Table of Contents
Prior to Your Therapy Appointment
It takes a lot of strength to make your first therapy appointment – congratulations on taking the first step! Being new to therapy, you may be wondering what your first session will involve. Here we’ll walk you through what you can expect at your first session.
This process will be similar to going to your primary care physician. When you schedule your first appointment, you be asked to fill out a variety of paperwork including:
- HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
- Informed Consent
- Practice Policies
- Intake Questionnaire
- Telehealth Consent
During Your First Therapy Session
Your first session with your therapist will differ from future visits, as this is a period for you and your therapist to get to know each other. During your first visit, a portion of the session will be talking about administration policies such as confidentiality and its limits, cancellation policy, and informed consent. There will also be a portion where your therapist will go over your history and may ask you some questions such as:
- Have you been to therapy before?
- What brings you to therapy?
- What are your symptoms?
- What is your living situation?
- What are your relationships like (parents, romantic, friendships, siblings, children, etc)?
- What do you want to accomplish in these sessions?
Once history is established, you and your therapist will work together on creating a treatment plan and your goals for therapy. This is a collaborative working therapeutic relationship where you should feel safe, seen, accepted, and respected.
After Your First Therapy Session
Therapy can be highly beneficial, however, the goals you wish to accomplish throughout your sessions is a process that can take some time. You and your therapist may discuss difficult topics, so remember to give yourself some time at home to decompress and relax, as your emotions might need time to recover. Creating space for your feelings will allow you to be better prepared for your future sessions.
Remember, self-care is not selfish.
