Therapy is often the first step someone can take towards healing and growth. However, therapy can also be extremely daunting. If you aren’t familiar with the process and how it works, the therapy world can be a bit intimidating. But that is alright, as long as you are prepared you can partake in your healing journey with an easy mind. Here are some ways you can prepare yourself when you first meet with your therapist for a consultation.
What do I talk to my therapist about?
Seeing as it is your first time meeting with a therapist for a consultation, it can be a scary or even overwhelming experience. Often people worry about how they come off to the therapist if they are doing or saying everything right, and so on. Well, to put it simply you can think of it as going for a medical consultation, you need to ask certain questions, and the therapist needs to ask certain questions better to understand your purpose of visit and your condition. So during your first consultation, you should ideally get to know each other better so that you can build a rapport with your therapist. Because it is important for you to feel comfortable in opening up to them, and they need to understand you better as well. Generally, in consultations therapists may start by taking a mental health status examination, or a case history to better understand you and your reasons for being there. You do not have to worry about being right or wrong, you just have to be honest. It is also okay if you do not wish to disclose every single thing just yet, you can mention that you aren’t ready to talk about that and would like to circle back to it at a later point.
Questions to ask a therapist
While it is important for the therapist to understand your position, case, and background as a client, it is also important for you to gauge whether a therapist is good for you or not. Here are some questions you can ask your therapist as well during your first session with them;
- - What qualifications do you have?
- - How long have you been practicing therapy?
- - How do you approach treatment?
- - What clinical modality do you use?
- - Do you have experience providing therapy to people with similar issues as mine?
- - How will I know it's working?
- - How do I know your therapeutic interventions will help me?
- - What if, after a couple of sessions, I decide it’s not a good fit?
- - What are the benefits and drawbacks of online therapy sessions?
- - How will we decide when I don’t need therapy anymore?
- - Have you done therapy yourself?
Here are some additional questions to ask your therapist
- - What is the cancellation policy?
- - How much would it cost?
- - Can I be certain that anything shared with you will remain private and confidential?
- - What are your policies around cancellations, insurance, and payments?
- - How frequently should we meet?
- - How can I know for sure that we’re a good fit?
Questions to ask in your first therapy session
- - How should I prepare for my first session?
- - What will our first session look like?
- - Will you give me homework in between sessions?
- - What are some things I should know before working with you?
Questions to ask to see if your therapist is a good fit for you
- - How do you feel about working with a person of my culture and/or background?
- - Do you have experience working with a person of my culture and/or background?
- - Do you work with LGBTQ+ clients?
- - What kinds of clients do you enjoy working with the most?
- - What are some things I should know before working with you?
- - Based on what you know about me so far, do you believe we’re a good fit? Why or why not?
If you still feel confused or find the beginning of the therapy process you can try to prepare yourself by talking with Healo! https://healo.infiheal.com/ Healo can help you ease your anxieties about starting therapy and provide a warm listening ear for your worries.
Conclusion
These are some important questions you can ask your therapist before you begin taking your sessions with them. Of course, you do not need to ask every single question. Only those which speak to you the most and ones which you are most curious about. It is important for you to know your therapist as well, so that you can understand if they are a good fit for you or not. It is better to determine that before you begin therapy. So these questions will be helpful
