A Friendly Guide to Starting Therapy
Welcome! I know that sometimes the idea of starting something new can feel overwhelming on top of everything else in our lives. Don’t worry, you certainly aren’t alone in that idea and I have been there myself. Let’s briefly chat about how empowering it is that you are considering reaching out. It takes courage to seek support and jump into the unknown. If you find a therapist that you feel aligned and comfortable with, that is extremely powerful. This is your time to commit to yourself and honor a space that is for you to process feelings and learn new insights to foster your healing. Let’s hop in to discuss some suggested steps!
Step 1 - Decide and commit to doing this for yourself. You deserve a therapeutic environment that honors your needs and supports your goals.
Step 2 - Set up consult calls with a few therapists to ensure you feel comfortable speaking your truth, they are skilled in the areas you hope to focus on, and that they are accessible for you (costs, distance, etc). Looking on directories can be super helpful (some listed below).
Step 3 - Have a few questions nearby to ask in your consult calls. Some ideas could be: “what type of therapy do you offer?”, “what will therapy sessions look like?”, “do you give homework or readings?”, “do you have experience in supporting people with similar goals as me?”
Step 4 - Now consider which therapist you feel you can be your most authentic self with. Trust yourself in choosing someone most aligned with your goals and comfort.
Step 5 - Please know that it is super normal to feel nervous before your first session and odds are that your therapist may even feel nervous too! The unknown is something that all of us as humans can feel unsure about. Maybe prepare a warm tea or bring water to your session to sip on or wear your favorite comfy socks. This journey is for YOU and the therapist is there to guide you along the way.
Sending best wishes to you on your healing journey!
Ashlynn Sturgis, LCSW
A Few Therapist Directories
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
https://www.therapyden.com/
https://directory.choosingtherapy.com/
