How to prepare for your first therapy session

You may know how to prepare to see a doctor for a new physical illness, but how should you prepare for your first treatment appointment?

While preparing for your first appointment with a therapist is a good idea, it’s not something people do frequently. “The

is often a mysterious element around therapy and especially what to expect in the first session, ”says licensed clinical psychologist Annie M. Varvaryan of Couch Conversations Psychotherapy and Counseling in Los Angeles.

However, therapists want to remove some of this mystery so that you are well equipped for your first session.

There are a few advantages to preparing for your first therapy appointment:

A logical first step in preparing for your first treatment appointment is finding a therapist who you think is right for you. You may be limited by what your insurance covers or what the therapist charges. You may also find yourself limited to who is in your geographic area, although you will expand your choices if you are open to telehealth appointments.

Online profiles of therapists should indicate whether you can schedule telehealth appointments with them, or you can always ask them directly if they do telehealth.

Beyond that logistics, try to get a glimpse in your mind of who you think you can open up to in therapy, advises licensed psychologist Nicole Lacherza-Drew, owner of Vici Psychological Care in Allendale, New Jersey. Some questions to consider when choosing a therapist:

It’s good to ask your friends, family, or GP for names of therapists that might be right for you, but remember that everyone has different needs. A therapist that someone else loves may not be right for you, even if they are highly qualified.

Some therapists offer a short, free phone consultation to give you a better idea of ​​their approach and style. Use them to your advantage by contacting multiple therapists, recommends Dr Arpan Parikh, Psychiatrist and Senior Director of Clinical Experience for Ro Mind, a digital mental health platform for anxiety and depression. Parikh likens the process to speed dating, so you can learn more about each therapist and practice at short intervals.

There are a few steps you can take before your first therapy appointment to prepare:

Write down what brings you to therapy. If you like to keep a journal, you can write it down there, but you can also use a notes app on your phone. Add new observations as they come to you. Review what you’ve written before your first date, advises Nosal.

Have goals in mind, Parikh advises. This can be difficult to do if you are new to therapy and are unsure of what to expect. Nonetheless, you can start by looking at how your mental health issues are affecting certain areas of your life and what types of changes can be helpful in improving those areas.

For example, maybe your goal is to change some negative behavior that you repeatedly have at work. Or, you want to stop repeating the same argument over and over with a loved one, and therapy can explain why you keep having that argument.

Prepare a list of all the medications you use, including over-the-counter medications and natural supplements. This is valuable information for a therapist in case the medication affects your mental health. Be sure to write down the strength you are using for each medication. Better yet, bring the vials of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or herbal supplements with you to your first session if you can, suggests Lacherza-Drew.

Review some of your life history. This could include:

This information will give the therapist a more complete overview of your life and help you spot patterns that may be related to your current problem, Varvaryan explains. For example, you may review old report cards and find that you’ve always struggled to pay attention in class, which you’ve noticed more recently that you want to address in therapy.
Retrieving this information in advance will ensure more accuracy than trying to recall it at the time.

Be prepared to do some paperwork. The therapist may ask you to do this at home before arriving for the appointment or by showing up a few minutes early to fill out the information.

Try to keep an open mind. You’ve probably seen therapy portrayals on TV shows or movies, but your actual therapy may be very different, Varvaryan says. Congratulate yourself for taking the courage to organize a therapy session and keep an open mind about what will happen during therapy.

Your first therapy session will pass quickly, says Lacherza-Drew. With many therapists, you will spend part of your first session doing paperwork. This means that the therapist will review what you have written and ask you questions about it, but it also means reviewing important policies. These may include:

Many therapists will use the first appointment to review their own references and style of therapy. They will also give you the opportunity to share a few more details about why you came to therapy and ask any questions you have. Do not hesitate to ask questions.
Some therapists will have a very structured process for getting to know you and reviewing the materials during this first appointment. Others will be more laid back and may just ask, “What brings you today?” And guide the discussion from there, Varvaryan says.

With more therapy sessions now being performed virtually, you may wonder if your first virtual therapy appointment is any different from an in-person meeting. For the most part, it will be the same, with the therapist reviewing documents and policies, Lacherza-Drew says.

During your first therapy session, you may want to ask a few questions to get a clearer idea of ​​what to expect from therapy:

Even if you are busy, do your best to take the time to reflect on your first therapy session. Although much of your first session focused on paperwork and presentations, you can still reflect on everything you revealed during therapy and how it made you feel or what you thought. of the therapist. Write your thoughts in a journal, if you feel comfortable doing so.

Reflection is an important part of therapy, but Lacherza-Drew realizes that not all clients will take the time to reflect after therapy sessions. Because of this, she will often ask clients when they return for their next appointment what they think of everything they revealed the last time. It builds a certain amount of self-reflection in the date.

Don’t expect to get all of your questions about your problem answered after your first therapy session and during that initial self-reflection, Nosal says. Nonetheless, you can gain valuable insight into your current problem or thoughts about therapy.

Continue to practice self-reflection after your subsequent sessions with your therapist to help you get the most out of your sessions.

Your therapy will likely be more successful if you feel you get along well with your therapist, Parikh says. This is why trying to find a suitable person in advance, and then confirming that the person is right for you in person or on a video call, is an important part of therapy.

Yet not all therapists and clients are a good match. Listen to your instincts. If you see that you are having a hard time opening up to the therapist for some reason, you may need to find someone else.

Because the first therapy session spends so much time covering policies and paperwork, you may want to give the therapist at least one or two additional appointments before making this decision, advises Nosal.

Sometimes clients may mistake nervousness about the treatment process for not clicking with the therapist. This is yet another reason to consider giving the therapist a little more time before switching, says Varvaryan.

If you still don’t think you’re a good partner, be upfront with the therapist instead of canceling dates and hiding them. “You won’t offend me and I won’t get angry,” said Lacherza-Drew. “My job is to help you, even if that means finding a referral (to another therapist) for you. “

It can actually be helpful for the therapist to know why you are not a good partner, she says. There may be something the therapist does that they can do differently to help future clients.