New to therapy? Here’s what to expect.
Yay! You took a really important first step to healing— scheduling your first counseling appointment! It is totally normal to feel uncertain, nervous, and even a bit overwhelmed by the idea of telling your story to a counselor.
Each provider will do things a bit differently, but here’s what you can generally expect for your first appointment.
Setting expectations. Your provider might walk you through office policies, the length of sessions, and explain a bit to you about how they do things. You should definitely understand confidentiality (what stays between you and your counselor) and what limits there are to confidentiality.
Getting to know you. Your provider will likely ask you questions about what’s going on currently in your mental health and some life history. Your counselor might ask you about your family history, your childhood, and other aspects of what makes you you.
Talking about your counseling goals. Mostly you want to feel better, but how? You and your counselor will talk about your goals for your counseling sessions so that your counselor is surer to address the concerns that are most important to you.
In order to get the most out of your sessions, I encourage you to consider some of these questions:
What would I like to be different about my life? What are the things I’m willing to change in order to make that happen?
Am I willing to do therapy “homework” outside of session? What kind of things would I be willing to work on outside of sessions?
What would feeling better actually look like?
What aspects of my life story do I want to share with my counselor?
It takes a lot of courage to set up an appointment to talk to a counselor. In fact, it’s a great act of self-care. I’m so excited for all the growth you’re about to experience!