Welcome to Therapy
Therapy is certainly a different experience for different people. You bring your own experiences and views to the therapeutic process and, so too, do therapists who have their own blend of training, scope, and method of practice. Therapy can also be daunting for those starting out. This post is to help de-mystify what happens in therapy sessions and the therapeutic process.
Who is Therapy For?
Anyone can benefit from therapy, whether you are experiencing struggle or want a little extra support in the events of your daily life. Life is not without its ups and downs and therapy offers a space to safely explore your unique responses to these ups and downs and understand yourself better.
There is a profound connection between our lived experiences and the impact on our mental and emotional selves. What does that mean? We are consumers of the world around us. What we see and what we do provide the lens that informs the way we think and feel.
How do we operate authentically in a world with so many expectations and pressures?
How do we build a lasting and meaningful connection?
Is the world a safe place? Are our emotions?
How can we process difficult emotions and create change?
What legacy will we impart?
These are some of the questions that might bring someone to therapy.
The Therapeutic Process
Some therapy approaches have a prescribed number of sessions - meant for short term, solution focused work - and some allow the pace to be set by the goals we define at the beginning of our time together. Regardless of the approach we choose, you are an integral part of the therapeutic process. My hope is that together we build a space that is trusting, safe, and comfortable for you to share more about you and the things that bring you to session over time. While there are different modalities to therapy, I don’t believe in a formula for therapy. Progress is not linear so one key element to therapy is the patience and compassion you extend to yourself as we sometimes explore difficult topics.
Sometimes it can feel distressing to open up and talk about the things that are heaviest within us. However, in the long-term bringing these things to the open and discussing them out loud can help reduce emotional reactivity and increase your bandwidth to grow resiliency, competency, and positive self-esteem.
Sessions
Below you will find an example of what a session can look like. Some clients prefer a more conversational setting to explore their weeks while some prefer more structure and a detailed roadmap. It is my goal to support you in whatever direction you desire to take.
At the beginning of a session we will start with a quick check-in. This is a space to explore how you have been between sessions and identify what we want to explore in that day’s session. There can be a bit of overlap as we circle back to themes from our previous session where we left the previous session and if we have any ‘homework’ or activities from that time as well.
We will then move into the heart of our session, which may include some of the following approaches but are not limited to:
Understanding the context of our experiences and their impact.
Collaborative discussion around a problem intended to help you make sense of your struggles by learning about key experiences that may be impacting you, including social circumstances.
Developing proactive and meaningful avenues toward change
Exploring and processing responses to distressing emotions, triggers, and contributors to persistent problems.
Skills building practice with teaching of therapeutic strategies specific to your problems and experiences.
As we wrap up our sessions, we will have space for questions, the assignment of new homework if applicable, and any summarizing of key moments or insights from the session. We will then schedule our next session and end for the day.
Each session might look different depending on the person and the pace of therapy. What you will receive each session is continued support and guidance toward your goals and a compassionate therapist to listen to you with whatever you need – to vent, to cry, to be with you through your process. This is your space to make it what you want.
Questions:
What Happens At the First Session?
Before the first session, you are welcome to utilize a free 20-minute consultation to determine/explore if I may be the right therapist for you. If after this assessment we determine that I am not the best fit to support you, I will do my best to refer you to a therapist who can.
Initial sessions will consist of learning about you and your goals! The very first session is an assessment that allows a more in depth look into the problems bringing you to therapy. We will discuss office policies and procedures as well as our confidentiality and informed consent policies.
We will explore personal history and current life circumstances as well as relevant family and medical history.
During the first 1-4 sessions we will work collaboratively to outline and define your goals for therapy. (What do you want to change, what progress do you want to see, how do you want to feel throughout/at the end of therapy? etc.). At the end of the first session, however, we will agree to an initial plan forward and primary goals to focus on.
How Long Are Sessions?
A “therapeutic hour” is 50 minutes long. This allows for meaningful conversation without overloading or fatiguing clients. For practical reasons, this length of time also makes fitting therapy into your busy schedule easier as well as for the therapist to prepare between clients.
Are Sessions Confidential?
Sessions are confidential. As a rule, I will not disclose information about you, or the fact that you are my client, without your written consent. There may be extenuating circumstances wherein your information may be shared without your permission if there is a concern about your safety or the safety of someone else, including a child or a vulnerable adult.
Full details about our confidentiality policy will be shared at the assessment session.
Do I have to commit to a certain number of sessions?
No, there is no minimal commitment to the amount of sessions. I encourage open dialogue throughout our work together.
How often should we meet?
I recommend a consistent schedule that works for you, whether that is weekly or every other week. You can discuss what frequency might be the best fit with your therapist.
