It is very common to have doubts and questions about therapy. By asking questions, we are empowered to make a more informed decision to meet our needs.
Below is a compilation of some commonly asked questions by my new clients below. I hope you find them helpful.
1. Is therapy for me? I feel generally fine...
I believe that we all can benefit from therapy. It is similar to improving our overall physical fitness by exercising. To achieve a desirable outcome, it requires regular practice, to work on various components including strength, agility, flexibility, endurance, etc.
Therapy exercises the different 'emotional and mental muscles' and components involved in achieving an overall wellbeing. We learn to be aware of and work with our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, behaviours, and physical sensations to work towards the life we envision for ourselves.
2. What is the overall process like?
In the first few sessions, we will spend time identifying the issues and goals that brought you to therapy, and gather overall information about you and your life beyond the issues such as your upbringing, past experiences, lifestyle, etc. This allows us to understand the origin of you and your challenges, the various influencing factors, and the resources that you already have within you.
By setting the goal(s) together, we create more purposeful and productive sessions together, track our progress, and eventually evaluate whether the sessions have achieved its intended goal(s).
In the following sessions, you are welcome to discuss any topic that you would like to process, or focus on a specific topic that you'd like to work on.
3. What will happen in the sessions?
In the sessions, we will talk, reflect, discuss, and engage in different guided exercises. The main work, however, happens outside of the sessions.
Back in your day-to-day life, you will be encouraged to continue the reflection, practise certain exercises, experiement with new behaviours and actions, and allow the growth to organically take place and be internalised.
4. How many sessions do I need and how often do I need to see you?
There is no prescribed length of therapy, however I recommend us creating a routine that you are comfortable with.
In the beginning, a regular routine of meeting (once a week/ once every 2 weeks) would be recommended to build the relationship, share about the issues and your life (see point 2 above), and build the momentum of change. Depending on the goals, some clients may already gain new insight and be ready to experiment with different approaches to life within a few months.
However, some of us have more complex challenges, including history of traumatic experiences, and we will typically need longer time to work through these.
5. What if I want to stop?
I believe that we all have autonomy to make decisions to meet our needs in life, including when it comes to therapy. If you wish to stop or pause the process, you are welcome and encouraged to talk about it. However, I would always recommend having a closing process to reflect on what we have done together so far before we conclude the sessions.
If there is anything else that you would like to know about therapy, the process, or me, please do not hesitate to get in touch.