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What do you say to a therapist for the first time?
Ask your therapist what progress might look like. When you first start seeing a new therapist, talk to them about how you’ll know if you’re making progress (both in and outside of your sessions). Then make sure that you check in with your therapist from time to time, licensed clinical psychologist Stephanie Smith, Psy. The therapist will ask questions about your presenting concerns, as well as your history and background. 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. Starting therapy can be especially awkward if you’ve not been in therapy before. If you feel weird at first when you’re talking to your therapist, don’t worry. It takes a while to get used to therapy, but you’ll eventually get the hang of it. The First Appointment: Appointments usually last 30-50 minutes. You and the therapist will use the first appointment or two getting to know each other and deciding if the therapist can help you.
What do you say to a therapist for the first time?
Ask your therapist what progress might look like. When you first start seeing a new therapist, talk to them about how you’ll know if you’re making progress (both in and outside of your sessions). Then make sure that you check in with your therapist from time to time, licensed clinical psychologist Stephanie Smith, Psy. Your first session will probably involve your therapist asking you a lot of questions about you, how you cope, and your symptoms (it’s basically an interview). You may also chat about goals for therapy, expectations, and more. What can I tell my therapist? The short answer is that you can tell your therapist anything – and they hope that you do. It’s a good idea to share as much as possible, because that’s the only way they can help you. After you unpack your feelings, your therapist might provide you with some insight in response or help you deconstruct and synthesize what you just shared. They also might give you a task or something to think about if they think it’s important for your process. Typically, a therapy session can run 40 to 60 minutes long but may run longer. Group therapy sessions can run around 90 minutes, while more intensive individual counseling sessions can go for two to three hours. The length of your therapy session depends on the type of mental health services you’re receiving.
What do you say when talking to a therapist?
Talk about your dreams and goals and what you want out of life and out of therapy. Talk about how you want to be able to deal with issues from your past that have kept you from moving in ahead in life. Tell your therapist how much better you’re already feeling now that you’re taking control of your life. You do not have to bring anything to therapy except an openness to learn about yourself (and a form of payment). You can bring a journal and a pen if you want to write down your insights during your session, although most therapists will have tools for you to write with if you would like them. It’s okay to ask your therapist about their life. Any questions you have in therapy are valid and are likely relevant to the therapeutic process. Whether your therapist answers the question and shares personal information can depend on their individual personality, philosophy, and approach to your treatment. Talk therapy should be an open-ended dialogue about any issues or concerns a person is facing. A psychotherapist may take notes while a person shares information about their family life, relationships, childhood experiences, and symptoms or history of a condition, to name a few examples. Looking ahead. Sharing something you think is too sensitive or personal can be uncomfortable. But know you’re not alone in thinking you’ve disclosed too much in therapy. When this happens, it can help to explore why you think you’ve overshared and talk it over with your therapist. Firstly, you might feel tired and emotionally drained immediately following a therapy session – this is completely normal. It really is hard work what you’re doing! Your therapist will encourage you to consolidate any new skills or coping strategies you’ve learned, by incorporating them into your daily life.
What do you say at first therapy?
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. Whether you cite a lack of time and/or finances to commit to the recommended schedule, many therapists will advise no less than twice monthly sessions. Therapy requires a concentrated effort on a consistent basis to realize the fullest benefits from the therapeutic relationship. You can ask anything. If you’re curious, there’s probably a deeper reason. Therapists do reserve the right to not answer, which goes back to Freud’s idea that we should be blank slates. Psychotherapy is, for the most part, confidential. Patients of mental health providers like psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers reasonably expect that their in-therapy disclosures will remain private. 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. Patients aren’t the only ones to tear up during therapy — sometimes therapists do, too. You are leading a therapy session when your patient reveals she was horribly abused as a child.
What does a therapist ask you the first time?
During your first session, your therapist will ask questions to understand what you’re struggling with and what brought you in to see them. You’ll likely talk about some of your past (family history, traumatic experiences) and how your symptoms or feelings are manifesting today, and how long they have been showing up. During your first appointment, you and your therapist will ask each other questions and sort out the logistics of your treatment plan. During your first session, you’ll also get a sense of your therapist’s style. This first meeting is sometimes known as an “intake session.” What can I tell my therapist? The short answer is that you can tell your therapist anything – and they hope that you do. It’s a good idea to share as much as possible, because that’s the only way they can help you. Your therapist’s relationship with you exists between sessions, even if you don’t communicate with each other. She thinks of your conversations, as well, continuing to reflect on key moments as the week unfolds. She may even reconsider an opinion she had or an intervention she made during a session. Mental health providers are required to document their sessions through the use of progress notes, which are designed to provide an outline of the basic information about what occurred during a session. To start a conversation, you can talk about your daily activities or a particular day you’ve had. Share something about your life to establish a connection. You can share whatever is pressing your mind at the moment, even if it is unrelated or seems insignificant.
How do I start talking to my therapist?
To start a conversation, you can talk about your daily activities or a particular day you’ve had. Share something about your life to establish a connection. You can share whatever is pressing your mind at the moment, even if it is unrelated or seems insignificant. Your therapist’s relationship with you exists between sessions, even if you don’t communicate with each other. She thinks of your conversations, as well, continuing to reflect on key moments as the week unfolds. She may even reconsider an opinion she had or an intervention she made during a session. Your therapist’s relationship with you exists between sessions, even if you don’t communicate with each other. She thinks of your conversations, as well, continuing to reflect on key moments as the week unfolds. She may even reconsider an opinion she had or an intervention she made during a session.
What does a therapist want to hear?
It’s easy to feel like you need to talk about “deep” or “serious” issues in therapy But remember, there’s no “correct” topic to discuss in therapy. You can talk about whatever you want. True, some people come to therapy to address something specific, like anxiety or depression. After you unpack your feelings, your therapist might provide you with some insight in response or help you deconstruct and synthesize what you just shared. They also might give you a task or something to think about if they think it’s important for your process. Therapists are human beings with emotions just like everyone else, and there are times when showing emotion in session can really help the client. One of the most important jobs a therapist has is to model a healthy interpersonal relationship, and there are no healthy interpersonal human relationships without emotion. Therapy is much more difficult with coerced, reluctant, or challenging clients. These are typically clients who are not necessarily ready to make a change in their life, but have been forced to do so by the court system, the child welfare system, or their spouse or significant other.