10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Therapy Sessions
1. You have the whole hour: Therapy sessions last 50 minutes. The remaining 10 minutes are for me, when I engage in case documentation and decipher next steps for you. It is advisable to arrive for a session 5 minutes before time to collect your thoughts, and plan your session.
2. Therapy lessons need to be a part of your life: You will be working on learnings between sessions, while you are at work and home. Pause, reflect and introspect on what areas crop up within the week which need addressing. Ensure you do the work assigned by me before the next session.
3. Be curious: Ask anything pertaining to the therapy process, your progress, why I am using a particular approach and the like. I always encourage active participation which helps collaborate better.
4. Step out of your comfort zone: Try new things. If there is a skill you need to learn (for e.g., assertiveness, conflict resolution, public speaking) now is the opportunity.
5. Reality check: Is therapy working for me? How do I connect with the therapist? How well do we understand each other? Feel free to discuss these issues with me to ensure reaching your optimal functioning.
6. I facilitate, you learn: Whether it is reaching key decisions, or your own conclusions, therapy is about you taking charge, and not about me giving advice entirely or solving your problems for you. The focus is on you developing self-efficacy skills.
7. Be patient: Therapy often challenges deep rooted thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs you may have. Understand that I will work at your pace, with goals collaboratively set, to work through the troughs and crests.
8. Reflect on your sessions: Jot down things that you noticed between sessions, obstacles or enablers, changes in mood, thought, or activity, and insights you reached after a session ended. It often helps to process your reflections with me.
9. Have a vision and a roadmap: What do I want from the therapy sessions? What is my vision for myself and the goals I will curate to work towards that vision? Be proactive in bringing about a transformation.
10. It is safe to say whatever you want: Speak your heart and mind out freely. Express your anger constructively, your frustration, impulses, sadness, fears. Every thought has a space in our interaction. You might end up knowing more about yourself as you voice your innermost feelings.