Whether this is your first time seeking therapy or you have been in therapy for years, reaching out is a huge, brave step. Thank you. Each time you begin with a new therapist, it can be nervewracking.
What will I have to say? Will I have to disclose all the junk up front? How honest can I be? These are all normal questions. The answer to these is as much or as little as you would like. You get to say as much or as little you as you’d like, you get to disclose whatever you’d like, you get to be as honest as you’d like, and I won’t push unless you ask me to. True theraputic trust can take time to build, especially if you’ve had a bad experience. That’s ok. I get it. I’m not here to judge, criticize, or tell you that you need to change your life. I’m here to help you work through what’s happened and decide how you’d like to go forward.
Your initial session will be getting to know each other. I will ask you what’s bringing you in, get a bit of background, learn about your history, family, etc. As we get near the end of the session, I will ask you a few things. One will be whether you feel comfortable with the fit. I ask EVERY CLIENT this. If you are, awesome! If you’re not, please say so and I will help you connect with a skilled therapist, that I know, who you can work with. Not everyone meshes, it’s ok.
If you’re comfortable and want to continue, I will ask questions about:
- Scheduling: it’s easiest to do a standing appointment, but sometimes you need to schedule week by week. I try to accommodate both
- Journals! Do you have one? Do you need a notebook to use? I encourage everyone doing this work with me to have a journal that they can track things in, make notes for me or for you to remember, and to communicate things that are sometimes too hard to say. I have some available if you can’t afford to get your own.