Here is some information to help you understand what to do in preparation for your first support session.

When you first get in contact with us at Arthur Ellis you will be asked to fill in a questionnaire that tells us a little about you and your circumstances. We may have already received information from your school, employer or GP but we like to get your point of view, and your parents’ if you are under 16.

How to prepare for your first support session with us

Accessing any form of therapy for the first time can be a daunting process, that’s why we have laid out some ideas to help you prepare for your first support session.

Once we have booked your session you will get sent an email with the date and time of your first session, the name of your Mentor and it will include a link to your Mentor’s Zoom room. You will use this link every time you have a session with your Mentor.

You can do the following things to get prepared for your first therapy session:

1. Pop the date and time into your calendar. It might be a good idea to set a reminder in the morning and set aside 15 minutes before and after your support sessions so that you can get into the right headspace and decompress after.

2. If you are comfortable with it, let a trusted person know. Ask if they can give you a ring or be with you to talk about it after the session, it can be helpful to unload and talk through your experience.

3. Put the link to your session in a safe place. It could be in your notes on your phone or put the email in a folder labelled Arthur Ellis. You could also text or email it back to yourself.

What happens in your first session?

In your first session you will meet your Mentor. They will introduce themselves and tell you a little about themselves. They will ask you to introduce yourself and they may ask you some questions about the information we have on file to ensure that it is all correct.

Most of the time, the first support session is all about your Mentor getting to know you and your situation, they might touch on some subjects that are difficult, but you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. From this first meeting, the Mentor might be able to help you establish some goals that you may want to achieve.

Throughout the following sessions you will work on some strategies and mechanisms that will help you achieve those goals and manage anything that you want to work on.

Nervous about your session? 

That’s okay, commonplace and completely normal. Being anxious is so often the result of being worried, concerned and apprehensive about uncertain future events.  

Most of us have times when we can feel jittery about something new. Hopefully, the information you have gleaned from us already goes some way to helping you understand what you can expect. 

Remember: 

• these are sessions for you,

• you lead them,

• you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t feel ready to,

• your mentor will go at your pace,

• you are in control of this.

If, in the run up to the session, you have any moments where you feel overwhelmed, there’s a great technique that might help. It’s called 5-2-7 and it’s a breathing technique.  Here’s how you do it: 

Find somewhere quiet and safe and, if you like, close your eyes 

Don't do this in a situation you need your eyes open - that’s why we say keep safe!! 

Step 1 - breathe all air out of your lungs and then (counting in your head) breathe in for 5 seconds 

Step 2 - hold for 2 seconds 

Step 3 - breathe out for 7 seconds. 

Repeat this for about 30 seconds or so.  

If these are quite big breaths, switch it up to 3-1-5.

Check out our FAQ page if you still have questions, or get in touch.

Don't forget, we are a registered charity and it's probably of no surprise to you that since the pandemic, those accessing our services has increased by 806%, and this figure continues to rise. Any donation, big or small, helps to bring us one step closer to achieving our mission - to support the estimated 1.7 million people across the UK who struggle to access mental health care, without long waits or high thresholds.

If you can, you can donate or fundraise for us as an individual or a group, whether this is a fun run or a CSR project at work. Or, scan the QR code below. Maintaining our service is only possible with people like you!