What to Expect in Therapy

First, there's the housekeeping. 

Your therapist will provide information about

and they will request 


You'll discuss your diagnosis of record (if any) and they'll ask what it means to you, and additionally ask you some questions about your history. (Just remember that if at any time you feel uncomfortable answering a question, you have a right to say so and move on to the next topic. You're in charge!) 


Typically, therapy appointments occur weekly or every two weeks. When working with children and adolescents, the parent or primary caregiver will be involved. Relationship therapy will have all parties present in the office, or through TeleHealth, unless a prior arrangement has been agreed upon.

You start to define the work: 

The first few times, you can expect the focus to be on describing and clarifying your situation and the challenges you're experiencing. Your therapist will be listening closely as the two of you discuss ideas, options, and resources, and you'll be working together to develop a plan that will outline your goals and preferences. 

From there, sessions will be individually tailored to match your unique strengths, inclinations, and clinical needs. (If you're not sure what your goals are at this point, don't worry! That's actually quite common. Sometimes the first goal is simply to figure out what direction you want to take.)

Things begin to shift.

You might be surprised to find that most of the actual progress in therapy happens throughout the week as you reflect upon and practice what was discussed or that you learned in session. (Tip: try keeping a therapy notebook to help you remember anything you found helpful at each session, as well as topics to follow up on and insights or questions that come up between visits.)

From time to time, your therapist may suggest taking a look back and assessing the extent to which therapy is helping to get you where you want to go. Maybe you'll have cause to celebrate -- or it might provide an opportunity to think about how to approach things from another angle. If at any time during therapy you find something to be unhelpful -- or there's something else you'd like to talk about or a different method to try -- let your therapist know so you can discuss how they can better support you. It's your therapy -- YOU are in the driver's seat! 

How long does therapy last? 

The length of therapy is different in each individual situation. Individual sessions typically last 45-50 minutes. Beyond that, therapy may vary from a single session to many months or years, and insurance may have something to do with it as well. Typically, therapy has been found to be most useful in doses of 12-16 weekly sessions over 3-4 months.

At some point, you might find you need to take a break to assimilate and practice everything you've learned, even if you're not feeling altogether done with therapy. That's really common, too. Just let your therapist know, so you can both be on the same page. 

"Graduating" From Therapy

Ideally, your work together ends when you and your therapist agree that your goals have been achieved. However, you have a right to end treatment at any time. It's generally more constructive and useful when at least a week's notice is given so you can summarize and get closure together on your treatment.

If at any point in therapy you decide that you'd rather see a different therapist, be sure to bring it up with your therapist -- expressing your needs and preferences is part of the therapeutic process! Your therapist can provide referrals if that would benefit you.