What a Therapy Session is Like
How to Get Started
First you would make contact with a therapist in your area. In your email or phone call you would provide your basic information, such as name and insurance policy, and a brief description of why you are seeking services. You would want to learn from the therapist if they do accept your insurance, if the therapist has openings, and if the therapist has experience with your particular problem.
There are some websites that can assist you to locate a therapist. Here are a few:
Find-a-Therapist.com
Counsel-Search.com
NewYork-Therapists.com
4AngerTherapy.com
MensTherapy.com
ChildrensCounselors.com
Some people may want to conduct their own mini-interview of the therapist to determine if there will be a good fit between the clinician and client. Here are some typical things to ask- What is the cost of the session if you are self-pay or what is the amount of the co-pay if you have insurance? What are the therapist’s available appointment times? What is the cancellation policy? What will the frequency of therapy appointments be? What are the therapist’s credentials and years of experience? What are the therapist’s specialties? What degrees or training does the therapist have? Does the therapist work with a prescriber?
Session 1
The first session will likely be similar to an interview, which helps the therapist understand your problem and your history. Here is some of the information that they may want to hear from you-
- Demographic information
- The specific nature of your problem or complaint
- What has caused this problem
- How are you affected by the problem
- Any previous mental health treatment
- Your history or family history of mental illness
- Your history of trauma or abuse
- A description of past and current family relationships
- Any alcohol or substance use
- Your medical conditions and current medications
- Any legal problems
- Employment
- Education
- Hobbies and interests
- Goals for treatment
Considering your own goals is essential and will significantly help treatment proceed efficiently. The therapist will likely accept your suggestion on how to direct treatment based on what you are hoping to accomplish. Your description of your problem and your goals are the starting point for the counseling. If you are having trouble defining for yourself what you would like to focus on, then here are some questions you might ask yourself to decide your goals- How will I know if the therapy sessions are helpful? How will I know when treatment is complete? What do I want relief from? How will I know if progress has happened?
Regular sessions
Your individual therapy sessions will likely last 45 to 60 minutes and may occur weekly, twice a month, or monthly depending on your needs and the therapist’s availability. You will basically be talking about how life is going, how you have been feeling, what has been troubling you, what successes you have experienced, or what challenges you have faced.
If you are unsure how to start the first session after your interview session, you might be prepared to update your therapist on your problem or concern and how it has affected you since you last met together. Or you could just express how you are feeling to be there. But it is also possible that your therapist will be prepared with a topic or question to get you started.
The type of treatment you receive can be varied. It may be a specific type or it might be that your therapist incorporates a variety of approaches in his or her work. Here are a few of the common types of treatment and therapeutic work-
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Anger management
- Affect regulation
- Self esteem improvement
- Recovery from trauma and abuse
- Eating disorder recovery
- Play therapy
- Couples counseling
- Behavioral approaches
- Sexual addictions and recovery
- Communication skills
Concluding Treatment
Treatment length varies depending on your needs and the nature of your problem. Though premature endings of the therapy can happen at times, more typically you and your therapist would prepare over time when treatment will be complete. It is common that the frequency of your sessions may be reduced as you are making progress and that eventually contact will end if ongoing communication with the therapist does not seem necessary. Usually you and the therapist would be aware of the upcoming ending, would count down the number of sessions remaining, and would discuss feelings and issues related to ending the work together.
All your problems may not be solved, but it may be time for treatment to end if you have made sufficient improvement and have a feeling of success. You would also begin to feel that you do not really need the continued support from the therapist, and that you have learned a lot from your time together. Most importantly, you would feel a sense of hope and accomplishment.
It is natural to feel concern as the therapy is coming to an end. Your therapist has likely become a very significant figure in your life. A feeling of loss is common when your work together ends. And you may be reminded of previous losses in your life. Sometimes symptoms briefly return as a response to this ending. But it is important to remember that you have been equipped to manage and have gained much strength for approaching struggles in your life.
