What To Expect With Your First Counseling Session
Table of Contents
- The Paperwork
- Initially Meeting Your Therapist
- The First Conversation
- Process of Therapy
Not sure what to expect in your first counseling appointment? So you’ve finally worked up the courage to reach out for the help you’ve known you’ve needed for awhile. Your reached out to therapists to set up your first session. That is your first step to caring for yourself! It takes courage to admit when we don’t have the energy to keep being stuck. But now you have no idea what to expect with your first session. I am here to help bridge that gap from setting the appointment to starting the work. Here’s what to expect when you meet your therapist.
The Paperwork
After you have had the free consultation and gotten a feel for my personality, approach, experience, etc., you’ll receive an invitation to a client portal. Here is where you will have access to fill out the paperwork online from the convenience of your home. This allows us to use up all those minutes right from the very beginning. The portal will also be where you’ll receive any assessments, communication, documents you’ll need in one easy place. The paperwork will begin with easy general information and then grow to give me a snapshot of what you are needing help with. In the session is when we start to give that snapshot some color, so feel free to leave that brief.
Initially Meeting Your Therapist
Once you arrive to the office that is easily accessible from I-25 and highway 392 on the border of Windsor and Fort Collins, you enter through a private entrance. This ensures the privacy to make you feel comfortable. Once you arrive, the office is set up where you’ll usually be the only person in the waiting room. You can enjoy some warm refreshments, bottled water, listen to some tunes, and read some self-help magazines before you begin. Once your therapist is done with the previous session, you’ll be greeted and walk into a comfortable office.
The First Conversation
This first conversation is our meet and greet. My approach is to make you feel as though we are sitting down for coffee or a beer. You’ll here some of my background, and I’ll hear some of yours. Everyone has their own pace with this session. You may want to initially talk about all the places we have lived, find things in common, or talk about pets. Some want to get into the reasons for seeking help right away. I am trained to read that, and we will create a space to meet whatever need you have. We will get your perspective on what the challenge is and go from there. Our goal is for you to say “He gets me.” I won’t settle for less.
The Process of Therapy
This is where it is different for everyone. We will collaborate on what your process will look like. We will set goals and provide hope into what you want by the end of the process. This way we know that you’ve gained what you’ve needed to be your own therapist. My approach meets with what you are needing. I may provided direct feedback on what I am observing or experiencing with you. You’ll get asked deep, self-reflective questions. I may give you things to do in-between sessions to keep the momentum from sessions continuing. I am definitely active in your process, and will always end giving you something to hold onto. A HUGE part of the process is using approaches that research has shown helps people. I will give you an idea of what approach I think will help you to you know what to expect with subsequent sessions.
If you are ready to make that first step, don’t hesitate to reach out. If I am not your right fit, I can help you find someone that is. The important thing is that you are ready. That readiness may be a small window, so we should take advantage of that motivation. Growth should never be undervalued. It takes hard work, but the work is totally worth it when you feel some sense of peace.
Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.
-Deborah Day