Seeking professional mental health treatment is a nerve-racking experience, but it’s the first step to recovering from mental health issues and regaining control of your life. Knowing what to expect can help you feel a little more confident when you sit across from your psychologist and start working on improving your mental well-being. Here’s what you should know before visiting a psychologist for your mental health.
It’s Natural To Be Nervous
It’s OK to feel nervous before and during your appointments. After all, therapy is a space where you’re supposed to be vulnerable as you voice some of your deepest thoughts and feelings. That’s not an easy experience.
The key is to not let your nerves get the better of you. Speaking honestly and allowing yourself to be vulnerable is the key to working through those worries and making progress with your psychologist. The more work you put in—even when you’re afraid—the more comfortable you’ll feel at future therapy appointments.
Respect Your Doctor’s Orders
Seeing a psychologist is just like seeing any other medical professional. As such, it’s important to be open and honest about your treatment. It’s also crucial to follow directions. Just as you shouldn’t ignore a prescription from your primary physician, you shouldn’t ignore therapy activities or other instructions from your psychologist. Listening to your therapist is a key part of patient treatment compliance. Complying with treatment is a necessary part of seeking help and ensuring your therapy is a constructive, positive experience.
Consistency Is Crucial
With therapy, you get out of it what you put in. It takes work and dedication to see improvement. One of the most important things to know before visiting a psychologist is that consistency is a crucial part of effective treatment. Missing appointments or showing up late cuts the valuable time that you have with your psychologist. Disruptions to your therapy routine can also create additional stress, which can distract from your treatment plan and cause extra problems for you and your psychologist to work through.
