Is Therapy a Good New Year Step? What to Expect When Starting Counseling

Posted: January 12, 2026

The new year often brings reflection. You may notice patterns you want to change, stress that hasn’t let up, or emotions that feel harder to manage. If you’ve found yourself wondering, Should I try therapy?, now may be a good time to begin.

Therapy Isn’t Just for Crisis

A common myth is that therapy is only for people in extreme distress. In reality, many people start counseling for:

Anxiety or chronic stress
Relationship challenges
Trauma or unresolved past experiences
Feeling emotionally stuck or overwhelmed
Wanting better coping skills or boundaries

Starting counseling doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you. It means you’re considering support. You don’t need to hit a breaking point to benefit from therapy (American Psychological Association, 2023).

What the First Session Is Like

If you’re nervous about starting therapy, you’re not alone. Most people are.

The first session is usually focused on:

Getting to know you
Understanding what brings you in
Talking about what you hope therapy might help with

There’s no pressure to share everything at once. A trauma-informed therapist will move at your pace and prioritize emotional safety.

You Don’t Have to Know What to Say

Many clients worry about saying the “right” thing. There isn’t one. Therapy isn’t a performance, it’s a conversation. You’re allowed to be unsure, emotional, quiet, or curious.

Over time, therapy can help you:

Understand emotional and relational patterns
Build coping and regulation skills
Increase self-compassion
Feel more grounded and supported

Research consistently shows that therapy is effective for reducing anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms (Wampold & Imel, 2015).

Is the New Year a Good Time to Start?

There’s nothing magical about January, but it can be a meaningful moment to choose support. Starting therapy doesn’t require a long-term commitment or a major life change. It can simply be a step toward feeling better.

If the new year feels heavy, uncertain, or overwhelming, therapy may be a supportive place to begin; even if it is not to become someone new, but to feel more like yourself.

References

American Psychological Association. (2023, December 12). Understanding

psychotherapy and how it works. https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/understanding

Wampold, B. E., & Imel, Z. E. (2015). The great psychotherapy debate: The evidence

for what makes psychotherapy work (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J. (2019, May). Psychotherapy Relationships that Work:

Volume 1: Evidence-Based Therapist Contributions (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1093/med-psych/9780190843953.001.0001