What to expect from therapy?
Everyone who makes the decision to try therapy has a different journey ahead of them. I’ve found that the “why are you coming to therapy” question is easy to answer for most of my clients, but the question of “what do you want out of therapy” is much more difficult to answer for my clients. A lot of the time it’s simply “feel better” and that’s a good place to start.
Therapy is a deeply personal experience and with the right therapist for you, it can be life changing. During the process, clients may actually feel worse before feeling better and this is because they’re finally processing things that went unaddressed for so long, making those uncomfortable things the center of attention.
So what can you expect when it comes to therapy? While this list isn’t exhaustive, it’s a start.
You’re probably going to talk a lot and if you’re not used to being the center of attention, it’s going to feel uncomfortable. Your therapist should be able to help guide you through those feelings and spend a lot of the session listening to you.
You might cry. Sometimes the things that get talked about are so difficult or profound that the only response is to cry and that’s okay!
You might get homework. A lot of the magic of therapy happens between sessions when you make the decision to do things differently.
You might not know how long therapy is going to last. Most sessions are going to be about an hour, but you may be in therapy for weeks, months or even years depending on what’s going on for you. Some theories and interventions have a set end date, but a lot of them don’t.
You may be asked to provide feedback on how you feel the process is going. Most therapists will check in with you and want your feedback. It’s your journey and we are here to support you, make sure that you’re getting what you need out of the process. This helps model honest and open communication, which is handy in so many areas of life.
You might feel some type of way towards your therapist, sometimes pissed, sometimes happy. Part of the therapeutic process involves us pointing out patterns you didn’t realize or making connections to help you sort out whatever is going on for you. When done well, these instances are valuable tools to help you change things in your life.
When you find the right therapist for you, it can feel like magic when your life starts to improve in little ways. Our ultimate goal is that you won’t need our support to live your best life and we want to get you there.
If you want to get started on your therapy journey, you can always book a consultation with Dryad Counseling, but if you don’t think DC is the place for you, check out sites like Psychology Today, Good Therapy and Inclusive Therapists. You can also search for a therapist with a specific specialty or treatment focus using several other directories that list providers who may line more with your cultural values.
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