5 Things a Therapist Wants You To Know About Therapy
A Therapist Shares What She Wants All of Her Clients to Know When They Start the Therapy Process…
Starting therapy for some folks is not the easiest of processes and it takes a lot of courage and planning. From the moment you sit down and google “therapist near me” you have already taken the first initial steps.
Once you find some therapist options that work for you then the nitty gritty begins. I thought it would be a good idea to share some important tips from a therapist that I want you to know before you start.
Okay, so these are not a secret and any therapist should be open and honest about these 5 things with their clients but I thought they are important for potential and current therapy clients to know.
In this blog, I’m spilling the tea of what therapists want you to know about attending therapy.
I am a virtual anxiety therapist in Wilmington, NC and specialize in therapy for high achievers that live in Maryland and North Carolina. I provide anxiety treatment and address other issues such as perfectionism and imposter syndrome, and offer counseling for burnout as well.
Ready to start therapy with me? Click the button below to online schedule your free 15-minute consultation with me.
Keep reading to find out what a therapist wants you to know about, but may not share when it comes to therapy.
5 Things a Therapist Wants You to Know about the Therapy Process
Tip #1 from an Anxiety Therapist: I Plan for the End at the Beginning
Yup, it’s true. The therapy relationship isn’t the same as a lifelong friendship with your bestie.
This can be hard, even for the therapist, because there can be a significant amount of time, energy, and care put into the therapy process and supporting a client. But I know from the start that one day our time together will come to an end and because of this I hope to bring a healthy end to the relationship.
Tip #2 from an Anxiety Therapist: I Want You to Have the Best Care
Not only do I want you to have the best care but I also may refer to you someone else who can give you better care than I can.
This is the reason I provide consultations before moving forward with scheduling an initial appointment. I want to make sure we are a good fit for each other for your treatment. If my style of therapy, personality, or treatment focus isn’t going to give you the best care, then my next job is to help direct you someplace that can.
Tip #3 from an Anxiety Therapist: I Love it When You’re excited about your therapy sessions
Being open to therapy exercises or experiential offerings I bring to our sessions can make the therapy session much more engaging and at times help to create insight or understanding. Additionally, doing some practice outside of the therapy session can strengthen the work we do together too. So feel free to take notes, be open to the process, and think about our time together throughout the week.
Tip #4 from an Anxiety Therapist: Some Days You May Leave Feeling Worse
This can be a hard one and often create some discomfort with clients when I tell them this. It isn’t guaranteed that you will leave the therapy office dancing on sunshine.
A lot of hard work and growth happens in therapy. Sometimes that growth will challenge you and that can feel uncomfortable. That’s okay. We talk about it and work throughout it.
Tip #5 from an Anxiety Therapist: I Appreciate Your Feedback
Tip #4 applies to me as well. I want your feedback because it helps me to grow and learn, not only for your care but for those clients that will come after you too. As therapists, we don’t always get feedback from our clients but it is really important. My clients are offered the space to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I welcome it.
Start Anxiety Therapy in Wilmington NC at Calm Waters Counseling
Starting therapy and trying to find the best therapist for you can be a big undertaking. There is so much going on in the process already that you may not even be thinking of questions to ask the therapist or realize the therapy process in general.
It is important for clients to know about the tips listed above before starting therapy and even while in therapy. The therapy process isn’t black and white and having an understanding of these things can be helpful.
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in my therapy sessions because it offers a unique goal of becoming more flexible to the thoughts and feelings you experience.
Learn more about ACT.
You can learn more about ACT for anxiety and how it can be helpful for you.
Get started in therapy at Calm Waters Counseling by following these 4 simple steps:
Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation
Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email before the consultation
Meet with your ACT therapist
Start living your life
Therapy for High Achievers in Wilmington, NC
Get to know more about therapy with me and learn about my Wilmington, NC counseling practice.
I work with the Type A anxious go-getter that gets shit done but along the way gets sidetracked by anxiety, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and eventually leads to burnout.
If this sounds like you, check out all services at Calm Waters Counseling, listed below:
Anxiety Counseling in Wilmington, NC
Treatment for Perfectionism in Maryland
Burnout Counseling in Wilmington, NC
Therapy for Imposter Syndrome in Wilmington, NC
Online Anxiety Therapy in Maryland for High Achievers
The benefits of online therapy can be abundant for anxious go-getters. It can be flexible to meet your needs and online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy.
An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model can easily be used in online therapy where the therapist and client can interact by seeing and hearing each other.
Click the links below to learn about online therapy where you live:
online therapy for anxiety in North Carolina
online anxiety therapy in Maryland
Still, have questions? Click the buttons below to learn even more!
Written by: Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C
Updated 3/17/23