New to Therapy?
What to expect when you start therapy at Aspire Wellness Center – The Intake Session
Co-written by Kim Winship, LCSW-C & Sarah Rees, LGPC
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase; you just need to take the first step” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Welcome to Aspire Wellness Center! We know that starting therapy can be nerve-wracking, especially if this is your first time trying counseling. To take some of the unknown out of the experience, we have written about what you can expect from your first two sessions with Aspire.
Step One: The Intake
The morning of your intake, you will receive an email with a link (unless you have requested text only). The email will ask you to click on that link a few minutes prior to your appointment so that you know it is working properly. Please allow 60 minutes for your session. Please be in a private setting, free from distractions, and with good connectivity. Please note, you will not be able to complete your appointment if you are driving when logging on.
The licensed therapist who will conduct your intake will invite you into the session. They will introduce themselves, explain the limits of confidentiality, advise you on what to expect during the intake, and do their best to ease any discomfort you may have throughout the intake process. (NOTE: Most people are nervous before they begin the intake. And though the process may stir up unpleasant feelings (memories of loss or pain), most people report that they were not as uncomfortable as they anticipated. In fact, many people report the process to be therapeutic and helpful as a beginning step on their mental health journey).
You will be asked to answer a standard list of 50+ questions which will be asked in a conversational style and without judgement. Your intake therapist is required to ask all of the listed questions. You are invited to answer as many, or as few, as you feel comfortable answering. Many can be answered with “yes/no,” “pass,” or short answers. There are no trick questions or incorrect answers. Your intake therapist will guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have along the way.
Many people are concerned about having to share sensitive information, such as their history of trauma, with someone they have just met. You will be fully informed of the requirements of mandated reporting prior to being asked any questions about trauma. No one will be forced to share this information if they are not ready. If you do choose to share information about trauma during your intake, you will be asked to keep that information limited to yes/no/pass answers with one follow up question if you provide a “yes” answer, which is “At what age did that occur?” No further details will need to be shared and no reports to the authorities will be made, unless you choose to provide details beyond what is requested.
After the list of questions, there will be a discussion regarding what is bringing you to Aspire. This discussion will review current symptoms (sleep, appetite, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and how they are impacting your life and relationships), as well as any relevant previous symptoms or situations leading up to this point.
You will be invited to share any preferences you may have in the type of provider you would like, which will help the intake therapist coordinate with our scheduling team to find available provider/s that best meet your needs and desires (based on availability, preferences, and insurance).
You will then be advised about the next steps: scheduling, no show policies, when to expect a response and how to reach someone with questions or concerns. You will likely be contacted usually within 24 hours of the intake to schedule your first appt with your provider/s (talk therapist, medication provider, or both). You can then look forward to meeting the person or people who will begin to help you heal.
First Therapy Session
Since Aspire currently treats all clients virtually, your first session will take place through an electronic website -- what we call a telehealth room -- you will login in using a link sent by your new therapist and meet for approximately 45-minutes.
Once you are logged in, your therapist will introduce themselves and tell you what you can expect during that first session. Your provider will have already read through your intake notes so that you do not need to repeat yourself and so that they have a sense of what issues you are currently facing.
This session will give you the space to explain in more detail what brought you to therapy and what you are hoping to gain from the experience. For most people, there is a combination of big issues that bring them to therapy -- perhaps a divorce, a job loss, the death of a loved one, or symptoms that are no longer manageable -- but that there are also many smaller concerns that are getting in the way of them feeling well. These challenges are a mix of concerns unique to you as a client and outside influences that are causing you difficulty. For example, you might be trying to manage feeling sad and having no energy, while also facing workplace stress and raising a family.
Please know that many people come to therapy feeling “problem saturated” and they might struggle to feel hopeful that relief is possible. We understand and empathize with those feelings; your therapist is more than capable of holding on to enough hope for both of you at the beginning. Research suggests that you can be skeptical and still benefit from therapy.
Your therapist will be happy to listen to you while you share what is on your mind, but if you are feeling overwhelmed or unsure, they can also ask questions to help you paint a picture of what your life looks like day-to-day. Common questions that therapists ask during a first session:
- How do you spend your days?
- Who lives in your home with you?
- How do your symptoms interfere with your daily life?
- How long have your concerns been impacting you?
- What have you tried in the past to get some relief?
- What do you feel is essential for your therapist to understand about you and your life?
In addition to getting a picture of what challenges you’re facing; we also want to hear about what is going right in your life. We will encourage you to share about the people who offer you support, the hobbies or activities that bring you joy, the coping skills that are currently working for you, and any other successes or strengths you want us to know about you. After all, you are much more than your current struggles!
As the session begins to wrap up, your therapist will ask you to outline what you hope to gain from therapy. What goals are you reaching for and what do you hope your life will look like when you are feeling better? It is the therapist’s job to create a roadmap that will take you from where you are now to where you would like to be, while also creating a plan for how to handle the inevitable challenges that will occur along the way.
Finally, your therapist will take a few minutes to explain the Aspire attendance policy, get you scheduled for your next session, and help facilitate making appointments with our medical providers if that is something you are interested in.
And that is it! Your first-ever therapy session is complete, and you are on your way.
Good Luck!
