Starting therapy? This is what you need to know:
(Good) therapy can be a totally life-changing experience (sure, I’m biased) – it can help you develop future goals for your life, heal from past trauma or address patterns of behaviour that no longer serve you. I believe that everyone can benefit from therapy regardless of your age, stage of life or lived experience. Importantly, you don’t need to be in crisis to seek professional support.
And most of all – there is nothing that is too insignificant or unimportant to bring to therapy. Whilst our mental health system is under significant pressure right now, and most therapists have waitlists running, please know that no one else is more deserving of your session than you.
Rocking up to therapy – especially for the very first time – can be super weird. Even if you know you’ve gotten to the point that you know that going to therapy is something you really need to do, it’s very common to feel nervous about actually attending the first few times. And, if you’ve never been before it can be hard to know what to expect. So, here’s a rundown of a few things that might be helpful to know about therapy:
No experience necessary
You don’t need to prepare anything before you come to your first session. It’s really common to worry about what you might need or want to say in session, but there’s no getting it ‘right’. You just need to turn up and leave it to your therapist to ask the questions and guide the conversation.
We really have heard and seen it all
You won’t have too much stuff or have things that are too much for your therapist to handle or navigate. Although the right therapist is a thing – we’re all different and we need different approaches and personalities to connect safely – you are unique to us and we really do have the skills to support you with whatever you have brought to us.
Your history matters to us
You might have come with a significant present-day issue that you need help with, however what’s happened in your past will likely shed a light on what is happening now. Good therapists are really aware that raking up old, often painful, events from the past can be very difficult, painful and sometimes triggering so they will navigate that process carefully (this is where a trauma-informed therapist can be super helpful).
Most parents did the very best that they could
We’re not about shaming or blaming your parents. Most attachment-aware therapists know that the vast majority of parents did the very best with what they knew and had at the time. That doesn’t mean that you had all of your needs met or were kept physically or emotionally safe. Our work is to help you make sense of their experience, along with your own in light of that, as well as to work through any lasting trauma’s associated with what you experienced growing up.
We’re non-judgemental
A good therapist will never judge you. And a great therapist will show you that there’s nothing you can say or do for them to think less of you.
We are not perfect
None of us are. We sometimes get things wrong too. A good therapist though will be able to acknowledge any errors of judgement or missteps and be able to openly discuss them with – as well as making amends!
You leave a mark
We want the very best for you and you matter to your therapist. A therapist who has journeyed with you as you have experienced your transformative experience with them, will forever be altered by the time they have spent with you. You will never be ‘just another number’. We care deeply for our clients’ wellbeing. When you suffer, we feel pain too.
It’s a privilege to be your therapist
It is honestly the most incredible privilege to do this work. There is nothing so special as to sit in a room with someone who feels safe enough to explore the very most painful, shameful, or traumatic parts of their lives. And it is a privilege that we don’t take lightly.
If you’d like to explore therapy and would like a safe space to talk about how your mental health, please get in touch with us: www.theabaker.com.au / hello@theabaker.com.au / 03 9077 8194.