Make the Most of Your Counseling Sessions
Be authentic.
Therapy is your opportunity to resist the demands of the formal world and share what you are thinking and feeling. Your therapist is NOT expecting you to ‘have it all together’. Therapy or counseling is an opportunity to learn how your thoughts and feelings, and your responses to both, impact your capacity for tolerating life’s ups and downs. Be open and honest in therapy. Authenticity leads to self-acceptance.
Say anything. Ask anything.
We encourage you to share your happiness AND your disappointments… about yourself, others, and even your therapy experience. At times we all struggle with sharing our disappointments and appreciations of people. Yet, learning to share our innermost experiences is critical to becoming whole. We encourage you to let your therapist know how you feel about your sessions — if you’re content or disappointed or mixed. Learning how to confront these feelings and share them in a measured but meaningful way can help you learn about yourself and accelerate the growth process.
Consistent, on time attendance works wonders.
The research is clear that therapy works best when attendance is regular and consistent. Inconsistent counseling sessions or frequent late attendance is something to discuss with your therapist — we want to support your personal growth — it’s our top priority for you. We want to support you in honoring and believing in yourself by making therapy a valued, even sacred space for you. Consider discussing with your therapist practical and personal barriers that might keep you stuck in not putting yourself first.
Therapy begins the moment you walk through the door.
We train our administrative staff to treat you as though they are part of your treatment team. We encourage you to expect the best of our staff and yourself. Sharing office-related anxieties can be amazing opportunities for personal growth. It takes courage to enter into therapy and at times requires you to address intense emotions. Don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to learn more about how disappointment sometimes takes hold of you and can actually be a guiding light towards change! If you have any concerns about your therapy or the office experience, we encourage you to discuss it with your therapist and to use the feedback kiosk located in the waiting room or this link.
Make progress your ultimate goal. Resist the urge to ‘find a cure’.
There is no magic counseling session or magic pill to make all problems go away. Therapy is about growing by exploring and managing thoughts and emotions. Not ‘curing’ them. While signs of improvement may be confirmation that treatment is helping, it doesn’t necessarily mean that treatment is over. Much like physical exercise, therapy is about working with your own personal (mental-wellness) trainer aka your therapist, to get in shape and maintain your good (mental) health. If you are thinking of ending therapy, consider discussing and exploring this with your therapist.
