tells you little about whether the working relationship will suit you, so it is fair to judge the fit as you go.

Keeping your priorities in view

Psychological work should leave space for what matters to you. You might want to understand a reaction, talk about something that feels stuck, or work out how you will notice change. Ask Christine how you will both check that the work is on track and what other support exists if your needs shift between appointments, including when a GP or another service would be a better fit.

If speaking first feels daunting, a short written note listing two or three things on your mind is a perfectly good way to open the session. You can hand it over, read from it or simply keep it on your lap as a reminder, whichever feels easiest on the day.