It can be daunting going to your first session/assessment and not know what to expect.
Here are a few things you can expect.
What is therapy?
Therapy is the process between a therapist/counsellor/psychologist/psychotherapist where you meet for 50 - 60 minutes (therapeutic hour) to explore and/or work towards resolving unhelpful behaviours or lessen the impact of unhelpful beliefs, thoughts, physical sensations and emotions. The therapist will guide the session and will end it at the end of the therapeutic hour. Unless you are engaging in Couples Therapy or Group Therapy, the therapeutic session is for you alone and you are not expected to bring another person into the therapy room. Children, including young children or babies are generally not brought to therapy sessions so that you can focus on you for the therapeutic hour and not be focussed on the welfare of the child.
How do you prepare for a session?
If it is your first session/assessment, then the therapist will ask you questions about the problems that you have been having, how long you have experienced these difficulties and what the impact is on your whole life. The therapist may also try to elicit goals for therapy so that a therapeutic style can be determined to best suit your needs and help you to work towards and end-point. Be prepared to talk about the problems that have led you to seek therapy and be open towards the therapist so that they can assess what the most suitable way forward for you might be. Try to relax - therapy is the place for you to explore and work towards your therapeutic goals with your therapist.
What happens in therapy?
Therapy involves talking and communicating with your therapist. There may be times that you don't feel like speaking, but it is important to still go to your session, because you could explore this further in the session. You may talk about your feelings, your thoughts, your actions and behaviours, the sensations in your body - your therapist will guide the session and help you work towards your therapeutic goals. Examples of goals: improving sleep by managing worry, improve mood so that I can go to a family wedding, improve confidence so that I can give a presentation at work without having a panic attack, process a traumatic event so that I don't have flashbacks all the time, be more assertive at work, learn more about what I want in life etc. The therapist may help you to process emotions, help you to feel more connected to your body, do activities in the session that will help you to practice new skills etc. Therapists tend to tailor therapies and the process to their clients so that they can meet their needs and their therapeutic goals.
Are the content of my sessions confidential?
The content of sessions are generally confidential. Confidentiality is broken if the therapist is concerned that you may cause harm to yourself or to someone else, or if you inform them of someone who is actively being harmed or who is at risk. Normally, in this instance, the therapist will inform you that they are obliged to break confidentiality before they do break confidentiality. Anonymised content from the sessions may be discussed in the therapist's supervision with their supervisor, which is good practice. All therapists should be engaging in some form of regular supervision with their peers in a contained space, or with a clinical supervisor.
What to wear to therapy?
It is important that you are comfortable and go wearing clothes that are comfortable for you. You may go to a session after work, so going in your work clothes may be convenient. The therapist's role is not to judge you on your appearance, so feel free to wear what you feel comfortable in.
How long do I have to have sessions for?
The first session/s are used to explore your presenting problems and identify ways/goals to work towards. The therapist can give you a 'rough' idea of how many sessions they can offer or may be needed, but this may change as the therapy progresses and you may find that you need more or less as you go on. Therapy is a collaborative process, so the therapist will keep the conversation open about the number of sessions.
How do I get the most out of therapy?
Therapy is a collaborative process - it is important that you are as honest as you can be with your therapist and if something is not working for you, then it is important to let them know so that you can both re-evaluate how best to meet your therapeutic needs. Set yourself markers for change or for feeling or thinking differently so that you can assess your progress or see what mind need to be done differently. Try and make time outside of the sessions to reflect on the sessions and to do any homework tasks that you may have agreed to do in therapy. It is important to consider the timing of therapy and whether you have the 'headspace' to process the content of therapy and to do the work that may be required outside of therapy.
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