by joy

Created on: October 12, 2008

There are a number of things to consider before you begin therapy. Once you have done your homework and located a therapist who has the appropriate educational background, a schedule that works for you, and the appropriate fee schedule, you may be tempted to think that your work is done. After all, you are paying the therapist to help you, right?

Unfortunately, when you attend your first therapy appointment, your work is just getting started. You will need to spend some time getting to know your new therapist and the style of practice that s/he has. You will also need to start to share very personal, and often difficult, information with the therapist.

One of the first things to recognize is that even if you have found a therapist with all of the qualifications that you were looking for, it does not mean that there will automatically be a good personality fit. While you may feel that you know the therapist isn't right for you within the first half hour, it is good practice to attend three sessions to be sure. It may be that there are some initial bumps in the road while the therapist starts to look for the best way of working with you, but after a few sessions if things still aren't feeling comfortable for you, do not be afraid to look elsewhere for help.

Be honest with your therapist. It sounds easy but it really may not be. There are likely things that you will be talking about that cause embarrassment or discomfort, and may people like to gloss those things over. The therapist is not going to judge you and can only help you with the things that you tell him or her.

Speak up if you think the therapist is wrong. Therapists are not automatically going to be right all the time. The therapist is likely to explore "hunches" with you and these hunches will often be incorrect. Do not be afraid to say "I don't really think that fits with how I see things".

Be open to the information you are getting from the therapist. There may be times the therapist will start to ask about something or tell you something that you think is completely "wrong". Before you dismiss what is being said, take a few moments to consider if it is possible that the therapist is seeing something differently than you do. If you genuinely believe the therapist is wrong, again, do not be afraid to say so, but be careful not to completely dismiss something without thinking it through.

Try the things that the therapist suggests. Your therapist may give you "homework" or things to practice outside of the

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