5 Ways To Make The Most Out Of Your Therapy Sessions
You’ve been thinking about starting therapy for a while. You finally decided on a therapist. Now, you may be wondering: what are some really effective ways to make the most out of your 50-minute therapy session?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many ways to use your therapy time to your advantage. You have 50-minutes. Let’s make them count towards reaching your end goal. So, in no particular order, here are five ways to make the most of your therapy sessions…to get you started.
Ask yourself what you want to get out of therapy. What are your goals? What are your expectations? Taking the time to become clear about why you’re seeking therapy will help to keep the focus on your end goal. It will also help you to notice and determine your progress.
Apply. Apply. Apply. You’re probably learning new ways to relate to yourself and others. Start applying what you’ve learned to your life in between sessions.
For example, you’ve realized negative self-talk is part of your day…every day. So, spend the time between sessions noticing (but not judging) the negative thoughts that come up.
Maybe write those negative thoughts down or journal about what you’re telling yourself. Bonus points if you bring that information into therapy with you to discuss with your therapist.
Try New Things. Trying new things can sometimes be scary. Your therapy session is a great place to try out a new skill.
Are you a thinker? How about trying a few moments of feeling during the session? Passive? How about practicing being assertive?
Try it on for size and see how it fits. You can also use this time to practice that conversation you’re nervous (or dreading) to have with someone. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Be completely honest, open, and direct. The more honest and open you are with your therapist, the more likely you are to see results. For example, speak up if you are uncomfortable with an exercise or topic. If you feel ashamed or like you might be judged, express that concern and then move at your own pace to express your experience.
Be open-minded. Spoiler alert: Therapy will introduce new concepts and ways of thinking and behaving that may be uncomfortable. Ok, sometimes they may even seem hard.
Remember growing pains as a child? Yep, they’re back! Remaining open-minded while still expressing your concerns to the therapist will help those uncomfortable feelings subside more quickly. Just like the original growing pains, these, too, will fade over time.
Here’s a bonus tip: Be on time. Right? It should go without saying, but I’m saying it anyway. There will no doubt be times when you are late. It happens to all of us. I mean, seriously, it seems all of the community is driving slower than normal on a day I’m running late.
This, however, is speaking more to the chronically late people. But I digress. Why is it important to be on time? Your lateness eats into your session time. So you pay your same fee for less time, and you probably will not have enough time to make headway towards your end goal.
It’s by no means a waste of time but rather not an effective use of time.
Keep in mind these are suggestions, not a checklist of “shoulds” to do at your next session. Overachievers…are you hearing me? Well, being on time would be great…but it’s your session.
Feel free to try one of the above suggestions to determine if it’s helpful for you and your therapeutic situation. Please keep in mind this information is meant to aid and deepen your therapeutic relationship.
If any of the above information goes against what you and your therapist have discussed, either don’t take the suggestion or speak with your therapist about it.
Opening additional dialogue with your therapist has been known to lead to valuable therapeutic work. Oh yeah, just one more way to make the most out of your therapy session.
