After battling with yourself for some time, you finally admitted that you need the help of a mental health expert. As such, you decided that you will have your first counseling session. It’s a big step on your road to recovery. You can never achieve your desired goal unless you start by admitting to yourself that you have a problem. 

The first session is usually difficult. You don't know what to expect. You also feel embarrassed to admit that you're seeking help from an expert. You can prepare for it so things will turn out fine. 

Set your goals

You need to be clear about what you want to achieve by going through this therapy session. You can’t expect to be well right after the first trip to a counselor. It means that you need to set realistic goals to avoid frustration. If you don’t know what to expect, it’s okay. Things will start to be clearer once you arrive at the counselor’s office. 

Prepare your questions 

If things bother you, write them down. Your mind has a lot of questions right now, and you don’t know who to ask. The counselor is the right person to respond to these uncertainties. There’s no guarantee that you will receive the response you want to hear, but there’s no harm in asking. 

Write what you’re willing to share

It might be awkward at first since you don’t know where to begin the conversation. The good thing is that the counselor will ask you a few questions, and things will take off from there. If you already know what to talk about, your counselor will be glad to adjust. It helps if you bring a journal with you so each time something pops out of your mind, you can write down it immediately. 

Clear your schedule 

Since it’s a mental health problem, it needs to be the priority. Cancel everything else on your schedule. Since work counselors are popular, it might be difficult to find the right time to speak with them. Therefore, if a window opens, you have to grab the chance. Tell your boss about it if it will affect your work hours. 

Determine the standards to help you move forward

You need to know after the first session if you will continue the visits to the counselor. Some of these counselors won’t even charge you for the first hour so you can decide if you want to move ahead with future sessions. Write what you want in a counselor and what you dislike. It will help you determine if you will stick with the same expert, or find someone else. 

Hopefully, things will turn out the way you hope. Don't put immense pressure on yourself to be better just because you sought help from a counselor like the ones offered at Therapy Oak Park. It’s a journey, and you have to go through the necessary steps until things begin to change. Stay positive and don’t give up even if you face more problems along the way.