Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Taking care of the logistics of the session
• Part 2 of 2: Prepare to be vulnerable
• Tips
• Warnings

Everyone sometimes needs help to cope with life's problems. Therapists are trained to help clients with all kinds of problems and to act as guides on the path to emotional happiness. Still, seeing a therapist can be quite terrifying. What exactly should you expect from this? Will you have to explore parts of yourself that you have been ignoring for a long time? And what should you say to a therapist? There are many things you can do to quell these doubts and prepare for your first session. Therapy is a very enriching experience that requires significant commitment from both the therapist and the client.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Taking care of the logistics of the session

1. Understand the financial agreement. It is very important to know to what extent you will pay health insurance for psychotherapy or how you will pay for the sessions. Check the contract with your insurer for information on psychological services or reimbursement of mental health costs. When in doubt, you should immediately contact your insurer. Before making an appointment, you should also ask your therapist whether he or she accepts your insurance. Otherwise, you may have to pay for it out of pocket.
   • At your first meeting, it is important to ask payment, schedule, and insurance questions early in the session. This way you can close the session in a calm way without having to worry about logistical matters such as placing calendars side by side and paying.
   • Note that when you see a therapist in his or her private practice, you may receive a copy that you will need to provide to your insurance company for reimbursement. You may have to pay for everything yourself before the insurance company will refund a certain amount.
2. Check the therapist's competence. Therapists can come from all kinds of fields, have different training, have different specializations, different degrees, etc. “Psychotherapist” is a general term rather than a specific job or something that indicates a specific education or diploma. Look for the following that indicate that your therapist may not be competent:
   • No information is given about your rights as a client, about secrecy, about firm policies, and about fees (all of which are necessary to begin therapy with peace of mind)
   • No diploma from the country or state where the therapist operates.
   • A degree from an unofficial institution.
   • Unresolved complaints filed with the authority that issued their permits.
3. Prepare all relevant documents. The more information your therapist has about you, the better he or she will be able to help you. Useful documents include evidence of past psychological tests or summaries of recent hospital admissions. If you are a student it can also help to bring up recent results or other evidence of how you are doing in school.
   • This will come in handy during the intake interview. After all, your therapist will ask you to fill in some forms about your current and past physical and mental health. Making this part of your session smoother will allow your therapist more time to get to know you in a personal way.
4. Make a list of medications you are taking or have recently taken. If you are already taking medication for physical or psychological problems or if you have recently stopped taking medication, it will save time if you show up with the following information:
   • Name of the medicine (s)
   • The dosage
   • Side effects you experience
   • Contact details of the prescribing doctor (s)
5. Pen notes down. When you first meet you will likely have all sorts of questions and doubts. To be able to discuss everything, it can be useful to make notes about all the information you want. Bring these notes with you to your first session so that you feel more comfortable.
   • For example, notes can include the following questions for your therapist:
     • What is your therapeutic approach?
     • How will we set our goals?
     • Do I have to perform certain tasks between sessions?
     • How often will we meet?
     • Shall we work together for a short or long time?
     • Are you willing to work with my other healthcare providers so that I can be treated more effectively?
6. Keep a close eye on your schedule of future appointments. Time must be well managed because therapy is designed to give you a safe place to work on yourself. Once the session has started, it is up to the therapist to keep time so that you can focus on answering the questions. But it is up to you to get to that point. Note that some therapists charge for sessions where you do not show up and that these costs are not covered by insurance.

Part 2 of 2: Prepare to be vulnerable

1. Keep a journal of your feelings and experiences. Think ahead of time about the issues you want to discuss and the reasons why you chose therapy. Write down specific things a person who is trying to help you need to know, such as what makes you angry or what makes you feel threatened. Your therapist will ask you questions to start the conversation, but it would be better for both of you if you think a little bit for yourself before that. If you are stuck and don't know what to do, ask yourself the following questions before the session:
   • "Why am I here?
   • Am I angry, unhappy, restless, anxious ...?
   • How are other people in my life impacting my current situation?
   • How do I usually feel on a normal day in my life? Sad, frustrated, scared, trapped…? ”
   • What changes do I want to bring about in the future?
2. Practice expressing your uncensored thoughts and feelings. As a client, the best way to provide good therapy is to break your own rules about what is appropriate to say and what should be kept secret. When you are alone, you have to speak out loud the strange thoughts that you otherwise would not express. The freedom to explore your impulses, thoughts, and feelings when they emerge is one of the most important aspects of psychotherapy. Getting used to these thoughts will make it easier to bring them up during a session.
   • Your uncensored thoughts can also be questions. You may be interested in the therapist's professional opinion of your situation or how the therapy will work. Your therapist is responsible for providing this information as far as possible.
3. Try to appeal to your own curiosity. You can practice expressing your innermost thoughts, feelings, and doubts by asking “why” questions. As you work towards your session in your daily life, try to ask yourself why you are experiencing certain feelings or thinking certain thoughts.
   • For example, if a friend or coworker asks for a favor you'd rather decline, ask yourself why you'd rather not help that person. Even if the answer is simply "because I don't have time," go ahead and ask yourself whether you can't or don't want to make time. The goal is not to come to a conclusion about the situation but to learn to pause and thus gain a deeper insight into yourself.
4. Remind yourself that this therapist is not the only therapist in the world. It is crucial that it clicks between you in order to achieve a successful therapy. If you rely too much on your initial meeting without taking this into account, you may feel compelled to move on to a therapist who may not be well suited to help you personally.
   • Did you feel misunderstood after the first session? Are you a little uncomfortable with the therapist's personality? Maybe the therapist reminds you of someone you have negative feelings towards? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, then you should seriously consider seeking out another therapist.
   • Know that it is normal to feel nervous during the first session; this will get easier as you get to know each other better.

Tips

• Do not forget that a new session will follow in a few days or weeks. Try not to panic if you feel like you haven't shared everything yet. Like any real change, this is a process that takes time.
• Trust that whatever you tell your therapist stays between you. Unless therapists think you are a danger to yourself or to other people, they have a professional duty to keep secret everything that is said during a session.

Warnings

• While preparation is very important, there is no need to plan everything that will tell you. The sessions will unfold naturally as you set clear goals and practice a little to articulate your innermost feelings.