Questions to ask Therapists

I finally decided I neet to talk to Therapist because I will never get better by myself. I found one through my insurance that list what I need help with and have an appointment with them next week. Are there any questions I should ask at the first appointment? Sorry if it is a stupid question but this is the first time I have done this and want to go in with a little bit of knowledge if I can.

Thats Wonderful, good for you! On First Questions , Whatever you feel comfortable talking about, I would start with , dont put too much pressure on yourself, just whatever comes to mind your comfortable discussing. He/she will take it from there, Good Luck!! Keep us posted

The first visit will likely be a lot of formality kinds of stuff. Signing a lot of papers for sure. The therpist will inform you about confidentiality and all that good stuff. You will also have to sign something that allows him/her to share minimal info with your insurance. He/she will ask questions about what brings you there which you don't really have to be all that detailed about. What they are looking for are current issues. When I first walked in I explained I was deling with depression and anxiety as well as a a little of what seemed to trigger it. Nothing all that intrusive. The therpist will more than likely ask if you have any questions. If there are certain issues with which you are dealing such as abuse, addiction, anxiety, self injury, gender, sexuality, whatever, then let the therapist know and ask how they feel about those issues. Some are not comfortable dealing with homosxuality and others are not ok with self injury. Some are not as skilled at dealing with certain kinds of abuse as others.

I would suggest you write a little bit down in regards to what you are dealing with right now. The anxiety that a first visit creates can mess with memory and the therapist may ask if you have any questions and you will go completely blank.

Good for you for taking this step. It is a scary one but also a very rewarding one

Congrats on making this decision.
The first session is to get to know each other a bit. My T wanted to know a bit about my background, and I'd say as much as I felt comfortable with. Also explain what it is you are currently going through, and why you have decided therapy is necessary. Then you can ask the T a few questions you find relevant. See if you can eventually learn to trust this T. If touch is important, maybe ask about her touch policy. If you need to have regular contact, ask about how you can contact her between sessions.

The first session is kind of like shopping around, to see if you can work together.

My suggestion is to ask up front things you may think you need as therapy progresses.

1) Do you allow phone calls outside of session?
2) Do you allow emails outside of session?
If so, do you reply?
3) What is your position on hugs in therapy?
4) What is your approach - CBT? DBT? other?
5) Do you accept small gifts from clients such as holiday card or birthday card?
6) What happens if a session is missed?

Those are just questions I have on the front of my mind right now.
Bottom line is to ask things that actually matter to you.
Get those questions cleared up front so you don't spend time wondering what the answer will be.

LOL - you may never even want one but get the question out in the open before you are emotionally invested. this is very wise WePow!!!!

also...
** how would you feel about my bringing in articles or even books to share with you (some Ts say absolutely not, mine loves it)
** do you lecture / supervise / vacation extensively, any of which would put you out of pocket more than a couple weeks of the year

I've also asked my T about how quickly she gets booked up, in case I would want to schedule a months' worth of appointments at one time, or something comes up & I might need to see her rather urgently

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/que...our-therapist/

Thanks for the information everybody. I will make sure to write things down because I know I will be super nervous.

Let us know how it goes!

So I went today. I almost backed out because I was so nervous but decided I needed to go and did it. T made me feel comfortable enough, asked me what my problems were and didn't push me and encouraged me to ask questions (which I had written out and asked) and answered them. It seemed like a positive experience to me so I made an appointment to go back. I am glad I went and I am so hoping it helps me.

How brave you were, MBH! I'm so glad it was positive for you and hope you have a continued close and productive relationship.