What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session
By Keira Ayoub
Edited by Corinne Morrison
Has going to therapy become as normalized as going to the gym? Call it an exercise in wellbeing for your body, mind, and soul, if you will. The growing global consciousness around health and wellbeing has seemingly included psychotherapy in the realm of ‘things that benefit your mental health;’ and with that, people of all ages are starting their therapy journey for the first time.
Doing anything for the first time can bring about nerves and feelings of discomfort because you are stepping into the unknown. Our goal is to help demystify the beginning parts of a first therapy session and to help ease your feelings of uncertainty.
Consultation
All of our therapists at ACTion Psychotherapy offer free initial consultation appointments as a chance to speak to the person you may choose as your therapist. While 15-20-minute consultation appointments are recommended to help you decide upon a therapist, they are not required to begin therapy.
Initial consultation appointments may be conducted in one of two ways: by telephone or over our secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform (The Jane App).
You may schedule your consultation by:
The consultation is offered as an opportunity for your therapist to better understand your needs and hopes for therapy. It can be thought of as a short introduction and getting to know you – for both you and your therapist!
A consultation not only helps the therapist understand you better and assess whether they are the best person to help you, but it also allows you to get a feel for the therapist. During the consultation, a therapist will typically ask you to share a little bit about what’s going on, what made you seek therapy, and your hopes for your time together. Your therapist will inform you on their therapeutic approach and review the Limits of Confidentiality and Informed Consent. Additionally, you might collaborate on logistics, such as scheduling frequency, availability, and session rates or billing procedures.
At the end of the consultation, if you mutually decide to continue working together, your therapist will provide you with options to book your first full session. If you did not feel that they were the right match, you can book another consultation with someone else to see if they are a better fit. Additionally, if the therapist feels as if you may benefit from another therapist with different specialities, they may refer you to someone else for another consultation. The best predictor of successful therapy outcomes is the therapeutic relationship!
First Session
Once you have successfully completed the consultation, and both you and the therapist agree that you are a good fit, you will have your first session. The first session will typically be about one hour, although there are different lengths of therapy sessions depending on your specific needs. Nerves are normal – and you may feel free to share this with your therapist – remember, they’re trained in this stuff and emotions don’t scare them (and won’t hurt their feelings!). It’s expected to have some uncertainty, and your therapist may help reassure you.
In the first session, your therapist will begin therapy in the therapeutic approach that they practice from. All of our therapists practice person-centered therapy, which means they are collaborative and your sessions will be uniquely suited to you. Depending on your reasons for seeking therapy, you may begin by sharing more about your history, childhood, upbringing, moments of significance in your life. Alternatively, you could begin by discussing a more recent incident or concern happening here and now. There is no one “right” way to begin. Being present and talking about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences is what the psychotherapy process is all about. All that matters is that the content and process is meaningful to you.
While you are not obligated to share what you do not yet want to share, being open helps a therapist better understand you and your world. Contrary to popular belief – therapists are not mind readers!
If you are into goal setting, you and your therapist might dive into goal setting as part of the first session. Talking about goals (or hopes) is an important part of therapy, as it lends to the work that you do together to help ensure you’re getting something out of it. They may also serve as a marker for progress, if that’s important to you.
If you and your therapist have agreed upon homework, or practices between sessions, then you’ll collaborate on what you can experiment with before the next session. This ‘homework’ could be tangible, such as writing a thought log, or intangible, such as being mindful of an insight that arose during your session. Something to work on between sessions emphasizes that therapy is a continuous process, and allows you to apply what you learned in session to your everyday life. Life and learning happens between sessions.
The Therapy Part
After your first session, you will likely meet for a number of times following at an agreed upon frequency, where you and your therapist do ‘the work’. The ‘work’ part of therapy is often made up of intangibles, such as confronting or voicing difficult thoughts and feelings, feeling otherwise suppressed emotions, talking about things that matter to you, processing thoughts and feelings aloud and developing plans for how you’d like to try doing things a little differently. Part of this work might include psycho-education from your therapist, where they can teach you about psychological concepts as it relates to wellbeing and mental health, and suggest evidence-based practices aligned with wellbeing, if desired.
Session frequency might begin on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and then move further apart if you no longer feel the need or benefit from more frequent sessions.
Conclusion
Overall, the first therapy session can be full of uncertainty, leading to nerves. However, you are in control of every step, and you always have the choice in terms of your care. You will almost always start with a new therapist through a consultation before booking your first session, which will allow you to become comfortable with each other. Then, during your first session, your therapy journey begins. During follow-up sessions, your therapist can provide you with evidence-based skills to help you reach your goals, however, please be open in asking for this if it is desired. Our therapists believe in the notion that you are the expert on your own life, and we do not assume you need or want unsolicited advice. We believe in the wind beneath your wings – we’ll just help get the wind going.
How to Prepare for Your Online Therapy Session
If you’re considering online therapy, here are some simple tips to set yourself up for success:
1. Find a private space. It’s okay if it’s not ideal every time. We understand new parents who need to be around their baby or little ones, or people with busy schedules are doing their best. It’s helpful if you can have a private space that’s free from distractions [for the most part]. This helps to be present and get the most out of your sessions.
2. Check your tech. Ensure your internet connection and sound is working ahead of time to avoid taking away from your session time once it begins. If possible, silence your phone from distractions.
3. Create a ritual. A felt sense of safety and security can be cultivated. It can be helpful to create a small routine for yourself before and after therapy sessions. Rituals help bring a sense of intention and presence into a session, and unwinding or debriefing after a session as a practice of containment. These can be particularly helpful for heavy, emotional work.
4. Allow transition time. Just as you would commute to an office, give yourself a few minutes before and after to reflect, ground yourself, and integrate what you discussed.
Get to Know Our Therapists
Book with one of our licensed psychotherapists here.
Get to know our Registered Psychotherapists at find a therapist. You can also read Our Story to learn more about what we stand for at ACTion Psychotherapy.