Getting Started in Therapy

Getting Started in Therapy

Life can be chaos and complication piled onto each other and intertwined with nuances of heartache, heartbreak, loss, emptiness, and loneliness. Each day can also hold so much overlooked beauty, comfort, opportunity, fulfillment, and adventure. We each fall into different spectrums of this experience and often feel at a loss for navigating on our own. We encounter addictions, traumas, hurts, and notice an absence of a source in our lives to talk through and validate what we think, feel, and experience. Therapy can be for anyone at any point in their life, someone to walk along with us or our family. Taking the first step can be scary.

We are familiar with our hurts and insecurities and worry that the world can see them and that they will be glaringly obvious to the clinician in the vulnerable therapeutic process. We seek acceptance and empathy when the world is filled with judgment and criticism. A therapist’s office is a place where one can be heard, empathized with, and challenged in healthy ways. Therapists want to listen and assist within the non-judgmental professional relationship. If you have thought about meeting with a therapist, don’t hesitate. It could be a rewarding leap of faith on your behalf.

The first meeting can be an overwhelming step; one thing that helps ease anxiety is to know what to expect. When you arrive at your scheduled appointment, bring any insurance information as well as a list of medications you have taken/ are taking. Your therapist will greet you and review consents forms related to confidentiality and your treatment. Your therapist will explain confidentiality, and limitations to help ensure privacy surrounds whatever you wish to work on in the session. If you have questions about the agency, the therapist, and the therapeutic process, ask the therapist at any time.

To gather information regarding your history and what goals you would like to focus on, the therapist will complete an evaluation.This will involve questions ranging from basic demographic information to questions regarding difficult current and past life events. Answer only to the level that you and comfortable. If you are uncomfortable or need to take a break, communicate this with the therapist. Once completed, the therapist will work with you to complete a treatment plan that will outline the goals for your therapeutic work. The treatment plan should include changes you want to make in your life.

During this process, you may disclose further needs that could be addressed by a physician or psychiatrist. Your therapist may assist you in establishing follow up appointments with any other services in the community that together you identify as helpful. For some, this may also include Case Management. Case Management is a service that can continually link you to community resources to meet your needs beyond the therapeutic setting. It works hand in hand with therapy to help you meet goals by helping you get the tools and resources you need. The initial session with your therapist will allow you to establish a schedule for your follow up sessions. The frequency sessions occur depending on feedback from you and your therapist. Typically a schedule is one hour per week. Some clients prefer twice a week while some prefer twice a month.

The most important step to making a change is scheduling and attending the first session. While overwhelming, this step, once taken, can be a leap toward achieving personal and family goals for improved mental health and wellbeing. Let’s make this first step together. Call us today; we can help.

Kesha McClure, LPCC

Intrust Therapist since 2012