Starting the Therapy Process

The process of starting therapy can seem scary, overwhelming, and down right weird, right? Many of my clients have expressed this same sentiment to me. For example, “You want me to talk to a random stranger that I don’t know about what is going on in my life? That feels counterintuitive.” You aren’t wrong here. I always validate that the first session is weird. Actually, I think hardest part is the initial email or phone call you make to your potential new therapist. It is requiring you to actually step into that space and acknowledge that another opinion is wanted about what is happening in your life. If you are at that step, or have already made the first initial contact, well done!

Now comes the part of meeting with the therapist. My approach is always one of curiosity! I have the new client paperwork that you have completed and we will go over that, and then from there we just talk about you. What brings you in to therapy, who makes up your social network, how do you manage your stress, etc. By learning information about you that isn’t so focused on the problem actually gives further context to what is happening in your world. My job is then to determine what patterns have developed and then help you to create new ways to interact with [insert problem].

Therapy is such an amazing process. It allows you to open up some of those pieces of yourself that you might keep hidden from others or from the world and better understand why you do the things that you do. Gaining insight into yourself is one of the most rewarding processes. Therapy is hard, as it challenges us to get uncomfortable. The process of therapy helps to address the people or things in our life that prevent us from living as our most authentic selves. Many times it gets worse before it gets better, but partnering with the right therapist whom you feel comfortable, safe, and willing to explore these areas makes all of the difference.