In a first session of couples therapy both partners will discuss what brings them to therapy, the issues that they are experiencing, their hopes and expectations and their ideal outcome from future sessions. At the end of this initial assessment the counsellor will feedback and suggest what he/she/they think is their best way ahead and make their recommendation regarding further sessions.
The initial session is also to understand whether couples counselling is the appropriate course for the couple, how the couple feels at the end of the first session and whether they felt a good level of connection to their therapist.