I’ve always sorted out my problems on my own...”

 

If you’ve reached a point where you are seriously contemplating getting some counselling or therapy, you may be feeling apprehensive about what it will involve. It’s not easy to walk into a strange room, with a complete stranger, and talk to them about things you have barely ever talked about out loud, let alone to another person.

 

The anonymity of therapy is an important comfort, but there are still a lot of unknown factors:

 

What hidden parts of me might be uncovered?

Am I crazy?

Will I spend a whole lot of money with little real result?

Is there a better way?

Can I trust this person to do the right thing by me?

 

If this is you, here are some basic, fairly universal things to consider before you start, and some questions you may want to ask your therapist at your first session.

 

Consider:

-What exactly will this psychologist need to learn about me, in order to help me?

-Do I want someone to just tell me what to do, or do I want help to work it out myself?

-How will I know that the therapy is working?

-How long do I think this will take?

-What will I do if I think the therapy isn’t helping?

-What sacrifices am I prepared to make in order for the therapy to work?

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You may even want to sit down and come up with some more specific questions of your own.

 

If you are feeling depressed, for example, you may want to know more about it.If you have had session with someone before, you may want to talk about what was and wasn’t helpful last timearound.

 

You can read more about the specifics of your first appointment here

 

Therapy is difficult, often in ways that you don’t expect. It is also very rewarding, when it is working well.

 

If you are just starting therapy, we wish you the very best, and commend you for trying something new.