What to Expect From Therapy

So you’ve decided to begin individual therapy with a psychiatrist. It’s common to feel a little nervous before starting something new if you don’t know what to expect – especially when it includes talking about highly personal topics and struggles. Knowing ahead of time what individual therapy entails can help ease your anxiety and ensure you have a successful experience.

Initial Evaluation

For your first session you will be invited to share with your psychiatrist what brought you here today. They will likely follow up with a comprehensive list of questions to give them a greater understanding of your situation. These questions will generally include your symptoms, current circumstances, and personal history.

Individual Therapy Helps You Take Action – If You Have Goals in Place

In therapy sessions you will work with your therapist or psychiatrist to face particular struggles that are challenging you and learn to relate to them differently. You can more easily decide whether therapy is helping if you have goals for it. You may know there are certain feelings or experiences you’d like to get rid of, such as overwhelming sadness or recurring fears. The next step is to ask yourself how you’d like to feel in the long-run. Do you want to feel a sense of self-acceptance or inner peace, for example? If so, make those your therapy goals!

You May Feel Worse Before You Feel Better

Talking about your struggles may stir up some distressing emotions while you are working through them. However, if at anytime it becomes too overwhelming, be sure to let your psychiatrist know. Therapy sessions should be taken slowly and at your own pace.

You’ll Learn Coping Skills

Coping mechanisms are imperative for keeping you safe and comfortable. When an external situation may cause you to feel anxiety or distress, coping skills will help you remain calm and in control of your emotions. This will help you in your daily life to overcome your struggles as well.

These are just a general outline of how individual therapy works as it is catered to the needs of each individual. If you’d like to take the next step in improving your well-being, contact us to set up an appointment for individual therapy in Delray Beach.

Dr. Raul J. Rodriguez

Dr. Raul Rodriguez

DABPN, DABAM, MRO

Existing patients, please text 561-409-7296 for follow-up appointment requests or if you have medication concerns please text 561-409-7296.

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