How to prepare for your first therapy session

So, if you’ve never gone to counselling before you are probably feeling pretty anxious about getting started. In fact, I have yet to meet a client where they didn’t come into my office feeling just a tad nervous or uneasy. Hopefully, what you will find is within the first few minutes, or at very least by the end of the session, those worries or fears will subside. 

To ease some of your worries, here are a few things you might get asked during your first therapy session to help you prepare. Most therapists will likely ask, “what made you decide to reach out for therapy?”, “what are some of your goals for change in therapy” and some therapists may even ask “how will you know when those goals are achieved and what would that look like?”. 
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Before your first appointment, start brainstorming about some of those answers, you can even journal them and bring them with you to your appointment. Now, if you don't know what those answers are, that's okay too. The therapist's job is to help brainstorm some ideas and see what fits for you before moving forward. 

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By: Maria Drohan, MSW, RSW

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