What To Expect From Your First Therapy Session
- Murron O'Neill, LCSW
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
Regardless of whether you have attended therapy before or not, attending your first therapy session with a new provider can be daunting. Every therapist is different in regards to style, approach, and experience, but just like there are similar themes across all therapists, there are similar themes to how a first therapy session goes.
Discuss confidentiality.
Your therapist will likely explain the basics of therapeutic confidentiality. As healthcare providers, therapists are required by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) to keep your health information private. Essentially, the information you share with your therapist stays between the two of you (and your therapist’s supervisor). This even applies to a situation where you run into your therapist out in public - if your therapist sees you in a grocery store, they are actually not allowed to approach you, just to maintain your privacy!
There are some situations where confidentiality might need to be broken. These situations are in the case of you reporting or your therapist feeling that you are a danger to yourself, danger to others, or you report abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person (such as a minor, elder, or disabled person).
Discuss admin rules/procedures/scheduling
Your therapist will likely also discuss any administrative procedures that are relevant for you to know, such as guidance around reaching them outside of sessions and who to reach out to in the case of emergencies (as typically outpatient providers do not have “on-call” hours). They may also discuss the practice’s cancellation policy. For example, here at Compassionate Healing, we ask for a 24 hour notice for any cancellations or rescheduled sessions.
Gather biopsychosocial history
Your therapist will gather a detailed history of your experiences prior to starting therapy. This assessment will ask about a variety of factors, including but not limited to biological, psychological, and social. Your therapist will ask about any medications you might be taking, your past experiences with therapy, your current social relationships, whether your mental health symptoms have changed over time, and more.
If any of these questions make you uncomfortable to answer, you are welcome to pass on answering them. You are under no obligation to answer any question your therapist asks you, and much of the goal at the very beginning will be building rapport with one another.
If you have any additional questions on what to expect from your first therapy session, please don’t hesitate to speak with one of our staff.
Ready to take the first step? Contact us today to get matched with a therapist and schedule your first session—we’re here to support you every step of the way.
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