If you are considering making an appointment for yourself or you already have one scheduled, congratulations, you have already done some very hard work. Being aware of when you may need some support and taking the steps to provide that for yourself is important to acknowledge. Having an idea of what you can expect while getting that support, may ease some apprehensions you could be experiencing.
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- Paperwork. It’s rare that you make an appointment for anything these days without having to fill out some paperwork right when you arrive. That is no different when you arrive for a therapy appointment. Most of the paperwork is standard and should only take you a few minutes. Arriving early to your first appointment is always recommended so that you can take your time filling out your paperwork and not have it take time away from your session.
- Logistics. Once your paperwork is complete, you can take a seat in the office and make yourself comfortable. First sessions usually begin with me answering any questions you may have about the paperwork you just filled out and my cancellation policy.
- Apprehension. It is completely normal to feel apprehensive or overwhelmed at the idea of starting this process. If you have never been to therapy before, the idea of the unknown can be a heavy one. If you have been to therapy, the idea of beginning the process again with someone new can be daunting. It is important to me to be able to ease some of the worries that you may have about what to expect and make you feel as comfortable as possible.
- Talk. I don’t expect anyone to come in to a first session and start sharing everything that is on their mind and going on in their life. Trust and safety are two very important parts of the therapeutic relationship to me and it’s important to establish that. Getting to know you and letting you share what you are comfortable with is usually what guides an initial session.
- Awareness. It is important to know that whatever is bringing you into therapy is not going to get sorted out within one session. Understanding that therapy is a process and the work that gets done in sessions cannot be minimized may be helpful to acknowledge. Therapy is a commitment to yourself and the length of time needed for this process to be helpful will vary with every client.
- Contact. If you are considering making an appointment for therapy and still have some questions or concerns that you would like answered before you begin this process, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I can only speak from my own therapeutic perspective but, I am happy to try to make the initial process of your work as uncomplicated as possible.