[anothercliché]

I know there must be other threads on this and I apologize in advance for this but I felt that it would be better to get some details of my own background in the preface in case these distinctions prove to have greater impact than I believe they will.
Upon the advising of several people on this site and my highschool guidance counselor I have made an appointment with a mental health professional through my college. The first meeting is free, however each subsequent meeting is 10 USD and I do not know if this is more or less expensive than typical psychotherapy or not. I have large self esteem issues stemming from an inherint inferiority in my person and persona when compared to others and whilst I deny it several people as well as several online surveys have said that I suffer from severe depression.
So... What? I am rather nervous of this meeting, how it will go, and what will occur. What can I expect during my first meeting, what can I do to prepare properly for it, what should I say or refrain from saying, and how should I compose myself? I do not know what to expect and I am ignorant to what will be done or how it will help. Will those in the know of this information kindly inform me of the basics? Thank you for your time and consideration.

[stopdog]

People are often nervous at their first (and sometimes subsequent) appointments. The ones I have seen (and those others I have just interviewed and not gone back to) have usually asked some version of why I am there, they asked some general questions about family and how I felt about various things and then asked if I wanted to make another appointment.

[growlycat]

I'm glad that you are getting the help you need. I think it is common to feel nervous in therapy not only in the beginning but at other points along the way as well. BTW $10 is a bargain for therapy. Most therapy I have had is at least partially covered by insurance but without coverage , it can run $75-$300 a session.

The first session or two as SD mentions covers why you are there, what to expect, therapy ground rules etc.

[Ididitmyway]

If it's your first therapy experience, it's natural to be nervous before the first session. I'd suggest that you be as direct as possible and state your issues to the therapist exactly as you did here on the forum. I also highly recommend to set the goals for the therapy and to communicate them to the therapist as clearly as possible. Then let the therapist to take it from there. He or she should explain the therapy process to you and his or her professional policies. You can ask any questions you want pertaining to the therapist's professional experience and training and they should answer your questions. That's pretty much all you'll need for the start. Then the process will unfold by itself naturally.

$10 per session is dirty cheap. In the US the cost of seeing a therapist in private practice varies somewhere from $75 to $250 per therapy hour (which is often 45-50 min). But from the way you write I get an impression that you are not in the US, and I have no idea what therapy costs in other parts of the world.

[anothercliché]

Alright so basically the first session will just be set up to later sessions and an introduction to who I am and what my deal is? Okay then I think I can do that. Will there be anything I should say or avoid saying so as not to be too forthcoming or diving too deep too early?
In response to the most recent post I am in the USA and have lived here the whole of my life. I just have a particular manner of speaking from being so...well I can't think of a light way of putting it so I'll be direct. I talk weird because I'm a weirdo.

[growlycat]

Just say whatever you are comfortable revealing. You can always reveal deeper stuff later. Hope it goes well!

[stopdog]

They may want to get you to talk about why you think you are a weirdo, what being a weirdo means to you, and to get you to not think of yourself as a weirdo. Normalizing is a technique they can use. It is not always or even usually a useful technique, but it is one of their staples from what I have seen and read.

[Ididitmyway]

Originally Posted by anothercliché

Alright so basically the first session will just be set up to later sessions and an introduction to who I am and what my deal is? Okay then I think I can do that. Will there be anything I should say or avoid saying so as not to be too forthcoming or diving too deep too early?

You can say as much or as little as you want. Usually, if the therapist is able to project a sense of trust and safety, people can reveal quite a lot in the first session, but, again, there is no requirement as to how much to reveal throughout the whole course of therapy. Trust your senses and do whatever feels comfortable. The therapist is there to guide you through the process and I hope they will be able to do so.

Originally Posted by anothercliché

In response to the most recent post I am in the USA and have lived here the whole of my life. I just have a particular manner of speaking from being so...well I can't think of a light way of putting it so I'll be direct. I talk weird because I'm a weirdo.

Got it

[growlycat]

here's a secret…..everyone's weird

[catonyx]

Originally Posted by growlycat

here's a secret…..everyone's weird

Yes. This. lol.

I'll add that it's ok to be nervous. I'm still nervous before and during every session.

[JustShakey]

Originally Posted by growlycat

here's a secret…..everyone's weird

Darnit. And I thought I was special

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ragsnfeathers]

Also, if you're not sure about what you should be talking about you can always ask the therapist. They're the experts and they should be all about doing what they can to make you comfortable, explaining how the process works and what to expect. It seems to me that in the first session the most important thing would be for each of you to get enough info, direct and indirect, to see if you would be a good fit.

That said, I recently started with a new therapist and for much of the first session I basically jumped in and talked an issue, not an extremely emotionally charged one. The therapist went with it. This wasn't planned but in retrospect it worked because I got to experience his style of therapy directly.

That's only one way, though. I would say, think about what you need to know and the best way to get that. And remember, the therapist isn't there to judge you. They know it's hard and want to help you.

[anothercliché]

I don't mind being weird with one of my favorite quotes being "The difference between brilliance and insanity is measured only by success.", it's really the success thing that bothers me as I don't seem to do or have a lot of it. I was just pointing out why I talk funny at times. As well you've sort of hit the biggest snag and my largest reservation about the whole therapeutic process, being judged. I still don't buy that the person will have a total nonbiased and nonjudgemental outlook and disposition as it is quite literally impossible to do so as a human being. As you can see though I have gotten over some of that sentiment, enough to actually go in at least for a consultation.

[Ididitmyway]

Originally Posted by anothercliché

I still don't buy that the person will have a total nonbiased and nonjudgemental outlook and disposition as it is quite literally impossible to do so as a human being.

You are right, it's impossible. What is possible though is to be aware of your biases and to do your best not to let them interfere with your work (therapy in this case), and this is what therapists learn to do in training..of course, with various degrees of success Unfortunately, I've seen way too many therapists who impose their personal biases on people quite forcefully..

But biases aside, there are certain beliefs about how psychotherapy is best done upon which the entire way of practicing is based. There are as many beliefs about that as there are therapists

All in all, yes, therapists are only humans despite of their education and training, and because of that and also because psychotherapy is a largely subjective field where many methods are based on beliefs, not facts, you won't be able to get the same expert advice as you can get say from a plumber about your leaking toilet or from a mechanic about your car. You won't even be able to get the same accuracy as you'd get from a medical doctor who can base their opinion on the objective tests' results. And, yet, as imprecise as psychotherapy is, you can still get a lot of useful information that you may be able to apply in your daily life. In any case, there is no risk in going to this first consultation and seeing what this is about