Table of Contents
What do therapist say in the first session?
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. Therapists take confidentiality seriously. They understand that clients need a safe place to disclose their most private thoughts and feelings. In almost all cases, your personal information is held in strict confidence. Only in extreme cases will your therapist need to break confidentiality to keep you or others safe. 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. Therapists are required by law to disclose information to protect a client or a specific individual identified by the client from “serious and foreseeable harm.” That can include specific threats, disclosure of child abuse where a child is still in danger, or concerns about elder abuse. They point to a theme I often hear from therapists: We want clients to be as invested in the process as we are. We like it when they’re motivated to work in and out of the session, ready to try new things and willing to look deep inside. When these ideal elements are in place, therapy tends to progress nicely.
What do therapists ask first session?
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. We walk a fine line of being on your side but making sure that you are grounded and can maintain proper boundaries. So yes, we as therapists do talk about our clients (clinically) and we do miss our clients because we have entered into this field because we remain hopeful for others. Give yourself some time to develop a sense of trust in your therapist before you disclose anything that feels too private. Also, as you move through the process, don’t be afraid to continue talking about any feeling you might have around trust between you and your therapist. You have specific rights when disclosing your diagnosis as a client receiving therapy. For example, it’s your right to ask your therapist to tell you if they believe you have a mental health condition. If you want a diagnosis, you can ask your therapist upfront. With certain exceptions, a therapist can’t share what you say during sessions, or even divulge that your name appears in their appointment book. So what happens when you see your therapist (or your psychiatrist, or marriage counselor) out in public? Legally, they can’t take the first step to greet you. Signs that a client may be ready to end therapy include achieving their goals, reaching a plateau, and not having anything to talk about. Instead of ending therapy entirely, some clients may choose to see their therapist less frequently.
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. In therapy, people meet with a therapist to talk and learn ways to work out their problems. At the beginning, the therapist asks questions about your problems. They also ask about other things in your life, such as family, school, and health. They listen to what it’s like for you so they can understand you. Past Crimes In most cases, discussing a past crime is protected by confidentiality rules. This means that you should be able to discuss a crime you committed with your therapist, and your therapist is sworn to secrecy. Do they smile and nod a lot? Do they always let you lead the session? Have you noticed you invariably leave sessions in a good mood? These could be signs you have a supportive, caring, and empathetic helper—or they may be signs your therapist is too nice. Therapists often observe emotional mood swings that are difficult to control for the individual. Their sense of fear, guilt, and shame are out of proportions, which can lead to depressed moods, a sense of hopelessness, and a general loss of interest in anything. Therapists though, are bound by confidentiality. This means, your therapist probably won’t call you by name or introduce you to whoever they are with, should you run into each other outside of the office. Please do not feel insulted or slighted if you bump into your therapist and they are brief in their communication.
What do therapists do during a session?
In therapy, people meet with a therapist to talk and learn ways to work out their problems. At the beginning, the therapist asks questions about your problems. They also ask about other things in your life, such as family, school, and health. They listen to what it’s like for you so they can understand you. Therapists do get frustrated with clients from time to time, but some can handle difficult clients better than others. This may be due to training or inherent personality traits. Legally, Therapists Can See Two People Who Know Each Other There is no law that prohibits therapists from seeing two people who know each other, or even two members of the same family. In some small communities, there may not even be a choice. Because good counselors are empathic and genuinely care for their clients, sometimes they express emotion when learning about a client’s experience. For example, if the client has experienced the loss of a loved one, the counselor may show sadness.
What is the first thing a therapist does?
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. 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. They typically include information about the presenting symptoms and diagnosis, observations and assessment of the individual’s presentation, treatment interventions used by the therapist (including modality and frequency of treatment), results of any tests that were administered, any medication that was prescribed, … Some therapists are open to occasional texts or calls from their clients outside of session, particularly if the client is feeling overwhelmed or particularly low. Knowing that you can say anything to your therapist and it will remain in the room helps you feel safe and builds trust between you and the therapist. For this reason, all therapists are legally and ethically bound to keep their sessions confidential and not share with anyone else what was talked about. In greeting the client, I make clear I’m glad to see him or her: I smile, look them in the eye and say something such as Good to see you again, Mary, and then a bit of small talk. For example, if during the previous session, s/he had mentioned her dog Woofie, I might ask, How’s Woofie doing?
How does a therapist greet the client?
In greeting the client, I make clear I’m glad to see him or her: I smile, look them in the eye and say something such as Good to see you again, Mary, and then a bit of small talk. For example, if during the previous session, s/he had mentioned her dog Woofie, I might ask, How’s Woofie doing? Greet the client with a smile and, if you feel comfortable, small talk, but keep it very brief. They may have something big on their mind they want to discuss, so avoid distractions by keeping it light and simple. By maintaining eye contact with the client, a counsellor shows they value what the client has to say. Looking at the client, as they speak, also shows the counsellor is respectful. A counsellor should also be aware of the tone of their voice during the time in the client’s presence.
What do therapists do on the first visit?
During your first appointment, you may be given a questionnaire that asks about your concerns and what you’re hoping to achieve from the appointment. Once the session begins, the psychologist may discuss the type of therapy they do. Don’t hesitate to ask questions along the way. Namely, it can provide clinicians with insight to better understand the client, Guest asserts. For example, she says, take a counselor who is triggered by a young female client who is often defensive and not receptive to feedback in session. The client’s behavior has caused the counselor to become tense and anxious. They see their job as helping you find your own answers, and they know that silence can help you do that. Sitting in silence allows a lot of things to rise up inside you—thoughts, feelings, and memories you might not normally experience. And that is what your therapist is hoping you’ll talk about. 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.
How do therapists start conversations?
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. Talk about things not related to why you’re there. Make sexual comments or advances. Touch you inappropriately. Make plans with you outside the session that don’t relate to your mental health. 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. By starting your conversations with ‘why’, it can send off signals of judgement from you, and indicate a lack of trust in their own judgement.