Starting therapy is a big step in your mental health journey. I am so proud of you for that. If you haven’t been to therapy before, you probably don’t know what to expect. Well, I’d love to help you out and maybe calm some of those nerves for you! Therapy really isn’t as daunting as it might seem. As a therapist, my first goal for you is to be comfortable and form a trust with me where you feel you can open up in a judgment free zone. Let’s jump into it with how you can get the most out of therapy. 

Before booking your first appointment with a therapist, look at their website, their profile online, etc. to make sure you feel like you know a little about the therapist before you begin. This will also help you to feel more comfortable in beginning this process since you will know a little bit about the therapist you are about to form a therapeutic relationship with. 

Next, be honest with yourself and your therapist. Your therapist isn’t the expert of your life, you are. Your therapist can only support and help you, if they know the truth about what you are experiencing, what you’ve tried in the past, what is/isn’t working for you, etc. It might be hard at times to be completely honest with your therapist, but just remember that you are in a judgment free zone, and your therapist’s main priority is to help you to the best of their ability. 

Last but certainly not least, do the homework/assignments that your therapist recommends. You might not always like the assignments your therapist recommends (and that’s okay – be honest about that with your therapist). Us therapists know that assignments/exercises are not “one size fits all”. Some clients might love some of them, some might hate them.

Remember, you are only in therapy (usually) for one hour a week. So, the majority of the progress you make is up to you and what you do outside of therapy as well. Be intentional in completing your assignments, remembering what your therapist has told you, and taking notes on what you would like to discuss next session. Therapy can be extremely beneficial for EVERYONE, not just people struggling emotionally, mentally, etc. I highly recommend it for individuals, couples, moms, dads, families, everyone! I want anyone who attends therapy to get the most out of it and really enjoy their experience. I hope these few tips will help you to get the most out of therapy! Attending therapy is the first step, and if you are reading this, you are probably pretty close to that first step! I would love to walk through your mental health journey with you! You can schedule an appointment with me or request more info here.