What to Expect in Your First Therapy Session
Making the decision to start therapy is a significant step, and it's natural to have questions or feel a bit nervous about your first session. Knowing what to expect can help ease some of those initial uncertainties. This guide outlines the general flow and purpose of your first therapy session.
Initial Paperwork: Before your first scheduled session, you will typically receive intake paperwork to complete online through our secure Client Portal. Completing this beforehand allows us to dedicate more of our first session time to getting to know you, rather than filling out forms.
Purpose of the First Session
Your first therapy session (often called an intake session) serves several important purposes:
- Getting to Know Each Other: It's an opportunity for you and Kirsten to begin building a therapeutic relationship. You can get a feel for her style, and she can start to understand you.
- Understanding Your Needs: You'll have the chance to talk about what brings you to therapy, your current challenges, and what you hope to achieve.
- Gathering Background Information: Kirsten will likely ask some questions about your history (e.g., personal, family, relationship, mental health history) to gain a better understanding of your context.
- Discussing the Therapy Process: You can discuss how therapy works, confidentiality, session frequency, and any other practice policies.
- Asking Questions: It's your chance to ask any questions you have about therapy, Kirsten's approach, or what to expect moving forward.
- Determining "Goodness of Fit": Both you and Kirsten will be assessing if you feel it's a good therapeutic match. A strong therapeutic alliance is a key factor in successful therapy.
About Our Initial Phone Consultation
Many clients start with a free 15-minute phone consultation, but this is not a requirement. This brief call is a chance for you to ask initial questions and for us to determine if our services are a good potential fit before scheduling a full intake session. The information below describes what to expect in your first full therapy session.
What You Might Feel
It's normal to experience a range of emotions before, during, and after your first session:
- Nervousness or Anxiety: This is very common, especially if therapy is new to you.
- Relief: Some people feel a sense of relief from finally sharing their concerns.
- Hopefulness: You might feel hopeful about the possibility of change.
- Uncertainty: It's also okay to feel unsure if therapy is right for you or if you've found the right therapist. This is part of the "goodness of fit" assessment.
Tips for Your First Session
- Be Yourself: Authenticity is valued in therapy.
- Be Open (as much as you're comfortable): Share what feels relevant and important to you.
- Ask Questions: Don't hesitate to ask for clarification or more information.
- No Need to Prepare Extensively: Just come as you are. Your therapist will guide the conversation.
- Remember It's a Starting Point: You don't need to cover everything in the first session. It's the beginning of a process.
The first therapy session is an important step in your journey toward well-being. At Tretbar Therapy we are committed to making this initial experience as comfortable, informative, and supportive as possible. We look forward to meeting you.