Therapy Tips Mini-Series: Preparing for Your First Meeting
If you have been following our "Therapy Tips" mini-series, you have learned about how to determine whether or not you need counselling (SPOILER ALERT: you do and here's why) and how to find the right therapist for you. Now that you have called and booked an appointment, how do you prepare for your first appointment and what should you expect? Here are some tips to help you get started.
Prepare for all the emotions. Counselling is a very personal journey. Be prepared to explore realms of emotions that you did not know were possible. There will be moments where you will feel emotionally charged and that's ok. Your therapist is trained to handle these emotions and help you better understand them.
Come up with some goals for counselling. There is a plethora of benefits to attending counselling. From managing emotions to bettering relationships to personal growth to unraveling childhood trauma, the options are endless. However, if there is no direction within therapy, you may be walking around in circles and wasting your time (and money). Have an idea as to what you would like to gain from your time with your therapist. "I want to be happy" is a goal, but it's not specific enough (remember SMART goals?). What does happiness look like? How will you know you have achieved happiness? Coming up with something specific can help you see if therapy is working for you and it can also help your therapist guide you through the process.
Don't hold back. If you have picked a good therapist, they should give you the reassurance that therapy is a place of non-judgement. Your therapist is not there to judge you or your thoughts and actions. Say whatever comes to mind and be honest with how you feel.
Expect forms. TV shows and movies make it look like you start therapy right away. You assume that the therapist introduces themselves to you and off you go. No. There are forms that need to be filled that helps the therapist understand you better. Believe me, we don't like giving forms as much as you don't like filling them in. We would much rather dive right into it. Unfortunately, professional practice standards dictate that we do. The good news is that it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. Here's a tip- don't overthink your answers. Sometimes client's get stuck on questions such as, "What brought you to counselling today?" because they believe we're looking for an enlightened answer. We're not. Simply stating that you are feeling anxious when x y z occurs and you're looking for some guidance is good enough.
Your informed consent. Before counselling can even begin, clients are expected to give their therapist informed consent for services. This means that the client understands the advantages and disadvantages of therapy, the qualifications and education of the chosen therapist, their right to privacy and confidentiality (except in some cases- which should also be disclosed to you) and any other conditions that can help you make an informed decision.
Be Prepared to Make Decisions. There is a common misconception that your therapist is the one to give you advice on what to do. You are the only person in that room that knows you best. Therefore, only you are capable of making a decision for yourself. Your therapist's role is to help you arrive at a decision that you are confident in. Don't rely on your therapist to make decisions for you.
Those are just a few tips to get you started. Now that you have gotten over the hurdle of your initial appointment, let's make sure that you stay on track. Stay connected for our next post: Red flags to look out for.