February 19, 2021

Therapy Series Part 1: One-on-One

Therapy has been one of the many topics that has only become more accepted in our society within the last decade. Similar to mental health issues (including disabilities), seeking any help, speaking up, and just bringing it up in everyday conversation was not a common practice. I started going to therapy in 2006 after I had lost my mom and have continued going for the last fifteen years. Over the years I have been introduced to different theories, techniques, and in different settings all of which have their pros and cons. In the following series of blogs I will discuss my experience and tips when it comes to one-on-one therapy, group therapy, and equine therapy. Therapy of any kind has allowed me to challenge myself and my past beliefs to grow into the person I want to be going forward. Therapy is one of the hardest things and most courageous things to take on because you are taking that time to face problems from your past and present. These blog posts are my own personal thoughts and come from my experiences over the years.

One-on-one therapy

One-on-one therapy is probably the most complex to navigate because there are so many ways you could customize your session to your needs. Therapists are trained to be helpful in pretty much any situation, but a lot of them have specialties which is something you want to be mindful of when looking for a therapist. Some therapists have specialized or additional training for eating disorders, self-harming, family problems, couple therapy, depression, etc. In addition to that, when looking for a therapist you may want to ask what techniques they use since some may approach therapy by focusing on the trauma aspect, reframing thoughts, identifying your emotions (how they feel, what caused them, how to cope), just listening and allowing the client to talk, among other methods. Another thing to keep in mind is whether you want to seek long-term or short-term treatment and the therapist you talk to may have thoughts on that depending what you are seeing them for. I haven’t always had the best therapist for what I needed at the time, but the times that I’ve seen a good therapist it has always been great and the amount of progress is more apparent in my everyday life. I definitely have realized that as we grow, our needs change and sometimes that means seeing other professionals or seeing one for the first time.

What to expect for your first visit:

All therapists will take a new patient intake consultation where they will ask about your history, any medical conditions, previous experience with other mental health professionals, and try to get to know you better. A lot of therapists will ask what your goal is for seeing them, what you might want to accomplish, and what you want to focus on. Lastly, they will discuss a regular schedule with them and choice of payment.

Tips: 

• Knowing that a therapist may not work best with what you need and that’s okay to look for a different one
• You can call or arrange to meet the therapist in-person (during non-COVID times) to get a feel of their personality and if you feel comfortable
• There are different types of payment therapists offer i.e. sliding scale (takes your financial situation into consideration) and a lot accept different insurance companies
• Use websites like “Psychology Today” to find therapists, counselors, or psychologists anywhere in the USA

Grace Henneford