THE THERAPY PROCESS: HOW DOES THERAPY START?

After we confirm if you plan to use insurance and determine anticipated out of pocket costs, we will connect you with a therapist. That therapist will confirm a weekly or biweekly opening that matches with your availability and then schedule an initial consultation session.

This initial session is an opportunity for you to determine if the therapist feels like the right fit for you and for the therapist to explore if their areas of expertise address your therapy needs. For some people the “click” with a therapist happens right away and they feel confident about settling into the process. Others aren’t sure and take multiple sessions to determine whether or not they want to move forward with consistent scheduling. There is no wrong way to begin therapy.

The formal “assessment” stage of therapy typically lasts for 1-3 sessions, but people are always changing and developing and assessment is also ongoing. Your therapist will determine what diagnosis is most appropriate and collaborate on a plan for treatment that fits your needs and goal.

What should I talk about in the first Therapy session?

The first session is just the beginning.

You likely won’t be able to cover all the details of your history, symptoms, and parts of yourself that you want the therapist to know about. It is helpful to learn about what is leading to seek out therapy at this time (why now?), and the goals that you have for therapy and aspects of your life that you wish were different. The first session is also a good time to discuss any symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles that you have, and details about your history of attachment, relationships, mental health struggles, previous therapy experiences, formative events, and traumas.

The golden rule of therapy is to say whatever comes to mind. In the same way that there is no wrong way to start therapy, there is also no wrong thing to say in therapy.

Reasons to Start Therapy: Therapists IN CHICAGO, SKOKIE, AND EVanston

Whether this is your first time considering therapy or you are returning to therapy, it can sometimes feel unclear if the counseling/ therapy experience is right for you. Many of our clients are uncertain and ambivalent about starting therapy. We find it useful to explore this together and encourage you to voice any concerns you have to your therapist during your initial consultation session. We welcome questions and mixed feelings about the process.

The majority of our therapy clients are individuals who are looking to manage anxiety and depression symptoms, navigate transition times, “work on themselves”, improve connections and relational skills, and process trauma or grief.

We also find that many therapy clients come to therapy for reasons that are less clearly articulated but no less important. Examples of this include having a vague sense of something feeling “off” or “not right,” feelings of emptiness and loneliness that are consistent throughout life, feelings of being pervasively misunderstood, a sense of not knowing yourself or why you behave in the ways you do, finding yourself stuck in repeating patterns that cause suffering and distress, and simply wanting to know yourself better. We all have blind spots and areas of ourselves that are unclear to us. Therapy can help to clarify, organize, and understand ourselves.

THERAPISTS IN CHICAGO, SKOKIE, And Evanston

North Shore Psychotherapy

North Shore Psychotherapy

THE THERAPY PROCESS: HOW DOES THERAPY START?

What should I talk about in the first Therapy session?

Reasons to Start Therapy: Therapists IN CHICAGO, SKOKIE, AND EVanston

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Get started with therapy in Chicago

North Shore Psychotherapy

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Get started with therapy in Skokie

North Shore Psychotherapy

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Get started with therapy in Evanston

North Shore Psychotherapy

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