Are you thinking about having counselling or therapy? Do you know how and where to find the right therapist and are you sure you will know what to do or say when you get there?
Therapy can be complicated and challenging and at times a little nerve-wracking. So, how can you make it a rewarding experience, where you can get the most out of your sessions, and fully benefit from the results?
Here are 8 pointers that might help you:
What happens in a session?
- Call before booking an appointment. This is your opportunity to see if you feel comfortable with them, find out if they have the right expertise for your specific needs.
- Get an idea of how frequently you might need sessions and the cost involved.
- Have a think about what you’d like to get out of it, what you’re hoping to achieve.
- Be willing to explore your feelings, emotions and behaviour, even if you’re not always comfortable opening up about things that may be deeply personal, emotionally challenging, or hard to talk about.
- Approach your sessions with an open mind and a desire to explore different options.
- Be ready and willing to do some homework. Allocating time outside your sessions will help you gain more insight about why and how you react to certain situations or triggers and gradually learn new tools to help you choose different responses.
- Commit to yourself and the process.
- Tell your therapist what’s working and what isn’t. It will give you both the opportunity to explore a different approach that may suit you better.
Therapy will improve your mental health and well-being, and overall contribute to you feeling better. There may be times when you’ll question everything and what I say is – trust the process. Therapy is like decorating your house – you clear out the furniture, create a mess as you prep the rooms before you can start to paint or paper and add the final touches that make it homely.
During your sessions, you need to remember that there is very little that you can’t talk about; nothing is too silly, stupid or weird. Let your emotions show and be prepared to put in the hard work. You will start to see positive changes quite quickly.
It’s not just about focusing on the relief from overwhelming symptoms like panic attacks or anxiety, your therapist will want to get to the bottom of why you’re having these episodes in your life – is there a trigger, or a root cause that needs to be addressed and then dealt with?
Finally, there’s no judgment, only support, acceptance and acknowledgment. You will get a calm, safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment for you to explore your issues. So, if you are struggling with shame, embarrassment or humiliation, do not worry, most likely your therapist will have heard and dealt with a similar story.
Invest in you for your future
Therapy is an investment in yourself and your future. A strong therapeutic relationship will make you feel safe and heard, and if you can put the work in, you’ll see the benefits across every aspect of your life. Call Carla Devereux on 0121 745 9044 to book an appointment.
