Your First Therapy Session: What to Expect & How to Prepare
Your First Therapy Session: What to Expect & How to Prepare
You took the first scary step to schedule an appointment for therapy. I bet you’re wondering what to expect and if you should cancel because you’re nervous.
Please don’t cancel!
What you’re feeling is normal. It is scary to take the first step to improve your mental health. You are not alone!
Most people that I have encountered are nervous when they first come in. I was even nervous when I first went to group therapy! Sometimes what is good for us can be scary.
So, what does the first session look like?
The intake session is really just an advanced game of 50 questions. We have snacks and drinks ready in the waiting room that you can bring with you to make yourself comfortable.
We start out by reviewing the informed consent, or the paperwork, that you sign that goes over all of the important parts of being a client here.
Feel free to ask questions, we really don’t mind!
We also tell you that what you talk about stays in the therapy room to protect your privacy unless you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, if there is child or elder abuse, or if you get involved with the law and they request your records. This is in place to keep you safe.
After we talk about the paperwork and your privacy, then we move on to what brings you into counseling. We are curious about what you’re experiencing, how long it has been happening, how often, and how much it impacts you. It is okay if you are unsure!
We can take it a step at a time. This helps us learn more about a diagnosis so we can make your treatment specific to your needs.
The rest of the intake session focuses on learning more about your life, family history, friendships, physical health, and any other information that is needed to get a better idea of who you are.
Try not to feel pressured because everything doesn’t always come out in the first session. Once all of your information has been taken note of, we discuss what type of diagnosis you could be looking at.
This helps us work with you to create a treatment plan with goals for counseling.
Discussing Goals for Counseling
Your goals are the different areas you would like support or to make changes in during therapy. We can start with small goals and work our way up. You are allowed to ask questions and talk about any concerns you have.
After about 53 minutes, you have accomplished all of these tasks and have finished your first session!
It wasn’t as scary as you thought it’d be, and it actually went by fast. You did a great job!
How Do I Prepare for My First Therapy Session?
Now that you know what to expect, how can you prepare? It can be helpful to write down what you’re struggling with, physical health conditions, medications, and even anything specific from your family’s mental health history. Anything that you are afraid you will forget can always be written down and brought with you. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself because your therapist will guide the flow of the session and ask different questions. You just have to take a deep breath and tell us about yourself.
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About Two Roads Wellness Clinic®
Two Roads Wellness Clinic® is an integrative wellness clinic. We truly believe in whole-person wellness and see more than just a list of symptoms.
At Two Roads Wellness Clinic®, we want you to experience the difference of personalized health care. We’re an integrative health clinic offering a vast array of services including, mental health treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), family therapy, medication management, primary care, integrative nutritional support, personalized health reports and precision medicine with DNA testing, weight management program, life coaching, massage therapy, physical therapy, infrared sauna services, community education and outreach, and more.
The Two Roads Wellness Clinic® team of therapists, medical and nutrition staff, massage therapists, life coaches, physical therapists, and emotional support animals are ready to help you find an integrated approach to your wellness. To schedule an appointment, visit our contact page to get started at one of our convenient locations in Champaign, Danville, Mahomet or Covington, or learn more about Online Therapy and Medical Sessions.
Like the Robert Frost poem our name is based on, we want to help you find the path that makes a difference in YOUR life.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference.”Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
Interested in our services? Click to contact us.