Attending your first therapy session can be a bit intimidating, especially if you have been struggling with the decision for a while. Therapy is one of the most important investments you can make to improve your quality of life. Here are some things you should know before you attend your first session:
1. Is The Therapist Suitable For You?
The first thing to consider is whether the therapist is suitable for you. Most online platforms like eTherapy Pro provide free therapy sessions at first. You can attend these sessions to see whether the therapist is the right fit.
2. Your Session Should Be Undisturbed
It is important to set aside some free time for therapy. Make sure that nothing disturbs you and make sure everyone knows you’re unavailable. If your session is disturbed often by work calls or family responsibilities, you won’t progress as quickly as you can. Make sure your phone is on silent and people can only contact you in case of emergencies.
3. Always Be Honest
The therapist can’t help you if they’re working with false or incomplete information. It is important to make sure you’re always honest. If you can’t answer a question honestly at some point, it is better to say that you can’t answer it instead of lying.
4. You Can Share Anything With Your Therapist
Therapists don’t judge people and keep their personal opinions to themselves. You can share everything from your troubles to your sexual identity with your therapist without any fear of judgment or disapproval.
5. Everything You Learn During Therapy has Lifelong Value
Therapy is a learning experience and requires active participation. Just attending sessions isn’t enough, you need to apply the solutions provided in those sessions to real-life to experience true healing.
6. Consistency is Important
It is important to remain consistent when it comes to therapy, even online therapy. Schedule your sessions regularly and don’t skip them unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Consistent therapy will you get through the recovery faster.
7. Share Your Concerns Freely
Therapists are human beings and they can make mistakes or misunderstand things as well. If you have any concerns during the sessions, feel free to voice them. If your therapist has understood something incorrectly, feel free to correct them.
8. Your Therapist Will Respect Your Privacy
Your therapist won’t share details of your session with anyone. They maintain doctor-patient confidentiality at all times. They won’t even share the details with their friends or family because that breaches the trust bond between a therapist and their client.
9. Sometimes Therapy Will Be Uncomfortable and Difficult
Sessions can become uncomfortable and even painful at times. These difficult topics can make you feel resigned and dispirited but they are an important aspect of therapy. Sometimes you need to just power through them to get to a point of healing.
10. You’re Allowed to Disagree with Your Therapist
It is also important to keep in mind that clients can disagree with therapists. If you have a different opinion, feel free to share it with your therapist and explain your reasoning. They won’t mind it and will alter their approach accordingly.
