Educational Disclaimer: This article covers sensitive educational and training topics. It is provided by therapyregister.net for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.
Have you experienced therapy before?
If you’ve never experienced a therapy session before, it’s completely normal to feel nervous or unsure as to what actually happens in your first session.
I would be surprised if you weren’t feeling nervous. Many people build up ideas that therapy sessions are intimidating or overly clinical and even mind reading. Nothing could be further from the truth, because in reality it’s usually much more friendly and relaxed and more human than you ever imagined.
You won’t be laying down on a couch with someone in a white coat analysing your every thought in a clinical way.
You might be surprised at how friendly the therapist is. The last thing they want is for you to feel nervous or even uncomfortable about some over the top analytical session.
Your first session is usually the taster or introduction to the service and involves a gentle warm therapist and possibly a cup of coffee and maybe a few biscuits and this is the way it should be for you.
Also please bear in mind that many therapists have already gone through their own therapy journey within their own training and descended deep into their own issues or engaged in healing work and they’ve probably done a profound good job on it too. So, they know what it’s like for people who have never had therapy before.
Let’s look at what you can expect in your first session
Apart from receiving a friendly cup of coffee, the first session is about essential info gathering and gaining understanding between therapist and you.
The therapist will be interested to know what pain you are going through and what difficulties brought you to that therapy.
And this is the part that most people worry about. Yes, you need to discuss something personal and concerning and worrying but that doesn’t mean to say you have to reveal your life’s history, because it doesn’t.
You don’t need to be any more open and revealing than you need to be to discuss the problems you’re experiencing.
Typically, the therapist will start with some basic questions such as what made you seek therapy now and what you are struggling with, what difficulties are you experiencing and maybe a little bit about your background and you can answer as little or as much as you want. That’s up to you and there will never be any pressure for you to do anything or even conduct yourself a certain way.
Just be honest and tell the therapist how you are feeling!
Also, it’s important to point out that most people at this stage are visiting a therapist are cloudy, they’re not sure what it is. They might know one or two things but the rest is muddy and confused so you don’t have to have any clear goals or where you need to arrive at.
Questions you might be asked
During the information gathering session you might be asked questions such as how are you sleeping, what’s your mood like each day, your stress levels, how do you get on with people at work and your relationships. This is certainly not intrusive questioning; it’s just a way of building a picture of your current life so the therapist can understand the space around the difficulties you are experiencing.
And remember it’s your time also to get to know the therapy and therapist and decide if you like that person. There is no obligation to continue after the first session if it doesn’t feel right. Your therapy will work best for you when there is a sense of trust that builds between the two of you and sometimes that can be identified and experienced in the first session which is one of the reasons you have that first session.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is paramount in therapy and it’s usually explained at the beginning and in simple terms, what you say stays private with a few legal and safety expectations which the therapist will outline clearly which is standard practice and they are there to protect you not monitor you.
At the end of this first session most people will feel both relief and a sense that you have now opened the door to getting the help you’ve thought about for a long time. You may feel better now about moving forward with the next session. The next session could involve once a week session or once a month and the particular type of approach that’s most suited to you.
The first session is to allow for both therapist and yourself to meet each other and to allow the therapist to gather information on how they can help you best. This is just a basic intro session, a starting point and it’s no more complicated than that.
You may also be surprised at the level of articulation and perception of the therapist and you’ll also notice how good they are at making you feel at ease.
Remember this: Most therapists have gone through some awful life changing events and they’ve experienced profound pain and suffering to the point where they became a therapist.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Do not make any changes to medication, treatment, or care based on this information without first consulting your GP, doctor, or qualified healthcare professional.
The content is intended as general information and may not be suitable for every individual or situation.
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