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Background: I've been feeling depressed and anxious for many years. I went to a GP 2 years ago and he said that it was due to lack of sleep. He suggested cutting my extensive caffeine intake (a pot or more per day). Ive been off coffee for 16 months and it didn't help.
I went with the family to my parents over Christmas and was trying to clear up some things (I'm the scape goat amongst the siblings and my mom enjoyed provoking me so she could be the victim). In the discussion they told me I either remembered things wrong or that I was treated differently because I am a difficult person to deal with. I am usually difficult with them because my mother still tries to control my life (I'm 38 and dating my wife for 19 years).

I decided that I needed to bite the bullet and get someone to talk about it to.

Tldr: what should I expect at a first session of therapy?

First session is really going to be you and the therapist getting a feel for each other, seeing if you're a good fit. You'll talk a bit about what you're there for, your goals in therapy, and the therapist may ask if there's anything you'd like to know about them. If a good rapport seems to be building, you can see them again, or if not, decide you'd like to try someone else. The first session is less therapy and more ensuring there will be a solid line of communication.

A lot of the first appointment could be intake questions. Family history, personal history, medical questions, and so on. Plus what Hailey said about goals, priorities, and building rapport will also be part of this appointment. It gives you and the therapist a base to work from.

WasabiPoptart said:

A lot of the first appointment could be intake questions. Family history, personal history, medical questions, and so on. Plus what Hailey said about goals, priorities, and building rapport will also be part of this appointment. It gives you and the therapist a base to work from.

Click to expand...

Oh right, intake!

You'll have to fill out a few papers on medical and mental health history as the therapist will want a baseline, so get there early if you can't fill them out beforehand.

Just like exercising, I wouldn't expect grand changes quickly. It takes time and effort to change and heal. Best of luck.

It went well. There was only about 10 min of intake and then it was why are we here stuff. No quick answers, but I don't expect them. The quick solution is rarely the right one.