I’ve always been a person who strives to be prepared. If there’s a way to prepare, I’m doing it, whether it’s a fake interview or practicing for a math test.
Therapy should be customized for every client. Therefore it is in every client’s best interest to make the most out of a session. After all, they’re expensive af!!!!!
For therapy appointments, the objectives of preparation are:
- to know your objective of the meeting (ex: discussing XYZ)
- allow yourself to use time wisely (ex: writing bullet points about the story or situation you plan to tell instead of telling it for the first time in the session), and
- to increase self confidence by being in control of your treatment.
Steps I take before a therapy session
Because I’m not in the habit of giving advice but rather sharing experience, I will walk you through what I prepare before a session:
- Revisit last session’s notes. What was I struggling with at that time? What did we talk about in the session?
- Summarize notable events, moods, thought patterns since the last session. Includes life events, medication changes or episodes.
- Write down any ponderings about my treatment or topics of current interest. These could be in the form of topics or questions. For example, “why do I feel insecure in my attachment to this person?” or “could I be a candidate for seasonal affective disorder?” or “perfectionism in relationships.”
When I tell you that’s it, I mean it! These three steps allow me to meet my objectives of preparation every time. If you have tips for therapy preparation, I’d love to hear them. Leave me a comment, and we’ll chat next time!
P.S. in case we haven’t met…
you seem normal is a mental health medium run by 24-year-old communication professional (hello!) who… well, seems normal. Turns out, my roommate is mental illness. Actually more like my unborn, and non-conceived baby. Because it’s like, inside of me. This is getting weird already. Topics of focus: self-awareness (we love it), mood, anger management, perfectionism, relationships & boundaries.
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