Starting therapy can be difficult, so here are five things you may experience when you start therapy!
1. It’s important to find someone that is a good fit for you and your needs. We recommend setting up consultation calls with a few different therapists or reading several bios to determine who feels like the best fit for you. Finding a good fit is one of the most important determinants of therapy outcomes. If you aren’t sure which provider might be a good fit, feel free to reach out and we can pair you with someone we think might be a good fit!
2. Your first session is spent getting an overview of your symptoms, struggles, history, and background of your life. It’s important we have a little bit more information on you as a person so that we can best serve you! We might ask about hobbies, work, relationships, your family, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and more. Sometimes, this may actually take a few sessions, and that is great as well. If there is something you want us to know, please feel free to let us know and share what you think would be helpful to know.
3. Starting therapy can feel a bit like dating. It might feel awkward at first, but hopefully, it gets more and more comfortable as the relationship progresses. If it doesn’t, that might be a sign that your therapist is not the right fit for you. You can always bring this up – we encourage you to! It’s helpful to have conversations about what is working and what is not, so that you and your therapist can pivot or your therapist can recommend someone else that might be a better fit.
4. Sometimes, things feel worse before they feel better. Sometimes, when we start working through things, it brings up feelings of hurt, sadness, anger, or fear. That is a normal part of therapy and also won’t last forever. That being said, it is worth bringing up to your therapist to see if there is something that may need to be adjusted in your sessions, rather than stopping altogether. It may be helpful to talk about coping skills, slow the pace down, or discuss what would be helpful to focus on.
5. Our hope is that you feel comfortable, heard, and supported overall. Therapy is meant to be a space for you to explore your experiences and emotions, share your heart, cry if you need to, and heal from past hurts and experiences. Therapists are not meant to have the answers, but we will certainly help you find your own answers and path forward.
Questions or interested in starting therapy? Reach out to us at wiowellness@gmail.com!
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