5 Ways to prepare for your First Psychology Appointment
So you’ve booked in for your first session! YASS! The hard part’s almost over…almost. Now we have to actually get you to the session. Instead of sitting there feeling nervous and unsure just for the sake of stressing, here are 5 ways to channel that anxious energy into something productive and start preparing for your first session whether it be with me, or another psychologist.
1. Consider your Goals
I get it, you want to ‘feel better’ and maybe ‘be better’ at certain things. But take a moment to consider an current barriers that may in place for you that are stopping you from getting to these goals.
We will certainly be figuring this part out together in session one, but it can’t hurt if you wanted to give yourself a head start.
2. Reflect on how you learn best
In the same way that I’m not just going to get you to “lie down on the couch and tell me about your childhood” in every session, I’m also not going to be ‘just listening and nodding’. Two of my three practice values is Empowerment and Growth. It’s important to me that I teach you about yourself and ways you can learn to improve things yourself eventually.
In order to do this effectively, I’ll want to cater to your learning style. So have a think...are you better with visuals? Do you prefer templates and examples? Or are you more about abstract thinking and the theory/science side of things?
3. Bring a Notebook & Pen
This is probably one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to make your therapy experience more worthwhile. The chances are, we will be coming across a few ‘ah ha!’ moments during our sessions together that you may want to note down. I may also be giving you mini tasks to do in between sessions and this is good way to keep those instructions in one place. A notebook is also a good place to keep track of any therapy-related questions or points that might pop up in between appointments. Go ahead, start a ‘Ask Helen’ list!
4. Consider Questions you might have for your Psychologist
Who the heck am I anyway? You don’t know me and yet I’m going to be asking you what will probably be quite personal questions about yourself.
Are you curious about my training? Maybe how I work and my therapy approach is really important to you? Or maybe it’s going to be a dealbreaker if I’m not a dog person.
Maybe this is your first session ever-ever and you have no idea how therapy works, how many sessions this will take or what the deal is with privacy when it comes to you being under 18 years old. Whatever curiosities are floating around up there, ask away!
5. Plan for a slower day after the session
Not always, but sometimes therapy can include some pretty heavy stuff. It’s quite normal to feel (and especially after a first session) as though…
“Everything’s been brought to the surface and no solutions have yet been offered! ”
You’ll likely walk about the first session feeling a mix of emotions: perhaps proud of yourself for taking this first step? Maybe hopeful for what is next to come on our therapy journey together? Perhaps feeling a little vulnerable and like certain things feel raw again?
Either way, it not ideal if you have to go straight back to work or study. It can’t hurt to take some time to yourself after the session. Be sure to carve out some time for yourself where you can.
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Trauma-informed psychology in Essendon North, Melbourne