What to expect from your first therapy session
Tom Mulvaney, a practising psychologist and Movember’s Australasian Director of Young Men’s Health, takes us through what you can expect from your first visit to a therapist and why it’s something you should consider
THE BENEFITS OF therapy are widely known. Yet, statistics show that men seek professional mental health support far less often than women. This is at least partially due to many Australian men being mystified as to what the process actually involves. That’s why, with the help of Tom Mulvaney, Australasian Director of Young Men’s Mental Health at Movember, we’re breaking down exactly what you can expect from your first visit to the therapist.
Movember are advocating for earlier, easier access to therapy and more gender responsive health care, because confusion over what to expect isn’t the only factor that prevents men from seeking help. There are a number of barriers that cause this reluctance – whether they be psychological, economic or caused by harmful societal norms – as Mulvaney explains. “Movember has explored why it’s particularly hard for men to open up, most recently through its Real Face of Men’s Health Report where we identify things like Australian men seeking professional help for their mental health more than ever, however more than one in four men are still waiting longer than acceptable to get an appointment with a GP,” he says.
“Some of the barriers to accessing support for men are around cost of services, previous poor experiences, or the kind of personal barriers we all carry as men through things like the bias associated with traditional masculinity,” Mulvaney continues. “These are being reinforced by the social experiences around us.”
Clearly, this is an important issue. And while we personally don’t have the power to enact policy changes or shift societal gender biases overnight, we can do our part in combatting one of the more easily solved problems at hand: lack of information. That’s why we had Mulvaney explain what will happen should you or anyone you know choose to seek therapy.
It will start with an introduction
While Mulvaney emphasises that “every psychologist is different” and that there’s “no such thing as a typical session”, every session does have to start somewhere. “People will go to see a psychologist about many things. The aim is always to get back to feeling more like yourself, but it is very normal to feel nervous as you attend your first session,” Mulvaney says.
In most cases, you will begin with a discussion around informed consent – which is where you voluntarily agree to healthcare treatment – followed by an explanation of the structure of therapy.
The process isn’t quite as simple as showing up and sitting down. You will need to fill out a few forms, which your therapist can talk you through.
Your therapist will want to get to know you
“The therapist will then focus on the opportunity to get to know you,” says Mulvaney. “They’ll be really curious and they’ll be asking about previous experiences of counselling, like what worked and what didn’t, so they can tailor their work to meet your needs.”
Building a strong relationship with your therapist is important for you to feel comfortable sharing your experiences. That’s why you can expect your first session to be focused on building rapport. “They’ll be asking what’s gone on in your life: what’s good about it? What’s been hard about it? How has it changed over time? Are there things that make it worse or better?” Mulvaney says.
If it’s not an instant match, Mulvaney says not to panic. “Seeing a psychologist is like any other relationship. Sometimes you’ll click, sometimes you won’t. Sometimes it’s an immediate click, sometimes it takes a few sessions. But if it’s not clicking, giving feedback to your psychologist is really important. Say ‘this is what I need more of and less of’. That way, the psychologist can adapt how they’re operating.”
You can ask questions too
Therapy isn’t a one-way street. Like Mulvaney says, building a relationship with your therapist is important, and to do that, you’ll need to feel like you’re not the only one contributing to the discussion. “You can ask questions about who your psychologist is and what their life is like so you can get to know them better and build that relationship,” Mulvaney says.
You’ll be in the driver’s seat
Throughout your first therapy session – and every session, for that matter – Mulvaney says you can expect to be in control. They’ll be asking you questions, but it’s up to you to decide what you want to talk about. You will be supported to reflect, to learn about your emotions and how these show up for you.
During your first session, your therapist will also invite you to set the direction of ongoing treatment. “They might just ask you roughly how many sessions you think you’ll have, or when you want your next session to be,” Mulvaney says. “They’ll use this to structure future sessions.”
There might be some take-home actions between sessions
Assuming your first session won’t be your last, you can expect to be given some tasks or activities to perform in your time between visits to the therapist. “It’s about taking a lesson away from the session.” Mulvaney says. “You’ll build on that in following sessions, where you can choose what you want to focus on, on that particular day.”
It will end with a recap
“Usually the session will close with a bit of a recap,” says Mulvaney. “Something like ‘this is what we talked about today, this is what I learned about you, how are you going to manage stepping out of this session?’”
From that point on, you’re free to choose the direction of your treatment. You could stop by once per month or multiple times per week, whatever suits you. The ball is in your court.
To find out more, visit Movember’s What is Therapy. For healthcare professionals interested in learning more about supporting men in therapy, visit Movember’s Men in Mind.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek support from a mental health professional or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For support resources visit Movember.com/getsupport
Together, we can unite to take on men’s health. The Moustache is Calling. Join us this Movember and Grow a Mo or, Move 60km for the 60 men suicide takes globally every hour. Raise funds. Save lives. Sign up now at Movember.com
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