"What is the first session like?"
"How long are counseling sessions?"
"What if I don't mesh with my therapist?"
"How will I know if therapy or counseling is right for me?"
These are some of the most common questions prospective clients have when they call to ask about our services. To us who are initiated in the therapeutic process, these questions have obvious answers, but counseling or therapy can be strange, daunting, and uncomfortable for many first-time clients. For those readers who may have these questions at this moment, you're in luck.
In short, your session will be whatever you need it to be. In the initial session, the intake, you will likely talk to your therapist about your pre-appointment questionnaire responses and start to build rapport. The beauty of therapy or counseling is that it can be tailored to suit each client's specific needs and in the first few appointments you and your therapist will map out what that looks like for you. You will work out your goals for treatment and come up with a treatment plan. In that plan, you may highlight exactly what issues you'd like to cover in all of your sessions and a time-frame to accomplish those goals in.
Typically, sessions last one hour and sessions are conducted weekly or biweekly. That is true across the board, whether a client is being seen as an individual, part of a group, or if there are several clients (i.e. in family counseling). Insurance providers will typically only pay for up-to one hour, but if clients need more time with their therapist and understand the cost associated with extra time and their therapist agrees it would be appropriate, we can accomodate that need. Sometimes, sessions are shorter than one hour, as short as thirty minutes, but you should expect to spend at least an hour with your therapist for your intake session. After that, you'll be able to schedule shorter sessions if your schedule requires so.
Not every client is for every therapist and vice versa. Therapists know this and are trained in how to handle situations where goodness-of-fit with clients is not what it should be. In those situtations, the therapist will adress it with the client and offer a referral. If the client would like to transititon to another therapist, our therapists will be glad to refer you to another professional who may be a better fit for you. We at Foundations have intentionally selected staff who are diverse in personality, life experiences, and therapeutic styles so that we really can offer something for every client.
Therapy is an extremely personal thing to undergo, so you will know if it is right for you if: you feel compelled to do it and feel rewarded when you do participate in therapy. Ultimately, no one except for the client themselves knows what is and is not right for them because they alone are in the position to make those decisions. Our guarantee is that if you schedule with one of our staff, they will work for you to help you realize whatever goal you bring into the session.
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