Connecting with a therapist for the first time may seem overwhelming if you’re not sure what to expect. We’ve put together this quick guide on what the process looks like, so you can get the most out of your first therapy session.

Find the right fit

The rapport and relationship you have with your therapist is key to successful therapy. Because no two therapists or clients are the same, it’s important to ask the right questions during your first therapy session in order to find the best match for you. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to share your preferences on our Therapist Matching Questionnaire so we can provide you with personalized therapist recommendations.

Here are some questions to ask your therapist:

1. What type of therapy approach do you use? What does will this look like in our sessions?
2. What are your fees? How do insurance claims get filed? 
3. How can I reschedule/what happens if I miss an appointment?

Think About What You Want From Therapy

People seek therapy for many different reasons. Perhaps you’re going through a particularly stressful life event and could use extra support. Maybe you want to learn practices and techniques for managing troubling symptoms of anxiety.

For some, therapy might be a place to better understand maladaptive behavior patterns that keep us stuck, so that we can live more fully and freely. Whatever your reason for considering therapy, give it some thought before your first therapy session so you can communicate to your therapist what you’d like help with.

Your First Therapy Session: Let Your Therapist Get to Know You

Your first therapy session is a time for you and your therapist to get to know each other and understand what working together will be like. This period may feel more like information-gathering, while future sessions will feel more therapeutic and focused on the specific concerns you bring to the session. 

Here are some questions your therapist may ask you:

1. What brings you to therapy?
2. What symptoms are you experiencing?
3. Your therapist will also likely ask you questions about your career, family, relationships, and childhood.

Good therapy is about relationship building. The more comfortable, candid, and honest you can be during your session the better your therapist will be able to help.

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Quick Tips to Ensure a Great First Therapy Session

• Create a Private Environment. If your first session is a Telehealth appointment, identify a suitable room or area of your home that is quiet, private, and free of distractions. 

• Clear Your Schedule. Let people know you’ll be unavailable during your session and avoid scheduling anything for immediately after your appointment just in case you need time to decompress. 

• Relax & Trust the Process. Get comfortable and enjoy getting to know your therapist. Good therapy is about relationship building. The more comfortable, candid, and honest you can be during your session, the better your therapist will be able to help you. Your therapist will guide you through the process to ensure a productive session.

 Common Client Questions

Q: What’s the best way for me to connect to my therapist?
A: Discuss your preferred contact method with your therapist prior to your session. Our therapists are flexible and able to connect with you via phone or on a variety of encrypted, HIPAA–compliant platforms, including Spruce Health, Simple Practice, or doxy.me. Let us know what works best for you and we’ll do our best to accommodate. 

The therapist’s goal is to provide a collaborative and non-judgmental environment that allows you to harness your inner resilience to improve your quality of life.

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Q. How do sessions work?
A. After you schedule your free 30-minute phone consultation with a therapist of your choice, you’ll receive a confirmation email of your appointment with some forms to review. Once you’ve submitted your completed forms, your therapist will contact you on your appointment date at the scheduled time. Your therapist will be able to contact you through the preferred method of your choice (Telehealth platform, phone call, in person, etc).

Q: Is therapy private and confidential?
A: We’re serious about protecting your privacy. Just like our face-to-face appointments, Teletherapy is also private and confidential. Therapists are bound by strict federal privacy regulations and cannot release information about you to anyone without your written permission. 

Q: What online platform do you use? What is Simple Practice?
A: Simple Practice is our practice management software for scheduling, case management, Teletherapy, and documentation. The platform uses a HIPAA–compliant software that ensures your information is secure.

Have more questions? Check out our F.A.Q.

Relax and trust the process. We’ve got you.

If you’re feeling nervous before your first therapy session, we hope these proactive steps can help ease your anxiety and ensure a successful first meeting. Just remember: It’s normal to feel uncomfortable about opening up to a stranger. Your therapist is a trained professional with the knowledge, skills, and experience to help you.

While each therapist has their own philosophy and theoretical background, your therapist’s goal is to provide a collaborative, calming, and non-judgmental environment that allows you to harness your inner resilience to improve your quality of life.

 We look forward to meeting you where you are.

Your Turn: Do you have any stories or experiences about your first therapy session that you’d like to share? I’m curious to hear about success stories and any recommendations for making connecting with a therapist for the first time easier. Let us know in the comments below.

You’ve got yourself a nice job at a design firm. People are following you on social media, and some of them even message you when they need creative inspiration.

That’s all great, except you feel like you’re hiding a secret: You’re not really the talented and creative person everyone thinks you are. You’re obviously faking it, and it’s just a matter of time before you’re found out. You cringe when someone praises your work because you think it was a fluke that it went viral.

This kind of thinking is called imposter syndrome, which is a bigger problem these days than ever before. Let’s take a closer look at imposter syndrome, along with tips for dealing with it.

What Is Imposter Syndrome?

Usually, when you think of successful people, you probably think of them as confident with their abilities. But imposter syndrome is borne of success and affects those who have achieved status.

Those suffering from imposter syndrome may live in fear that they’ll be “found out” and experience feelings of inadequacy despite their professional accomplishments. They often chalk up all of their success to luck or “the universe” doing them a favor.

Imposter syndrome is borne of success and affects those who have achieved status.

If you have these types of thoughts, you’re not alone. Some big-name celebrities have spoken out about their perceived inadequacy, even those who have had long and successful careers.

It’s not a new phenomenon: Imposter syndrome has been researched and written about as far back as 1978. The focus of the early studies was on women, who were thought to be affected by it more than men due to gender roles. But it turns out both genders are equally affected (if not more men.)

While it’s not classified as a mental illness, imposter syndrome does share some attributes with depression or anxiety.

Now that you know a little more about the imposter complex, here are some ways you can deal with it.

5 Tips for Dealing With Imposter Syndrome?

Tip 1. Embrace Your Victories
Tip 2. Don’t Look to Others for Validation
Tip 3. Don’t Overestimate Your Importance
Tip 4. Raise the Bar
Tip 5. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

Tip 1. Embrace Your Victories

You might have had help from a team to accomplish a goal, but that doesn’t lessen your own success. If you were on a basketball team that won the championship, and you gave it your all on the court, would you refuse to hoist the trophy?

Instead of shooing away people who send praise your way, simply thank them.

You might deflect compliments on your success by reflex. But instead of shooing away people who send praise your way, simply thank them. Avoid the “it wouldn’t have been possible without this other person” narrative. Chances are that without you, the project wouldn’t have worked out the same way.

Tip 2. Don’t Look to Others for Validation

While it’s okay to take the praise of others as a feather in your cap, you shouldn’t consider it a barometer for your abilities. You may be creating amazing work and then feel like it’s a failure because no one patted you on the back.

Sometimes your accomplishments won’t get the level of hype that others do. But that shouldn’t deter you. If you feel like you put in the effort and achieved the goal you set out to do, that should be enough.

Tip 3. Don’t Overestimate Your Importance

A sense of self-esteem is key to your overall well-being. But when you think of yourself as perfect (an inflated sense of self-importance) or believe you’re usually the most valuable person in the room, you’re only setting yourself up for a letdown.

When you think of yourself as perfect, you’re only setting yourself up for a letdown.

That’s because if you achieve anything less than the standard you’ve set for yourself, you’re going to feel like a fraud. Perfection is unattainable, and even successful people have bumps in their professional road.

Tip 4. Raise the Bar

Your instinct with imposter syndrome might be to lower your standards before someone else notices that you’re not as good as you’re made out to be. However, that behavior’s not doing you any favors. You may become less satisfied with your work if it’s no longer challenging or not benefitting anyone.

Instead of taking on work that you think you can easily do to maintain your image, aim for new heights. If you fail, you’ll know it’s because you reached higher than you ever have before, and it might take a couple of leaps to get there. If you succeed, you won’t feel like an imposter at all.

Tip 5. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

You might think you need to be unflappable for people to take you seriously. Like, somehow, if you crack a joke at your own expense, they’ll roll their eyes and not think you’re talented anymore. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The first step in combatting imposter syndrome is recognizing these common shared experiences that make us human. With practice, implementing these tips can help lessen the hold your inner critic has over you. Similarly, you’ll begin to see an improvement in your ability to recognize and own your achievements without an ever-present shadow of self-doubt.