How to prepare for your first therapy session
By Erin Rayburn
If you have never been to therapy before, the idea of starting can be a bit intimidating. Being nervous for your first therapy session is normal, but you can prepare ahead of time to make the experience easier. No matter what your background is, therapy can help improve your mental health and make you feel empowered to brave any storm you may be going through. It’s completely normal to be nervous, anxious, or unsure of what to expect as you begin your journey to growth, recovery, healing, or whatever it may be. To help you best prepare for your first therapy session, we have compiled some tips that will make you feel relaxed and ready to finally walk through the door of your therapist’s office for the first time.
Know Why You’re Going
Before starting therapy, it is crucial to answer some important questions such as:
Why are you going?
What are you seeking to understand about yourself?
What are you hoping to change?
What do you want to achieve in your life?
Journaling, It Helps More Than You Think
Writing is an excellent tool for processing your thoughts, feelings, and emotions as it helps you organize what is going on in your head to visualize your emotions more clearly. If you feel comfortable, you can also bring your journal to your first therapy session to help you communicate your thoughts with your therapist more easily.
Set Goals
Therapy is a journey, and it is up to you to determine what your destination is. You should set goals to know what you are aiming for. By creating a list of objectives that you want to achieve with therapy, you and your therapist can work together to create a strategy that will lead to success. Goal setting is also a great tool to enhance your focus and know what you are specifically working toward. There is no greater feeling than experiencing the joy of accomplishing your goal.
When deciding your goals it is important to be descriptive and specific. Bringing a list of your goals to your session will help your therapist understand what you are hoping to achieve in therapy. Though this may change throughout the series of your sessions, it’s a helpful starting point. Some practical goals that clients often set with their therapists include
behavioral change
healthy coping mechanisms
enhancing mood
improving relationships.
With the help of your therapist, you can plan out how to shift your life in a healthier and more positive direction.
Ask Questions
Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Asking questions during therapy is important because your therapist is there to help you and wants you to openly communicate all your thoughts, feelings, concerns, and questions with them. The more questions the better! This ensures that there is clarity on both ends and that a mutual understanding is achieved. Another helpful thing to remember is that your first therapy session is like an interview to see if you are a good fit with your therapist. Therefore, it is important to ask your therapist questions about themselves to determine if you would make a good team together.
Dress Comfortably
The way you dress directly influences how you feel. When it comes to your first therapy session, comfort is key. Since you will probably be sitting in a chair for the majority of the time spent with your therapist, it is important to wear clothes that you will feel comfortable in.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
The first phase of your therapy journey is focused on establishing a trusting and therapeutic relationship with your therapist and assessing any issues that may be present in your life. Therefore, it is very important to be genuine, open, and honest with them. Trust is the cornerstone of any relationship, so it is important to start building it early on with your therapist. This will make it much easier to talk to them about the deeper challenges going on in your life as you progress through your therapy journey.
Your therapist is excited to learn your story. The good, the bad, and the ugly. They also want to know you from the inside out so that they can understand the unique aspects about your personality that push you to search for healing or achieve goals. Some important information to share with your therapist is your expectations of the therapeutic relationship and process, along with any negative perceptions and fears that you may have about either. This will help them help you.
Your relationship with your therapist is a significant element that determines how effective your therapy experience will be. In addition, it’s unique because its sole purpose is to pour into your life and help you grow. This is the key to unlocking your true potential, overcoming issues in your personal life, and benefitting the most from your therapy experience.
Crying Is Okay
If you are nervous about crying during your first therapy session, you can rest easy knowing that it is completely normal to do so. In fact, it’s actually healthy for you to express a diverse spectrum of emotions because it shows that you are processing and regulating your feelings properly. Your therapist will not be surprised if you shed some tears during your time spent with them. In fact, they may even be relieved because crying is often the first sign that you’re starting to enter the healing process.
Post Session
Make sure to set aside time after your session to allow yourself to process your thoughts and emotions. At the end of your first therapy session, you may feel tired and possibly even a bit overwhelmed. In a way, therapy sessions are like exercise, only your mind and emotions are getting a workout instead of your body. Knowing this, it is important to give yourself rest and adequate time to decompress. A good rule of thumb is to take a couple of hours after your therapy session to relax, recharge, and process what you just experienced. Going for a light walk, journaling, listening to music, playing with a pet, or spending time with a trusted friend are all excellent forms of self-care that you can practice after the session ends.
