I’ve Never Been to Therapy Before…What do I Need to Know?
I remember the first time I walked into a therapist’s office -
My palms were sweating and I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted the water that was being offered to me.
I was careful to sit down on the couch in the right spot and sat upright, unwilling to relax into the plushy pillows out of fear of being too comfortable and spilling all my thoughts.
I scanned the room taking it all in and finally let my eyes rest on the kind eye-woman sitting in front of me. She didn’t’ look too scary. In fact, this room was actually pretty nice. The water was perfect - since I did have a bit of a dry mouth, and the pillows felt soft and comforting when I finally let myself ease down on them.
You’re doing something new, it’s bound to feel scary!
Now that I find myself in the other seat, I find myself wishing I could go back and tell that past version of myself all the things she needed to hear. Things that could have calmed some of the fears, the worries, the judgements around what it meant to be going to therapy, and whether or not I was doing it “right”.
Here are 10 things that I wish I knew the first time I walked into a therapy room:
You don’t have to prepare anything if you don’t want to! Sometimes you show up and there’s nothing pressing, but as soon as you start talking, things being to surface.
The comfort and connection you feel with your therapist is the most important thing! Trust your instincts, you will know when it feels right.
It’s okay to ask a lot of questions! And there are no silly questions.
Let your therapist know if there’s something you don’t like. Feedback is so important in this work.
This space is for YOU. Try to spend most of your time taking about yourself, rather than others.
Informed consent is everything. If there’s something you don’t want to do - you don’t need to be doing it!
Take a small journal or notebook to session to write things down.
Try to arrive at your session a few minutes early so you have time to land.
Book your appointments in advance so you can secure your preferred time slot.
Clear your schedule after your session so you can take time to feel if you need to.
I hope these reminders can serve as helpful reminders as you embark on your therapeutic journey. You’re doing hard things and all those question marks that are showing up for you - they all make sense!
