How to Get the Most out of Therapy: A Guide to Maximizing Your Sessions
So you’ve made the decision to start therapy, chosen a therapist, and are beginning your therapeutic journey. I admire you taking these steps! Given that therapy is an investment of time, money, and your energy, it makes sense to want to understand how to get the most out of therapy. And you are entering into a collaborative relationship where you will be playing a very active role. To help you navigate this journey, here are my top professional tips for therapy sessions to help you get the most out of the process.
Set clear goals
Of course, most people know that they want to feel better at the end of therapy. Or they know that they want something in life to be better in some way at the end of the process. This is a great start.
However, it is also very helpful to be even more clear about your goals, and your therapist can help you do this. What would feeling better look like in your life? How would things in your life look different if you were feeling better?
Some examples of what therapy goals might look like include:
Spending more meaningful time with friends or family
Beating yourself up less and practicing self-compassion
Sleeping better and managing racing thoughts at night
Mindfully transition into sessions
Life can be busy. For some people, they are coming to therapy straight from some other life activity whether it be work, school, childcare, sleep, or any number of other activities.
While things can be frantic, if possible, it can be very helpful to give yourself a little time (e.g., 10 minutes) to peacefully prepare for therapy sessions. This doesn’t have to be anything major.
Take a moment to get a glass of water
Settle into the specific room where you’ll be having your session
Take a few deep breaths to transition from the rest of your day
This brief pause allows you to fully engage in the therapeutic process versus still thinking about whatever you were doing right before your meeting. Of course, this is not always possible. If you can’t do this on your own, you can start your session by letting your therapist know you haven’t had this transition time, and they can help you with this transition.
Be honest with your therapist
Sometimes people come to therapy with fears of being completely honest. This makes complete sense, especially if you have shared with someone in the past and it hasn’t gone well. Common fears and anxieties include:
Fears of being judged
Fears that what you have to share might be “too much” for the provider
Anxiety about what you will experience emotionally and physically after sharing
At the same time, it is often the case that the things that you are most nervous or fearful to share are exactly what to talk about in therapy. These vulnerable topics are often the most helpful to the therapeutic process.
You might even need to start by discussing your fears of sharing and that is completely okay! This is often the perfect starting point to helping you feel more comfortable moving towards ultimately sharing the things that most need to be discussed.
Treat virtual sessions with in-person seriousness
I am a fully virtual provider in New York and have such an appreciation for the convenience and flexibility that these sessions offer people. For some people, this offers them the opportunity to engage in therapy when in-person therapy would feel too difficult logistically for whatever reason.
However, it is important to practice virtual therapy tips to ensure that the peacefulness, privacy and quietness of the therapy session is maintained:
Check technology before the start of the session. There is nothing like technology issues to impact our peace!
Make sure that you are in a quiet environment where you feel you can share openly without distractions or being heard by others.
Of course there are things that we just can’t predict, but preparing for all of the above as much as possible can help increase what you get out of session.
Do the “Homework” In Between Sessions
If you see your therapist one time per week this means that there are 167 other hours in the week where there is opportunity to continue to work towards your goals.
The more time you put into whatever assignments have been discussed, the more chance you have at seeing benefits from the therapeutic process.
This might include:
Keeping a journal in-between sessions to track thoughts and emotions
Practicing a coping skill learned in session
Practicing setting a healthy boundary
If you are having trouble with this, bring it up! This will be something to discuss with your therapist so you can better understand the obstacles, work with and around those obstacles and set yourself up for success.
Next Steps for Learning More About Therapy
The above are just a few suggestions on how to get the most out of therapy. However, always remember that everyone is different and goes through the process on their own timeline.
If you are a resident of New York and are ready to explore what virtual therapy might look like for you, I would welcome the opportunity to connect!
Click here to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation today.
Author Bio:
As a background, Dr. Amy Rodrigues is a licensed clinical psychologist located in Rochester, NY offering virtual therapy throughout all of New York State. She has 15 years of specializing in issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD/trauma, life stress, and relationship struggles. She earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester and focuses in combining evidence-based approaches with compassionate, person-centered care.
View more about her or her professional credentials.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational purpo23ses only and should not be treated as medical, psychiatric, or psychological advice. This content does not establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency, please call or text 988 (in the US/Canada) or go to the nearest emergency room.
