How to Make the Most of Your Therapy Appointment
If you’re receiving counseling services, then you have 45-60 minutes each week to work with your therapist. If you want to maximize your time, energy, and resources, here are some steps you can take to get the most out of your appointment.
1. Prepare for your therapy appointment in advance.
Prior to your appointment, think about what you want to work on in your session. Some people like to make a list or write down bullet points that they bring to their session. This way, you are prepared and can make it a point to cover the most important topics during your appointment. This is your time, so it’s up to you to make sure that you are getting your needs met. Being prepared and taking charge is one way that you can do this.
2. Arrive a few minutes early to your counseling session.
This allows you to unwind and make the transition between a busy day and your appointment. It gives you the chance to center yourself and collect your thoughts prior to the session. Most importantly, if you’re on time, you get to maximize the time that you and your therapist have set aside for your appointment. If you arrive late, you’ve missed out on valuable time together. Even though you’ve arrived late, your therapist will still end the appointment on time. After all, they need to model healthy boundaries and make sure that they are not late for their next appointment.
3. Be up front and honest about how you are really doing.
Even though you’ve signed up for counseling services to get help, sometimes people feel the need to say things they think will make their counselor happy with them. Have you ever felt the need to “please” your counselor by saying that you’re doing better than you really are? Is people-pleasing or putting up a happy front something that shows up in other parts of your life? If so, just make note of that, and please remember that your counselor will continue to think highly of you no matter how you are doing. We see the good in you even when you can’t see it for yourself. It’s our job to sit with you in the dark times and to help you when you’re having a hard time making the changes you desire. Your honesty helps us help you! If we know that you’re having a hard time, we can work with that!
4. Be honest about counseling interventions that you like or don’t like.
Mental health providers are trained in a wide variety of treatment modalities. Counselors might use interventions that involve drawing, journaling, role playing, reading, writing, worksheets, exercises to help you change your thoughts, etc. If you really enjoy a particular intervention that your therapist is using, please let them know. If you really dislike a particular intervention, please mention that as well.
An intervention that one person really loves might be an intervention that someone else really dislikes, and that’s OK. At the end of the day, what matters the most is that your therapist is using interventions that work really well for you. In order for them to know what you find most helpful, however, you’ll need to communicate clearly.
5. Set a goal to work on between therapy sessions.
At the end of your session, set a goal with your therapist that you can work on between sessions. This way, you are able to continue your therapeutic work throughout the week. Did you know that there’s a lot of work that can be done each week between appointments? Working between your appointments can consist of reading an article, completing a worksheet, tracking information, practicing a new coping strategy, trying out a new skill, reflecting on a particular concept, and more.
6. Follow-up with your therapist.
If you and your therapist set a goal at your last appointment, make sure that you talk abut how it went. Did you follow through? Did you find the exercise helpful? What did you learn? What did you find challenging or helpful? Where is there continued room for growth and learning? After all, if you did this work, you definitely want to get credit for it. : )
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Interested in Counseling for Anxiety or Depression?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online counseling for anxiety and depression aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written By: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
Photos: JESHOOTS.com on Unsplash
Date of Download: 7/23/2020
