I Don’t Know What Questions to Ask a Therapist

When you’re meeting with a new therapist for the first time, it can be challenging to figure out what you want to know about them. You might have questions about who they are as a person or what kind of therapy they practice. Maybe, you want to know about the length of time you’ll be in treatment for so that you can prepare yourself. There are so many questions to ask. We’re going to go over what sort of things you want to know when you first go to a therapist. You might want to know what questions to be asking a therapist.

Questions to ask your new therapist

The first thing you might want to ask your therapist is where they studied psychology and how they learned the trade. Where did they go to undergraduate school, and where did they get their Master’s degree? Where’d they get their Doctorate’s if they have one? It’s good to get a background on who this person is and where they got their credentials from; knowing this will help you feel secure. Next, you should find out what kind of therapy they practice. There are many different forms of treatment. You need to know what kind of mental health treatment you’re going to have. Maybe they specialize in psychoanalysis or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT.) Perhaps they do trauma-informed therapy. It’s best to know what kind of therapy you’ll be participating in so that you can get a sense of if it’s right for you and if it’ll be a short term or long term commitment. Behavioral therapy tends to be short term whereas psychodynamic or psychoanalytic therapy tends to last longer.

Homework

Another thing that’s good to find out is if you’ll be getting homework in therapy. When you’re learning behavioral techniques like the ones you’d pursue in CBT, it’s vital that you learn these coping skills and practice them every week. You want to make sure that you practice the coping skills by working on them at home. You want to prepare yourself and set aside time to do that homework.

Why ask questions?

It’s helpful to ask your therapist questions so that you can get clarification on what you’re doing in therapy and find out what your responsibilities are as well. Knowing who you’re working with is essential because you want to be comfortable expressing your emotions to your therapist and feel at ease while you’re working through these issues. Finding out more about the kind of therapy that you’re undergoing is also essential so that you can effectively work on yourself in therapy.

Online therapy

Online therapy is an excellent place to work through your problems, and you can also ask your therapist questions during the first session, whether you’re using video chat or a messenger application. You can come in with a list of questions and type them out when you’re working with an online therapist. Your therapist will answer the concerns that you have as well as they can as long as they’re not too personal. Remember that there’s no harm in asking. If you’re curious about a part of the therapeutic process, it’s better to ask rather than going in blindly. It’s essential that you ask questions and get a better sense of what sort of therapy you’re going into rather than finding out that you don’t like the therapist or type of treatment. Whatever the case may be, it’s good for you to find a safe place to express your feelings and heal.