Seeing a therapist can seem like a very scary experience. It requires that you express your emotions and discuss aspects of your life that you wouldn’t ordinarily discuss with anyone. Thankfully, a skilled therapist’s number one goal is to help you and keep your information confidential while doing so.
These tips below will give you an idea on what you should look out for if you plan on making an appointment with a therapist
Do Your Research
Therapy requires your time, money, and efforts. So it is important that you find a professional who is the right fit for you. You should find out their educational background, years of experience, and their certifications. If you can’t find any of this information online or offline, then consider this a red flag.
Find Out What Progress Looks Like
One of the things you should ask when you start therapy at first is what progress feels like. We don’t always notice improvements in ourselves. This is why it is necessary to enquire from your therapist if he or she notices any changes in you. By doing these assessments, you will be able to stay motivated and develop short-term goals towards improvement.
Be Honest With Your Therapist
No matter how sensitive you think your issues are, you need to be completely honest to get the best outcomes from your sessions. Remember, no one is judging you as your therapist is obliged to keep the information you shared confidential. Open up about everything you think can help you in your recovery no matter how trivial they seem.
Some Sessions Will Be Uncomfortable
Just like any process that involves improvement, therapy may seem uncomfortable at times. Bear in mind that it is part of the process and in time, you will become more at ease. Moreover, it is the job of a good therapist to ensure that sessions are not too intense for their clients. Don’t fail to point it out if you think your therapist is rushing or pushing you too hard.
You Still Need To Put In The Work
Therapy is not a magic pill that immediately solves all your problems. Rather, it is there to guide you and provide you with the resources you need to reach a stable mental state. Therefore, expect to do homework and engage in activities that will be assigned to you by your therapist. It can be safely said that while your therapist does 10% of the work, you do 90% of the rest. But at the end of the day, you’ll find out that it’s worth it.