What To Expect: Going Into A First Therapy Appointment

Many people wonder what the first session will be like. Unless you have previous experience in therapy, you have probably have been debating for a while whether or not go to in. The first session tends to be very unsettling for a lot of people. To the point that people end up just not showing up to the session.

Here are some things to expect:
So you have mustered up the courage to call a therapist and you have set up your appointment to see your therapist.
When you arrive you will fill out about 15-20 minutes of paperwork (you can ask the therapist if you can come in early or if you can get a hold of paperwork before the session date so you do not waste your session time on paperwork)

The therapist may review with you some of the paperwork, such as “limits of confidentiality” (explained in another blog post).
Then the therapist will most likely ask you about what brought you in. Two things to remember: First thing is that you can always ask the therapist for help (“I am not sure where to start, can you ask me questions to help me start”?). Second is that therapy is not a onetime deal. So if you forget something to tell the therapist, you will have more opportunities to do so.

The therapist will most likely guide you if you need help, so just be yourself and be open. The rest will eventually fall into place. If you are looking for an individual therapist or couples therapist in Long Beach, please give me a call to ask me a question or to set up an appointment.