Diving Into Therapy: No Goggles Required
Welcome to therapy! Well, not quite. If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably already started to consider going to therapy. This is huge! Therapy can be such a transformative experience. This is where you can explore the depths of your emotions, find ways to ride the waves…and you get the analogies. The only thing as difficult as being vulnerable in therapy is actually finding a good therapist for you. Finding a therapist can be anxiety inducing. It can feel like there’s too many steps, and then boom you’re overwhelmed. What if I were to tell you that there’s a potentially simpler way to dive into therapy and find a therapist? First, I’m going to need you to take a slow deep breath in, hold for a couple of seconds, and take a slow deep breath out. You’ve got this!
What’s Bringing You to Therapy?
Let me drop some otherwise uncommon knowledge about therapy - you can go for any reason, or no reason at all. Maybe you have a specific trauma you want to work through, maybe you’re having issues with a friend and need an unbiased place to vent about it, or maybe nothing is really going on, and you just want a space to talk about the recent events in your week to week. Whatever’s bringing you to a therapist, jot it down. Making a list of what you’d want to work on in therapy is so helpful (especially when you’re entering in filters on Psychology Today).
In Person or Online
Now that you have a pretty good idea of what is bringing you to therapy, let’s decide the where. Another beautiful thing about therapy is that you could talk to your therapist from the comfort of the couch in their office or from the comfort of your home. Ask yourself where you want to spend 50 minutes opening up about anything you want. Some therapists may offer only online or only in person, and some therapists offer both! For some sessions with my therapist, I would go into the office and the drives there and back would be like a prequel and sequel to the actual therapy session. Other times, I wouldn’t feel like getting out of bed, so I would roll over and sign on to the video chat. Both worked great for me, and it’s just as important for you to find out what would work best for you.
Who Do You Want to Work With
The truth is, therapy is as good as we make it. Sometimes we come across therapists who aren't exactly the best fit, and that in and of itself is an obstacle to overcome. However, that’s a part of the work - going back to the drawing board to find another therapist when you haven't found the right match. Now that you’ve determined a list of the what, where, and who, you can take a dive into therapy. Best of luck to you!
Looking for a therapist? Check out the rest of the website to find out more about scheduling a free 15 minute consultation with Nina.