What Else To Know About Getting Started

For Individual Sessions

(1) Initial phone screening:

(2) What to expect from the first individual session and beyond.

A starting point: Introduction, relevant paperwork, clinical assessment (brief history of the issues, problems, or symptoms, substance history, medical issues, supports, strengths, and so on); also: what is going on in your life right now, what you think and how you feel about it, and the therapist will answer any patient questions or concerns, etc. Remember that background information and ‘need to knows’ will give a clearer vision of what may be causing or adding to your problems; therefore, it is encouraged that you be willing to answer questions honestly to the best of your ability.
Think about specific things you may want to explain or say at the first session, like: "It really upsets me when..." "I feel threatened in situations where..." "Some days I just feel like...." I've been feeling like this for ______ days or weeks, or years." The therapist will already be asking you diagnostic-based questions to get insight into your symptoms and also to stimulate discussion, but it's more useful for you, if you have a sense of what the presenting issues are in order to convey them. These type of questions can go a long way in getting you prepared for understanding what you may want to work on in therapy.

(3) Subsequent individual sessions:

Subsequent appointments after the intake/assessment can be discussed as part of the closing of the 1st session.
Duration of session ranges about 45-60 minutes f/ weekly to bi-monthly to begin therapy to best assess, understand, plan, and treat symptomology and presenting issues, but also to build a therapeutic and working relationship.
The goal is always to reduce impairing symptomology, improve functioning, and promote wellness.

(4) End of treatment:

Now that you feel healthy and areas of your life seem manageable and you feel good about yourself, and feel equipped to handle life’s challenges when they come your way. Good Effort and Work! The time, effort, and willingness to openly and honestly explore the most complex and painful areas of yourself and your life have paid off.. Now what? You've had standing weekly appointment with your therapist, and you have probably developed a strong therapeutic alliance with him or her. But lately you have noticed that you don’t feel a need to go to therapy or both of you have come to a understanding that u are operating at much improved functional level, if so, then these are strong indicators that you are ready to leave therapy, so congratulations! Ideally, a closing and termination session is a nice way to say fare thee well and process your life challenges that were overcome, lessons learned and applied, your weekly efforts, any need for post-therapy resources, and if a 'tune-up' is needed down the road, this is the time to discuss what that would be like and entails.