I’m writing this because “going for therapy” seems to be a misunderstood, stigmatized process, full of the unknown. I can’t speak for other therapists, but I can tell you what coming to see me is like, and tell you about my experiences. Coming to therapy is hard, but in my opinion (and I’ll admit I’m biased) very worthwhile.

The first thing that you deal with is calling to set up the appointment. I generally try to get a little information from you regarding what your problem is (without going into a huge amount of detail) so that I’ll know if my areas of expertise match up to the problem you’re calling about. If they don’t, I’ll let you know and offer to refer you to someone that might be able to address your needs a little better than I could. However, if your need is something that I treat, then we talk about finding a time for an appointment.

I work evenings and weekends, and that’s usually a good time for people to come and see me. I tell people up front, though, that I don’t work days at this point in time, and that I don’t bill insurance, so you’ll have to pay up front. I do offer to give you a copy of a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement though. Once we set the appointment, I ask you to come to that first visit about 15 minutes early so you can fill out my paperwork.

My paperwork is pretty simple. I have a client information sheet, which asks for things like name, address, phone numbers, and email. I have a financial policies handout and a professional policies handout, which deal with my fees and billing procedures (including what happens if you don’t show up for scheduled appointments) as well as privacy issues, confidentiality and contact information.

Once you’ve arrived, if I can I’ll pop out of my office and greet you and introduce myself. If I’m in a session, I can’t do that right away, but will as soon as possible. When the time arrives for your appointment, I’ll gather your paperwork and invite you into my office.

Ok – here’s where it gets interesting. :) One of the first things I say is that I have a great amount of respect and admiration for you – coming to a stranger’s office and trusting me enough to tell me all your secrets, problems, and fears. That, quite honestly, takes courage and “guts” and I’m not afraid to tell you that. In fact, I think you NEED to hear that because it lets you know that I respect you.

Once we do that, I give you a little “road map” of what our first session will looks like. I tell you I’m going to give you some information first, then give you a chance to ask me any questions that you feel are important. From there, I ask you a lot of questions about your history and the problem you’re facing right now.

I start by telling you that I have to give you some information on confidentiality – specifically when I need to break it. I also give you information like my supervisor’s name and my contact information. We then go over the two handouts. When going over the financial policies, we determine what fee I will charge you for my services. Since I work on a sliding scale, I ask people to bring proof of income; if you don’t I assume you can pay the top level of the sliding scale. I also go over the professional policies, and we talk about things like what happens if you miss a session without calling, how much notice I need if you’re going to cancel, and who to contact if you’re not satisfied with my services.

Once these formalities have been completed, I give you the chance to ask me questions. I think it’s important you be given that chance, as a matter of respect. Once you’ve had the chance to ask me your questions, we go to the “intake” portion of the interview.

An “intake” is basically an initial interview, where I gather information about you, your family and other significant history, and the history of the problem that’s bothering you. I usually begin by asking you to “tell me your story.” I like and need to hear in your words what happened, and why you’re here. This gives me a basis for figuring out what’s going on from a psychological perspective. I ask you questions about your family, your significant other(s), friends, education, and a whole lot of other things depending on what your issue is.

One thing I want to mention is that I *always* ask about certain sensitive topics. I ask these questions of everyone, because they affect the way I work with you and also affect who you are as an individual today. These questions include gaining information about alcohol and illicit substance consumption, prescription medications, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. I also ask about whether or not you’ve been suicidal, and if so, have you attempted to hurt/kill yourself and what you did during those events. I also ask about the outcome – who found you, who cared for you, how did you recover, how do these events affect you today? These are very important questions/topics and I make sure to ask everyone these questions. So, if you come to see me, expect me to ask about these.

Once I’ve gathered all the information I think I need, I ask you if you think there is anything else I need to/should know. If not, then I ask again if you have any questions. Finally, I ask if you think that working with me would be a good fit for you. If so, we set another appointment to begin our work, and go from there. If not, then I again offer to refer you to another practitioner who might be better able to meet your needs.

So…that’s what happens when you visit me for the first time. I hope I was able to take out some of the mystery surrounding what happens in a therapist’s office, at least at first. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me!

 

Please Note: The content on this blog is intended for informational purposes only. This is not therapy, and if you wish to work in therapy, please contact your local mental health agency or your physician for a referral.

If you are in crisis or danger, or are thinking about hurting yourself, please call 911 for immediate help. Please, again, realize that seeking out help really IS a sign of strength and not a sign of weakness. You don’t have to be alone in facing these things – there are people who care and who will help. Email me at: theothersideofthecouch@live.com

 

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