Going for your first therapy session can be daunting. Yes, you’ve taken the first step toward enhancing your life (good on you!), but now what?
In this article, I’ll take you through the basics of therapy, what to expect and what to do next.
What is Therapy all About?
Before you arrive (in-person or virtually) for your first session, it’s good to know what therapy is all about and what to expect. Here are a few key elements:
It’s active and educational: As your therapist, I’ll mainly be using the evidence-based approach of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT).
REBT is active in the sense that I’ll be working alongside you to help you change attitudes and behaviours that don’t assist in achieving your goals. This often includes (but is not limited to) teaching my clients the basic principles of behaviour change.
It’s focused on the present, the here-and-now: So, unlike what might be portrayed in popular media, this form of therapy doesn’t involve me just nodding sagely and taking notes, nor will I be asking you lots of questions about your childhood (unless that’s relevant to you)! REBT is all about getting to grips with your current goals and removing obstacles to you achieving them.
It will involve reading, writing and experimenting with new thoughts and actions: Sadly, just seeing me once a week will not be enough to change behaviours, attitudes and emotions. Because of that, I’ll be giving you “homework” in the form of readings, (occasionally) writing down your thoughts, and going out there in the real world and trying out new things! It’s a bit scary, but also very powerful and will help you get better rather than just feel better.
Want to know more about REBT? You can read more about my approach in this article.
Preparing for your First Session
You’ve booked your first session. Now what?
In general, you don’t need to do much preparation work. But here are a few pointers to help you get the most out of your session:
- Think about one or two issues or challenges that you’d like to address in therapy. That’ll help focus the session on things that will be of the most benefit to you.
- A big part of successful therapy is forming a good working alliance with your therapist. So, it’s important that you leave that first session confident that I’m the right therapist for you! Let me know if I’m not.
Don’t worry about hurting my feelings: I’d rather refer you to someone who can help if we don’t hit it off than you not getting the help that you need! - Having said that, it’s also a good idea to be open-minded in the first session. I’ve often found that REBT is quite a bit different for clients than other forms of therapy they may have experienced. That’s good and expected. Give it a shot and see why REBT is considered such an effective approach: It’s therapy that works!
I look forward to meeting you soon.
Contact me at: marcelharper@rationaltherapy.co.za