What To Expect

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Beginning therapy with a Clinical Psychologist in Geelong can feel like a significant step. This page outlines what to expect from your first appointment and the therapy process.

Empathica Psychology  offers you  a safe and confidential space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings. Justine  provides evidence-based therapy for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and trauma. Her  approach is collaborative and tailored to your unique needs. She believes that by working together, we can achieve your goals and improve your overall well-being. 

The first appointment is an important starting point. It’s a chance for us to get a sense of what has brought you to therapy, what you are hoping for, and whether working together feels like the right fit.

During this session, Justine will spend time listening carefully to your story, asking questions to better understand your experiences, and getting a sense of what you would like to change or work towards. Just as importantly, this is an opportunity for you to see how you feel in the space and whether you feel comfortable and understood.

Therapy works best when there is a good fit. If either you or Justine feel that another approach or service may better meet your needs, this can be discussed openly and respectfully.

Towards the end of the session, Justine will reflect back what she has heard and share her initial thoughts about how therapy might proceed. This includes discussing your goals, what she believes may be helpful, and a possible direction for treatment. Where possible, she will also give you an indication of what the therapy process might look like and the likely timeframe — while recognising that this can sometimes be difficult to predict early on.

For some people, therapy may focus on a specific issue and involve only a small number of sessions. For others, particularly where concerns are longer-standing, layered, or complex, therapy may involve deeper work over a longer period.

Therapy remains collaborative throughout. Treatment plans are tailored to you and continue to evolve as the work unfolds.

Sessions may include reflective discussion, developing coping skills, practical strategies, and gaining insight into patterns that affect your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and daily life. The focus is on work that is meaningful and usable — with strategies and understanding that can be applied outside of sessions in everyday life.

Goals are revisited over time, and feedback is welcomed as part of the process. Justine works in a relational way, paying close attention to the therapeutic relationship itself as an important part of change.

Therapy can end in different ways, depending on your needs and circumstances. Sometimes therapy concludes relatively quickly once goals have been met. At other times, it may involve longer-term work with a more clearly defined ending.

In some situations, therapy may shift into less frequent  sessions, focused on consolidating gains, supporting ongoing growth, and helping you stay grounded during periods of change or stress.

Wherever you are in the process, the aim is for therapy to feel purposeful, supportive, and responsive to what you need over time.