How does your first consultation with the psychologist at JoVo Psychologenpraktijk?
Overview
Initially, the psychologist tries to understand your symptoms within the broader framework of your family history and environment. To this end, the psychotherapist asks targeted and simple questions during the introductory interview.
Psychologist's own questions
During your first interview in the psychology practice you can put all your questions to the psychologist About the counselling (diagnosis, counselling, coaching, psychotherapy) and how it proceeds. For example: duration, frequency, rate, methodology, expectations, confidentiality.
Your story
In addition, you can tell everything you want yourself: what is going wrong in your life, the complaints you have. How everything has come to this point. And it goes without saying that you don't have to tell anything you don't want to tell. The psychologist will make this conversation smooth and pleasant with questions and explanations.
Opinion
After one or a few exploratory sessions, the psychologist will give you concrete advice, suggest coaching or psychotherapy, or refer you.
Can I trust the Psychologist Practice?
Yes. Clinical psychologists are bound by their profession's deontology and ethics. Anything you put in the Psychologist practice tells is strictly confidential. It is talk therapy. There is also a disciplinary board at the psychologists' board where you can make your own complaints about your psychotherapist: www.compsy.be/klacht.
You can always restart terminated or discontinued psychotherapy later. You will then be given priority over new patients. This therefore means that the relationship with the psychotherapist remains forever a psychotherapist-patient relationship, even after therapy.
Psychologists are not allowed to disclose about psychotherapy to others without your written consent. Exceptionally, however, the psychotherapist has the right to speak in emergencies. Of course, you can always tell anyone about your psychotherapy and your psychotherapist.
Is the Psychologist Practice bound by rules?
Yes. The psychotherapist in the psychology practice must adhere to strict professional rules when practising his profession. These rules are contained in the Belgian Federation of Psychologists' professional code of ethics (www.bfp-fbp.be). And also in that of clinical psychologists (www.vvkp.be).
Moreover, a psychotherapist bound by the rules of the professional association to which he belongs. At the Psychologist Practice, you will find them at www.bsp-ebp.be
The ground rules of our Psychologist Practice:
- There is only talk (with child psychologists, there is also play therapy).
- The psychologist is subject to strict professional secrecy.
- The fee is fixed and payment is made after each session.
- The frequency of calls is fixed. The duration of each call is fixed.
- Patient decides when to stop treatment
For any questions or complaints about your psychotherapy in the Psychologist practice you can contact us, your GP and the Flemish Association for Mental Health Care (www.vvgg.be)
Is taking psychotherapy difficult?
Nay, anyone can do it, at their own pace. The psychotherapist specialises in working with people with psychological problems who struggle to speak.
Do I have to take medication to do psychotherapy?
No, on the contrary, often psychotherapy allows medication to be reduced or discontinued.
Schizophrenia
Some mental illnesses (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar) really do require medication in combination with psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy & medication
Consult your doctor
If your psychotherapist at Psychologenpraktijk believes that medication is needed, he/she will recommend that you discuss this with your GP/psychiatrist. Always follow your doctor's advice! If in doubt seek advice from a second doctor, your own doctor will not blame you. Take under no circumstances medication on your own initiative! Always consult your doctor, including for increasing or decreasing the dose.
When do I stop therapy?
You determine the duration of psychotherapy in the psychology practice. You stop when you want, but best in consultation with the psychotherapist.
A psychotherapy in the psychology practice it is best to stop if your complaint has diminished or disappeared completely. Or if the costs (time, energy, money) and benefits (progress) no longer seem balanced. Discuss this in your psychotherapy and with your doctor.
A number of people in the Psychologist Practice continue their psychotherapy after the symptoms have disappeared, to further improve the quality of their lives.
After you have stopped psychotherapy, you can of course always resume therapy at a later (or much later) time in the future. You will then be given priority over new patients.