Your first visit will last about an hour. It is an opportunity for you to get a sense of how it feels to talk to me. Most people feel nervous during the first meeting with a therapist, but by the end you should feel a bit more at ease and interested in talking more. You should feel that I listened and understood what you talked about, and that I can help. I will give you the chance to ask me questions if you have any.

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Your first visit is also an opportunity for me to get to know you a little bit. My first question will be about what brings you to therapy. Sometimes people spend the entire first meeting talking about just one thing, other times people talk about lots of different things. I will follow your lead and we can talk about whatever you like. If you need help to talk, I will ask more questions. I may ask you questions about what your current life is like, what are past experiences that have shaped you, what are the important relationships in your life, and what are wishes for your future.

 

If we decide to work together, we will talk about finding another time to meet and discuss how often we want to meet (usually once or twice a week). I will explain confidentiality and billing. If you don’t feel comfortable with me, or if I feel you would do better with a different therapist, I will offer to help you find someone else.