What to expect during your first therapy session
Deciding to beginning therapy is a significant step.
As your first session approaches, it’s normal to feel a mix of emotions such as - apprehension, curiosity, nervousness, even excitement.
In this post, I’ll walk you through what typically happens, so you can arrive feeling informed and hopefully more at ease if those nerves are kicking in!
Pre first session
We will have already chatted a little during our free and confidential initial consultation.
You will have completed a contact form and taken some time to look through, question and agree to our working agreement as well as arranging payment.
A warm welcome
Whether we work together in person, online or by telephone my intention is to create a comfortable and safe environment for you. Everyone is different so we’ll start by getting a sense of what feels right for you. Is it a cuppa with 2 sugars? A particular chair? A gentle start or a few direct questions to begin? Together we’ll find a way of working that feels right for you.
Sharing your story - at your pace
You might want to share some of what’s bought you to therapy, but how much and when, is completely up to you. You don’t need to have everything figured out either - sometimes the first session is simply about discovering a space where you can talk and see how it feels.
Informal assessment
Part of our first meeting involves an informal assessment, where we talk about aspects of you life such as:
- What’s the impact to you of what you have going on and what you might do to cope
- Whether you identify with a particular neurodivergence or have a medical diagnosis
- The role family and/or friendships play in your day-to-day life
These conversations help me understand your unique experiences, where challenges might arise and how I might be able to best support you.
Exploring your goals
We’ll explore what you hope to achieve or what changes you’d like to work towards. Goals can often evolve as insights emerge through our sessions together and that’s perfectly normal - therapy tends to be a journey as opposed to a fixed path.
A gentle ending
Therapy can stir up a variety of thoughts and emotions, at this stage and throughout the work we do together. Before we end our first session, we’ll check in on how it’s been for you, and think together about anything that might be particularly helpful outside our session.
Your first session is simply a starting point, a chance to begin and develop something that’s unique and right for you.
If this leaves you feeling curious about starting therapy or have questions, please feel free to get in touch.