So what does happen in therapy…?

1. Building Safety and Trust

An integral part of the therapeutic process initially is hearing your story and understanding your goals. You will likely be asked what brings you to therapy and what you would like to be different about your experience in life. Creating a safe and comfortable environment is an important part of the therapeutic process.

2. Understanding Patterns

Following this, focus is placed on understanding patterns of thoughts, feelings, behaviours. Many of these patterns may have formed for a reason to help us to cope in the past and the therapeutic process can work to determine whether they continue to serve us.

3. Skill-Building

Once a clients story is understood and patterns have been identified, therapists can help clients to develop skills in coping. These practical skills may help clients to ground themselves at times of stress, enhance their communication and regulate their emotions.

4. Processing Emotions Safely

Therapy is a place that is separate from friendships and family dynamics. It is neutral territory where clients are allowed to speak without judgement. It’s common not to share all aspects of our inner experience with others in our lives due to how they may react or not wanting to burden them. Therapy is an opportunity to express and process feelings without these concerns.

5. Collaborative Change

Therapy is a collaborative process and part of this process is to understand what’s helping and what isn’t. People’s individual situations are complex and intricate, and interventions which work for some people don’t for others. Therapists and their clients work together to work together to build understanding and accomplish goals.

A final note…

It is important to consider that there’s no way you need to prepare or present yourself in therapy. The therapeutic setting is one to explore your inner experience without judgement and develop strategies to build wellbeing. Your therapist will seek to work with you towards your goals through a collaborative process of understanding.