Welcome to the Clanwilliam Institute

We hope this information helps you with your first visit to us

Young Children:

Sometimes people go to a family therapist because they’re worried about something and maybe they’re not able to speak about it with the important people in their life.  Family therapy helps people to be able to talk more together which can make difficult feelings more manageable. It also helps families to find solutions for the problems they are facing. Sometimes you might be with some of your family and at other times you might be with all the people in your family. You might be nervous coming for the first time which is okay. Your therapist will be patient and will understand that this might be scary for you and will do everything they can to make it a good experience for you.

Young People:

Family therapy is different from other types of therapy in that there are usually more than one member of a family present. It can also mean that important people in your life can join and be a part of it. It is also possible to do individual sessions as part of your work with the family therapist which may be helpful if you struggle to discuss hard things with your family. We see lots of different people who are experiencing various personal and emotional difficulties. This can include difficulties with friendships and relationships, self-esteem, self-harm or suicidal thoughts, eating difficulties, bereavement, trauma and family break up.

What you can expect:

  • When you arrive, you’ll press the bell and our receptionists will buzz you into reception.
  • They’ll ask you to take a seat in the waiting area for your therapist.
  • When the time for your appointment comes, your therapist will come out to greet you.
  • The initial session is about everyone getting to know each other. The therapist might ask questions about things like;
    • What brings you to therapy?
    • When the problem(s) began?
    • Who will be attending?
    • What hopes you have for therapy?
  • Following your first session, the therapist will advise when your next appointment will be (usually every 2 weeks) and you will be booked in.

Things to consider following your 1st session:

  • It might be useful to think about what you’d like to talk about in your next session or if there are any questions you’d like to ask your therapist.
  • It’s really important that your relationship with the therapist is a good fit. What we mean is that you feel you can talk to them and that it feels safe to explore what is going on for you.

Do let us know if you need anything to make your visit more comfortable. Contact us prior to your visit.