Congratulations on taking the first step to booking a therapy session! You’re on the right path.
Starting therapy for the first time can be overwhelming.
What does the session look like? What do you have to prepare before meeting the therapist? What issues do you talk about first?
There are many questions to be answered, and we hope to address some of them in this article.
1. Do Your Research
The first thing to do after booking your appointment is to research.
Researching involves two aspects: Assessing your own mental health and exploring Couples Therapy Singapore and therapy goals.
- Assessing Your Mental Health
To understand what to talk about in therapy, you may have to reflect on your feelings and the state of your mental health.
Ask yourself some of the questions below:
- How do I feel right now?
- When do I feel the most anxious, upset, or distressed?
- What helps me break out of negative thoughts?
Consider journaling your inputs on the above questions. Alternatively, we encourage you to create a table to track your mood swings.
Doing so can give you a head-start on what to bring up in the first session. After which, your therapist will steer the conversation.
b. Explore Therapy Goals
What therapy sessions look like depends on what goals you want to achieve.
Ask yourself: “What does my ideal self look like?”
The answer could vary from building confidence, developing friendships, and overcoming loneliness to becoming a leader, being productive, or achieving success at work.
Write down a couple of goals in each aspect of your life, including:
- Personal/self (eg building self-esteem)
- Social relationships (eg improving bond with mother)
- Friendships (eg making more meaningful friendships)
- Work (eg setting boundaries with colleagues)
Remember to set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
2. Prepare Questions to Ask Your Therapist
You may need to ask several questions in the first session to ensure your therapist is a good fit for you.
Consider your first session a mutual interview where both of you try to get to know each other.
Below are some questions you can ask:
- What are your qualifications?
- What will my therapy sessions look like?
- What approach will you use, and can I provide feedback if certain tools don’t work for me?
- How will you measure my progress in therapy?
- How will we navigate therapy if my progress is stagnant?
3. Talk to Your Loved Ones
Since we are constantly stuck inside our heads, talking to loved ones may help us gain fresh perspectives on what’s working for us and what isn’t.
Before your first session, discuss your concerns and thoughts with your loved ones.
If someone you know has already been to offline or online therapy, seek their advice and tips.
If you’re unsure of how to start the conversation, use the prompt below:
“Hey, can I talk to you about something? I’m feeling quite nervous about getting therapy, and I want to share my feelings with you.”
4. Seek Therapy With an Open Mind
Change in any form may take time. And change happens only through emotional labour and discomfort.
Keep an open mind and reinforce the idea that you may have to express your deepest feelings and do things differently to make significant progress in your life.
Your family therapist will gently guide you through your difficulties and provide scientific tools to help you cope and thrive in life.
The therapist may also respectfully challenge your beliefs and encourage you to develop a positive attitude.
Give therapy enough time to actually progress. Lastly, remember that you are never alone when experimenting with therapeutic techniques.
5. Schedule Time for Post-Therapy Reflection
Therapy involves emotional labour. Hence, you may feel a range of emotions like sadness, relief, exhaustion, or even happiness after your therapy sessions.
It’s important to set aside time to reflect on each therapy session before proceeding to other tasks.
Below are some ideas for post-therapy reflection:
- Create a diary entry and write about your feelings before, during, and after therapy
- Talk to someone about your session if you feel comfortable to do so
- Mediate for a few minutes after the therapy session to quieten your mind and reset your mood
- Talk a walk around the park and refresh yourself
Key Takeaways
Preparing in advance for your first therapy session can help you stay calm and composed.
For an effective therapy:
- Track your mood
- Prepare important questions
- Talk to your loved ones, and
- Reflect after sessions
Progressing in therapy may take time, but change will happen.
