What should I expect from my first therapy session?

In your first therapy session, you can expect to be asked quite a few questions by the therapist along with sharing a lot about yourself. This is the first step in building the therapeutic relationship. When I conduct my first session with clients, I will have already received a standard questionnaire from them that provides me with basic demographic information. This information includes: current general concerns they have, past mental health therapy, any current or past mental health concerns, cultural considerations, and individual strengths. During this time, I will ask more in-depth questions about those answers that the client provided and I will ask about their expectations around what they would like from me as their therapist. Do they want a direct approach? Homework? What did they find helpful with their last therapist? During this session, I will also ask about goals for therapy. This is an ongoing process and please know that those goals may change. I will also discuss frequency of sessions with clients. I am not a therapist that prescribes a specific number of sessions monthly, but I view therapy as an investment in oneself. I also understand that therapy is not cheap. I always leave this up to clients to choose weekly therapy, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions. Although this is not exactly how each therapist works, I can only provide you my process that I have found most beneficial for my work with clients.