How to Be Prepared for Your Therapy Sessions

Congratulations!

You have taken the steps to start therapy and now you have your first appointment coming up. 

….but how do you get ready for this?

Currently, all of Cardinal Hope Mental Health Services PLLC sessions are virtual using HIPPA compliant platforms.

Your therapist will send you your session confirmation link via email prior to your scheduled session. It is suggested to get on 5-10 minutes before your session to give yourself time, just in case a technical issue occurs. (if you do experience any technical issues, always let your therapist know and be sure to go to https://support.google.com/meet if you are having difficulty logging on to your session). In addition, having 5-10 minutes before session allows us to transition our day into preparing for therapy.

Speaking of preparing, how do we prepare ourselves for therapy?

This is where the 5-10 minutes can come in.. 

Having this time allows you to prepare for session also writing down what you wish to talk about in session can be helpful to keep yourself on track.

PS: There is a lot of research pertaining to journaling being a great tool to use throughout your therapy journey. 

Journaling helps to create the awareness in us to bring up issues in therapy we know we need help in (WebMD, 2021). Secondly, it helps us to separate ourselves from our feelings and thoughts (Tartakavsky, 2020) but this is another topic for another time!

How do we keep ourselves on track when there is SO much to talk about?

Every therapy session is designed to allow you to get closer to your goals. You and your therapists will collaboratively tailor goals to reflect what you would like to get out of this therapy experience.

To get the most out of therapy, focusing on these goals in every session will assist you in getting to the end goal of where you would like to be.

Lastly, BREATHE

Your therapist will be on soon to answer all of your questions and validate but relieve your worries. You are never expected to be the expert in therapy, and we are here to guide you through this journey. Your therapist is so happy you are here and ready to take on another session ✿

References

Google.com. (2023). Google meet help. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/meet/?hl=en#topic=7306097

Tartakovsky, M. (2022). 15 benefits of journaling and tips for getting started. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-journaling

WebMD.com. (2021). How journaling can help ease anxiety and encourage healing. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-benefits-of-journaling