Individual Therapy
Taking the first step
Taking the first step and calling a therapist is a courageous act. It takes guts, wisdom, and humility to say “you know what, I can use some help with this issue.” I know that some people can feel nervous when making that first call. Nobody said you have to sound confident when you make your first call to a therapist. It might help you to know that all you have to do is write a simple email saying “I’m interested in therapy, tell me more”, and I’ll be waiting on the other side to make starting therapy as easy as possible!
What can I expect from my first therapy session?
The first couple of sessions will be devoted to getting to know you better. I am interested in your story, and what has led you to seek therapy. I will ask you a host of questions in order to make it a bit easier for you. We will discuss your goals as well as expectations of therapy. Also, you will have a taste of the experience of a therapeutic conversation, and how it’s different than a regular conversation. Before our time is over, we will discuss whether we both feel that the fit is right- you will see if you feel comfortable with me, and I will just be assessing whether I have the tools to help you or if I have a colleague who might be a better fit. Once we decide to work together, we will chart a course of treatment and embark on it.
What is Individual Therapy?
In individual therapy you have my undivided, empathic, non-judgemental attention. The focus will be you, and your emotional life. You’ll be invited to talk about anything and everything. Nothing is forbidden, it doesn’t matter how taboo the topic, or awkward to discuss. In this way, we can create a space that is distinct from other relationships, where you can begin to have a conversation that heals you from the inside out.
What can I expect from therapy after the first few sessions?
- A judgement free zone, where you can bring up anything! Everything you’ve ever been frightened to bring up before is more than welcome here. In fact, it’s talking about the most difficult topics that leads to transformation.
- A new kind of conversation– a whole new way of relating to another person and to yourself. This will NOT be your usual conversation, where we chit chat and fill the room with words to avoid awkward pauses. Instead, I will deliberately guide you to your core feelings (anger, sadness, joy, pride, disgust, fear, love) and teach you how some of your mental loops are actually distractions from what really needs to be looked at.
- An exploration of different channels of experience. Imagine our sessions are your canvas, your song, your poem. The raw materials we use for your creation are your feelings, bodily sensations, movements, dreams, images, sounds, and music. Each person responds differently to these raw materials, and we will find the ones that work best for you.
- An initiation into a self-compassionate life. Self compassion is the foundation upon which your self-transformation occurs-it is the dry wood you need on an ongoing basis to work through past and present life challenges. The way you treat yourself, the way you speak to yourself will necessarily change. Self-compassion is NOT letting yourself off the hook. Join me to find out more.
- Access to an inner world of different parts of self, with which we will communicate. The therapeutic dialogue draws us into communion with different parts of self, some that are in conflict with each other, and some that are stuck in traumatic moments from the past. We will travel to that imaginary space and begin to change the way in which these parts communicate and the way in which you narrate your own story.
To read more about what to talk about in therapy visit my blog post here.