What to expect at your first appointment

First off allow me to say that therapy is weird. So if you are anxious about your first appointment, or even anxious about considering therapy, that is totally normal. Unless you have been in therapy before, or know someone who has been in therapy, no one really quite knows what happens for the 45-50 minute hour behind the door ... unless you are the one behind the door.
 
Some common thoughts and questions might be:
“Do I really talk for the whole hour?”; “What do I say?”; “What does the therapist say?”; 
​“How does this even help?”
 
For each person and therapist, the hour can look a multitude of ways. But for the first appointment, hopefully there are basic things that any therapist will cover, such as:

1. A Warm Welcome.  You will want to see a therapist that makes you feel welcome and brave for starting this process. It is hard to call a therapist and then tell them your problems when you first meet them. So hopefully, you feel welcomed by your therapist.
2. Review of policies, confidentiality, fee, cancelation, and privacy practices.  This is the boring, technical, but necessary stuff. You will want to know these things, or know where to find the answers at a later point. So keep the paperwork.
3. Getting to know you. The therapist will then likely transition into a more conversational part asking for more details about why you are coming in for therapy, any situations that led up to the current circumstance, and your history (family, relationship, medical, psychological). This will likely take up the bulk of the first session.
4. Treatment planning. Then, hopefully the therapist will share how they can help you. Sometimes this can seem vague. So if you do not quite follow what they are saying, feel free to ask questions. Remember, you are the recipient of the services, you have a say in what makes sense and does not make sense to you.
5. Debriefing.  After all is said and done, hopefully there will be time to debrief about the first session – how it felt, was it comfortable, did you like the way the therapist interacted with you, or the things the therapist said, was there anything you did not like, etc. If you run out of time in the first session, or the therapist does not invite these reflective questions, I strongly encourage you to take time after the first session to debrief with a close friend or reflect on your own. Therapy is an investment, and you want to feel good about your investment, and that includes feeling comfortable and confident in your therapist.
6. Scheduling.  And of course scheduling. If you are feeling cared for, and understood by the therapist, you are likely going to schedule the next visit and continue the journey towards growth and healing.

 
So congratulations, seriously I mean that sincerely, on beginning or thinking about beginning this journey. It is a scary and anxiety producing thing to call a therapist, meet them, and tell them your problems.