My therapeutic mack pack/ bag of tricks boils down to -

1 70 page (one subject) notebook
at least 2 pens for one is bound to not write when I need it.

then After sessions I take a few minutes to write a quick summary of the session. I Include the questions that my therapist asked during the session.

Then I Journal more on the session later including challenging myself to add more details then I did during the session.

from there it is a matter of using various modes of expression - drawing and other artwork, writing, making a collage and other crafts based on what my journal entries contain.

The night before my sessions with my therapist I reread my journal entries to see if anything that happened during the last session or in journalling about the last session that I want to tell my t herapist or just general things that may have happened between the last session and when I am rereading my journals that I want to tell her about.

I look through all the artwork and projects that I have done between sessions to see what I want to put inside that backback and take with me.

Getting so much out of therapy? I didn't until I finally realized that the therapists couldn't fix me that I had to fix myself and started doing the work needed to fix me by practicing and using what I was learning during therapy at home. Out of those 19 I only benefitted from maybe a handfull of them. the rest I was too closed minded to try the things they suggested and so on.

Figure out how therapists work? as in DBT, CBT and so on? I don't worry about all that. I know what has worked with me and wh at hasn't and so I just tell the therapist and regardless of what type of therapy process they usually do they do things by what I need and want to do. thats what therapy is - the clients problems and the clients goals and what best works for the client for the end result of accomplishing those goals. As long as I let the therapist know what works and so on they can gear their end of the sessions according to what I need. so I don't worry about what type of therapy. Instead I get to know them as a human being th at may just have some great ideas on what to do for my problems.

System for breaking in a new therapist? LOL I don't "break them in" I teach them about me is what LL and SKR have said to me. basically I take the time to let them know what works for me and so on. theres no sence in doing something the same way that I already have tried and didn't work.

Hang in there it will work out.