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What to Expect During Your First Therapist Appointment
Therapist: Counselor, Psychologist or Psychiatrist; also abbreviated as "T" or "therp".
What questions should you be asking?
Ask whatever you think is important... for example, "How long have you been a therapist? What is your experience with [insert mental health issue here]? Do you accept e-mail?"... but the T should NOT talk about themselves much (even in a professional manner) UNLESS you initiate it. A T that rambles on and on about their qualifications is probably a bad bet; a T that talks about their personal life or other cases they've had experience with specifically is NOT someone you want to see.
What should you expect?
Expect to talk about yourself a lot the first appointment. This is when the T gets a feel for what you need, your goals, your history, etc. The T probably won't (or shouldn't) even ask questions unless you go quiet or don't offer up information.... then the T will prompt with pertinent questions. After talking about why you've come to the T, at the end you will probably discuss a plan... i.e. appointment times and frequencies, etc. Some therps are required to submit a report to their organization or HMO and so will need specific questions answered.
What should you look for as negative input from T?
If they disagree or invalidate any of your beliefs, feelings or experiences. If they talk about themselves a lot the first meeting. If you feel distinct unease that is more than your unease meeting a person who is a potentially close new relationship (you have to use your judgement here... obviously, meeting someone who you are going to be revealing hard subjects to is going to be tough). A T who outright doesn't believe in issues you're dealing with is definitely a bad sign. You need to have someone who will deal with what you're going through in an open minded way, and someone who will validate your feelings.
Do not be afraid to switch therps if you don't feel comfortable!
You should take the time to visit Choosing a Competant Counselor. This page is invaluable in helping you choose a T who knows what they're doing and helping you evaluate your new therapist.
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