So, after days, weeks, or maybe even months, you made the decision to call a therapist and schedule an appointment. You’ve completed the online forms and shared some personal information that already makes you uncomfortable. And now the date is approaching, and you are wondering how it will be when you actually sit down with this professional to begin tackling your issues. Maybe you are wondering if this is a mistake. Maybe it isn’t too late to cancel….
First Session (Telehealth)
You will receive an emailed or texted link to sign in for your virtual session and you can sign into the session 10 minutes prior to the scheduled session.
When I sign on I will confirm that you can hear and see me. The session is through Simple Practice and is secure and confidential.
If something goes wrong and the internet is unstable, we can continue by phone or reschedule. I have a strong secure internet service, but not everyone has that capability.
It is important that you set aside a private space for your session, without interruptions from work, family or pets.
Your first session with me will be different from future sessions. The initial session is a period for us to get to know each other and get an idea of how to proceed. My main goal in the first session is to review policies and procedures, build rapport, review your treatment desires and goals and to discuss treatment options. I know it is hard to talk with a stranger about details of your life that are very private. It can make you feel vulnerable and exposed. I want you to know that you will not be judged and that you can share what needs to be shared. We can sort through it together.
Ways to calm your anxiety about a first therapy session
- Remember that therapy is 100% confidential. This means that nothing you share would ever be shared with another individual unless you were to talk about harm to yourself, harm to others or any kid of child or elder abuse. Even if you talked about those things we would have a conversation- if at all possible- before discussing next steps before I disclosed that information.
- Remember that your therapist is human. Therapists have a lot of professional training and some helpful techniques and theory, but the most important “tool” that we have is that we are also human beings. We have lived through our own demons, our own losses and challenges and our own share of difficult relationships. While our personal experiences are not the focus of your therapy time, you should know that we are working hard to understand where you are coming from and to empathize with you.
- Remember that therapy is a process that will unfold over time. Probably not much will change after your first session. You are going to walk out having started getting your therapist up to speed on the complex issues you are facing, but it will be something that you continue to revisit and unpack at each session. If you can have patience with the process, and with yourself in the growth, you will see results; but they will happen more like seeds growing in a garden than like a home improvement project that is finished in one Saturday afternoon. If you forget to talk about something, there will be another session.
- Do some self-reflection in advance. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers in therapy. It is about you, your perspective, your challenges, your values, and your goals. Here are a few questions to think over as you prepare to enter counseling:
- What are your biggest, boldest hopes and dreams? What is getting in your way?
- Has anything changed in the past several months in your life that has made your problem worse or brought it to your attention more than in the past?
- What has changed in your behavior/thoughts/feelings that makes you know this problem exists?
- Why now? If your problem has been in existence for a while, what was it that motivated you to seek help at this moment in your life?
- If you were to fast-forward to 6-12 months from now and in that future you could say, “Therapy is really helping me and I’m glad I’ve been going”, what would look different in your life? How would you know I had been helpful to you?
Counseling versus Therapy?
Counseling is talking and giving advice. Therapy is helping you to see yourself more clearly, working on coping skills and reprocessing memories to heal.
Counseling can include educational components about specific issues like panic attacks, depression and parenting skills.
Therapy might be developing strategies for when panic attacks start, skills for reducing depression and delving into the background of the parenting skill set.
Typically counseling/therapy is a combination of both and that is why the words are commonly used interchangeably.
Follow up Sessions
Follow up sessions may be weekly or every two weeks depending on your needs, coordinating schedules and your desires. I will usually ask how things are going and that is your opportunity to bring up things that happened since the last session. If nothing has happened, then I will ask about the goals you established in the first session, and we will explore those issues.
What if You Don’t Know What to Talk About?
Sometimes clients come to session saying they don’t have anything to talk about this time and thought about cancelling. You don’t need to stress about bringing something to each session to talk about. After the initial session I have notes on areas of your life that I want to ask about and traumas that may need healing. So don’t feel pressured to “come up with something”. It is my job to ask the right questions and explore how well you are coping with your life. I have been doing this for a long time and sometimes the best sessions evolve from the ones where there was “nothing to talk about.”
And if we need to end early, I will only charge you for a half session. So, don’t stress about it!
Confidentiality
What you say in the counseling office is confidential except: If someone is hurting you, you want to hurt yourself or someone else, or if it is court ordered. I am required to keep everyone safe. Tennessee is also a mandatory reporting state, meaning that if anyone suspects child abuse it must be reported.
Costs
I do not file insurance nor am I affiliated with any insurance companies. This is because most insurance companies limit the types of counseling they will cover (some don’t cover marriage counseling, autism, or adjustment disorders) and they limit the number of sessions. They also have access to your private counseling notes because they want to see the methods used and verification of measurable progress.
I charge $50 for a 50-minute counseling session, and you may pay by Venmo, Debit or Credit Card. You can enter the credit card information online when you complete your initial consents and paperwork. If you request it, I will email you a receipt that sometimes can be sent to the insurance company for reimbursement. Every insurance plan is different, so you will need to contact your insurance company to see if this applies to you.