"Initial Consultation"

What is the purpose of a client's initial consultation?

Most clinicians offer some form of an initial consultation for clients prior to booking their first session. This allows for you, a potential client, to gather more information about the provider and their practice. It also allows the therapist to assess whether they can be of service to you.

What is the first step in the consultation process?

Stages of Consultation. There are six main steps in the consultation process. These are establishing a relationship with the client, assessing the problem, setting goals, implementing solutions, evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment solutions, and terminating the relationship once the goal has been met. 

Patient beliefs and expectations, as potential influences on adherence, precursors of behavior change and mediators of outcome, are at the heart of the consultation process. Their identification and management can be understood and addressed only within the overall context of the consultation itself. There are three major features of the consultation: (1) the style with which a doctor listens to a patient will influence what they say; (2) effective communication between doctor and patient leads to improved outcome for many common diseases; and (3) patients' compliance will be improved if the management plan has been negotiated jointly. To optimise the effectiveness of the consultation therefore, it is necessary to clarify the nature and purpose of the consultation.