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What do I say in my first therapy session?
Most likely, you’ll find yourself talking about your current symptoms or struggles, as well saying a bit about your relationships, your interests, your strengths, and your goals. Most importantly, in that first session, you will begin making a connection with your therapist. Because a therapy session is totally and completely about you, it isn’t quite a two-way conversation. A therapist or psychiatrist is actually trained to listen. They are not only listening to what you are saying, they are listening for what you are not saying. The American Psychological Association suggests you consider a time to see a therapist when something causes distress and interferes with some part of life, particularly when: Thinking about or coping with the issue takes up at least an hour each day. The issue causes embarrassment or makes you want to avoid others. Psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: What to expect Psychotherapy is a collaborative process, where psychologists and patients work together to identify specific concerns and develop concrete skills and techniques for coping with anxiety.
What do you talk about in talking therapy?
During a session, you might talk generally about how you’re feeling, or you might go through specific exercises, depending on your therapist’s approach. What you talk about could include your childhood, your relationships, past and present life events, or stressful situations. This could include things like information about your family, relationships, friends, education, and employment history. They might also ask you about your behaviors, feelings, and current coping strategies. Some of the things psychologists look for are your posture, hands, eye contact, facial expressions, and the position of your arms and legs. Your posture says a lot about your comfort level. It’s common to feel a range of emotions after a session. For example, you might come out of your session feeling: relieved, if you’ve shared something important and felt heard and understood. energised, if you’ve started to understand something new about yourself or set yourself a new goal to work on. Therapy can last anywhere from one session to several months or even years. It all depends on what you want and need. Some people come to therapy with a very specific problem they need to solve and might find that one or two sessions is sufficient.