First visit to a psychotherapist - how to prepare for it?
To begin with, it is worth clearly and openly answering the question posed above – there is no need to prepare for this visit. But at the same time, it is worth being aware of a few things that may be important before deciding to enter psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy is a powerful tool that helps deal with various types of emotional and psychological disorders and problems. Despite the great general interest in the help offered by therapists, many people wonder how to prepare for the first session. Frequent questions also concern what the first meeting in a therapist’s office will look like. We talk about this in the following article.
Misunderstanding of the assumptions of psychotherapy as a common reason for its ineffectiveness
Before we get to the heart of the subject, we want to mention at the outset a common cause that causes disappointment in patients who want to participate in psychotherapy. We are talking about the misunderstanding of how therapy works.
It happens that patients seeking help in a therapy office, expect the therapist to give them tips and ready-made solutions. Their application will immediately improve functioning. This is a mistaken assumption. It should be clearly emphasized – the therapist does not solve patients’ problems and does not have a simple prescription on how to deal with them. In the course of therapy, the patient is encouraged to talk freely about his problems, his feelings and the emotions that accompany them. With the help of the therapist, he learns to notice and differentiate his feelings. This is followed by a gradual recognition and acceptance of his emotional needs, giving new meanings to the emotional experiences he experiences. Obtained in the course of therapy, new insights into previous problems, new skills in formed emotional attitudes allow the patient to face his problems in a more proficient way.
There is also often a misunderstanding among patients when it comes to the duration of psychotherapy. Some people would like effects after just 3-4 visits. Such effects are possible when a person comes forward in a situation of sudden and major psychological crisis (e.g. loss of job, betrayal in a relationship, breakup, experience of violence). Then the psychologist helps to name and identify the main causes of the problem, supports the person in expressing feelings and his emotional needs giving direction for a specific, very immediate, crisis solution. However, most often a person comes to a psychotherapist with suffering or discomfort that may have a long history. Then there is usually no way that a few therapy sessions can create a magical effect that will nullify these problems. During the first meetings, the therapist is really getting to know the patient, establishing a rapport with them that allows them to build a sense of security and trust to talk about their difficult issues. Obtained during the first few sessions, a deeper understanding of the problems brought by the patient allows both of them to agree on a common plan for further psychotherapy aimed at achieving the goals indicated by the patient.
It should be added here that the process of psychotherapy is a relationship that cannot be compared to a visit to any other health professional. During therapy sessions, a specific bond is formed between the specialist and the patient. This bond based on acceptance, kindness and empathy on the part of the therapist is the foundation for effective work on improving the quality of life.
Effective therapy takes time
It is worth realizing even before the first meeting that therapy is a process that usually takes many months and sometimes years. It should also be noted here that in terms of the effectiveness of therapy, much depends on the established goal and the patient’s motivation to work.
Modifying response patterns and changing emotional regulation are areas that are worked on over a long period of time. The effects of this work are also often not immediately noticeable. Although the effect is postponed over time, in many cases the change worked out during therapy sessions significantly improves the quality of a person’s daily functioning, and may be deeper and more lasting than the improvement obtained from the use of psychotropic drugs.
Analysis of the problem we want to solve with the therapist - why do we want to seek help?
What does the first meeting with a psychotherapist look like?
Psychotherapy is actually a fairly close relationship with a stranger. We often tell the therapist about our most personal experiences. Among other reasons, this is why there can be stress before the first meeting. So it is important to realize that a psychotherapist is a professional whose job is to help us – we can be sure that he or she never judges our feelings, emotions and behavior.
The accompanying feeling of embarrassment during the first meeting is normal and usually very kindly received by the psychotherapist. The therapist will encourage openness in talking about ourselves, because the more open our attitude, the better results we can expect from the sessions.
Sometimes it happens that people feel fear of being ridiculed – this feeling stops them from communicating their feelings. We know that sometimes dealing with these types of barriers takes time and patience, but the sooner you can overcome them, the better results subsequent meetings will give.
Discuss the principles of building a therapeutic relationship
During the very first sessions, the therapist can show his openness and kindness towards any feelings the patient will experience towards the specialist. You may find that stopping by these feelings in subsequent sessions will be an important part of the psychotherapy process. Through such conversations, the therapist can usually gain a deeper understanding of the client’s perspective. In the course of the subsequent process, the client can make use of this by giving new meanings to his earlier problems….
During the first few sessions, individuals also establish the frequency of meetings. Most often, psychotherapy sessions are held at a frequency of 1 x per week. This frequency provides optimal energy during the meetings, where the person receiving psychotherapy can gradually become more and more involved in the therapeutic work.
It is worth knowing before the first therapy session that the nature of this relationship excludes social contacts – let’s call it off-session. Although a bond is formed on the therapist-patient line, it has only professional characteristics.
Are you sure you need the help of a psychotherapist?
Sometimes it turns out already at the initial conversation that the problem with which the patient reports does not require psychotherapy. It also happens that the issue qualifies for consultation with a psychiatrist or several visits to a psychologist.
The more accurately you tell your story, the better the psychotherapist will be able to understand it. Based on this, he or she may suggest a consultation with a psychiatrist, for example, if he or she determines that it may be helpful in your case.
It may also be that a consultation with a psychotherapist will lead to other conclusions – for example, if your problems are related to your relationship with another person, the specialist may suggest psychological support in the form of couples therapy.
