Aristos Mental Health and Wellbeing

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is something we all have, and it’s something that changes at different times in our lives. We all have a body, and we all have a brain, so we all have physical health and mental health. Some people think of their mental health as ‘emotional health’ or ‘well-being’. Mental health can affect the way you think, the way you feel and the way in which you behave.

What can the Aristos Mental Health and Wellbeing Service offer?

At Aristos Mental Health and Wellbeing, we offer an initial assessment appointment for new clients which typically lasts between 1.5–2 hours in length. During this consultation we provide a full assessment of your current mental health and well-being. The purpose of our initial consultation is to explore your current difficulties, identify where they originate from, and what keeps them going.  Following the assessment, we will provide you with a detailed written summary or ‘formulation’ which will include our recommendations for ongoing treatment.

Our Mental Health & Wellbeing Appointments

At Aristos, we offer the following appointments to help support you with your Mental Health and Wellbeing:

What Should I Expect At My Initial Assessment Appointment?

Here is some further information from Angie about what to expect at your Initial Assessment Appointment…

“It is common to feel worried or unsure about what to expect from therapy.

Firstly, it is important that you feel comfortable with whoever it is you are talking to, in this case me.

Therapists refer to this as the ‘therapeutic relationship.’ I value the significance of the therapeutic relationship, I am an experienced communicator, I strive to build trust with clients and offer a compassionate and empathetic approach. 

The first session is called an ‘Initial Assessment Appointment’

Confidentiality, the information shared will remain confidential, there are some exceptions to this for example if you were felt to be at significant risk of harming yourself or others. Should concerns about the level of risk arise, we would always discuss this together first and develop a plan to manage this risk. 

Don’t worry about what to say, I will ask you some questions to help my understanding of your current difficulties. The more you can share with me the better I will be able to help, however I understand that it can be daunting to openly discuss your experiences at first, therefore the pace of therapy is set by you and what makes you feel most comfortable.

Therapy is a collaborative process, you are the expert of your own experience, my role is to facilitate new understanding and to help you to develop new skills. It is important that you don’t feel afraid to ask questions about anything that feels unclear to you throughout the process of therapy.

You can attend your appointment alone or bring someone with you to support you.  

You may also be asked to complete a questionnaire relating to the mental health difficulties you describe. 

Your session is likely to last between 90 – 120 minutes, this allows time for a full assessment of your mental health and wellbeing.

Shortly after your assessment you will receive a ‘written summary’ or ‘formulation’ which will include our understanding of your difficulties, where they originated from, what keeps them going and recommendations for ongoing treatment.

What Is A Formulation Letter?

The formulation letter is an important part of therapy. The development of the formulation letter is an intervention included in the costing of the initial assessment appointment. As such following the initial assessment appointment, I will take the time to type a personalised formulation letter which will be presented in both narrative and diagrammatic format. The formulation will be shared with you, and should you decide to return to therapy for treatment the formulation remains a live document which we will refer to and build upon throughout the duration of therapy.

The aim of the formulation is to guide the treatment plan. The formulation will capture our shared understanding of your difficulties including your presenting problems, attempting to explain how these problems developed, identifying maintenance cycles which are keeping you stuck and developing goals for therapy.

What Happens Next?

At this point you have different options;

1. We feel that the service could support you with your mental health and wellbeing, you feel comfortable working together and book a ‘return appointment’.

2. You may feel the initial assessment and formulation is enough to help you gain a better understanding of your mental health and wellbeing. This may help you to move forward and implement changes with our guidance.

3. If we feel that your needs would be better met by an alternative service, then we can provide onward referral to these services.

I hope this information is helpful in alleviating any anxieties you may have about the possibility of attending therapy. You can find out more information about me in my bio or you can book a free enquiry call to talk through any worries or queries you have.” 

Client Testimonial

“I have struggled with anxiety and an eating disorder since my late teens however during the last couple of years my anxiety had got so much worse and it was seriously affecting my day to day life. I decided to start therapy again and I’m so happy I found Angie.

The style of therapy combining CBT in it has massively helped my overcoming deep routed problems that I had ignored for quite a while, and giving me the tools I need to manage my anxiety on a weekly basis.

I am a big advocate for therapy, I think whether life is getting on top of you or any disorder, it is very much needed nowadays. You take care of your body at the gym and in therapy with Angie. I can’t recommend and rave about Angie enough, she has helped me make already a huge improvement in my daily life.”

if you have any questions about our mental health and wellbeing service please book a FREE enquiry call with angie.

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