How To Get The Most Out Of Therapy

If you’re new to therapy, you might have a lot of questions about how it’s supposed to work. What do you talk about in therapy? What are you supposed to do in therapy? And how do I know when I’m done? All great questions - and ones your therapist can answer pretty easily. And after years of doing this work, we’ve realized there are actually a few things you can do to make your therapy more successful.

1. Set specific goals for your therapeutic experience.

In your very first session, ask your therapist to help you come up with specific goals for your treatment. You might have a very clear idea of what you want out of therapy, or you could have the vague sense that you want to feel “better.” That’s fine! Your therapist can help you figure out what “better” really means to you. But having that specific goal gives your sessions a direction to go in and it gives you something to focus on during the week in between your sessions. Be specific about what you want for yourself and for your life.

2. You Can give your therapist feedback

Many people don’t realize that you’re allowed to give your therapist feedback. Therapy is a weird social interaction because you don’t really have to worry about offending or upsetting your therapist. We are actually trained to be on your side no matter what, even if you’re telling us something you think we might not like. So if your therapist says something that upsets you, let them know! They often will want to resolve that issue with you immediately - because we really are on your side no matter what. So tell your therapist when you like something, don’t like something, appreciate certain types of homework, etc. The more vocal you are about what helps you, the better your therapist can tailor your treatment to you.

3. Do the homework your therapist assigns you

I know! Homework sucks. But your therapist is giving it to you for a good reason. Therapy won’t get you very far if you don’t figure out how to implement the skills and concepts you discuss in your sessions every week. Your homework is often tailored specifically to you with the goal of helping you make the changes you want to make. If your therapist gives you an assignment you think you’re unlikely to do, talk to them about it! We can always edit assignments to make them easier or more approachable.

4. Decide what you want to discuss before your session

It can be awkward to sit down for therapy and have no idea what to speak to your therapist about. You can eliminate this problem by writing down whatever problems, struggles, or thoughts you have throughout the week as they arise. Write everything down in the same place, and pick something you know you’ll actually use. A lot of our clients like to keep a dedicated journal or notebook just for their therapy. Our more digitally minded clients just use the notes app on their phone. Anything will work! By setting the topic for your own session, you are guaranteeing that session will be useful to you.

Thinking about starting therapy? Contact us here for a free consultation.