Therapy Intake Sessions: What to Expect & How to Prepare
The first session with a new therapist can feel daunting. You might be wondering what I'm like as a person, whether we'll connect, and what in the world you'll actually talk about for an entire hour.
Here's what I want you to know going in: the first session isn't about getting everything right. It's about starting to establish a picture of you, in your own words, so we can figure out where we're headed.
Less Intake Form, More Conversation
By the time we meet for the first time, I'll already have your basic demographic information from the forms you filled out beforehand. So we don't need to spend the session going through logistics. Instead I use the first session to establish a baseline we can actually work from and refer back to as our sessions continue.
I osten draw on narrative therapy approaches in this session, which means I'm genuinely interested in the story of your life as you tell it. Not a clinical summary. Not a list of symptoms. Your version, with all its texture and contradictions.
Examples of Questions I'll Ask
These aren't trick questions and there are no right answers. They're starting points.
If you could wave a magic wand, what three things would look different for you in three months? This one cuts to what matters most to you right now. It also gives us something concrete to work toward and measure against as we go.
If I were to read a story about your life, what would the general sentiment be? And it can be different at different periods. A coming-of-age story, a survival story, something quieter, something still being written. This question tells me a lot about how you see yourself and where you are in your own narrative.
What are your values? It's completely okay if you don't have these fully established yet. A lot of people don't. But starting to name them, even loosely, helps us understand what matters to you and what you want more of in your life.
Who in your life do you feel most yourself around? This gets at connection, attachment, and where you feel safe.
What finally made this feel like the right time to reach out? Most people have been thinking about therapy for a while before they actually book. I'm curious about what shifted. There's no wrong answer.
What things in your life currently bring you joy? This matters just as much as what's hard.
If you've been in therapy before, what worked and what didn't? This one is purely practical. It helps me understand how to work with you from the start rather than figuring it out over several sessions.
What We Do With All of This
By the end of the first session we'll have a real picture of where you are, what you're hoping for, and what matters most to you. From there we set goals collaboratively, meaning you're not handed a treatment plan, you help create one. It's your life and your process. I'm here to help you navigate it, not to decide where you're going.
One Practical Note
I always recommend having water nearby during sessions and giving yourself a little buffer afterward before jumping back into your day. The first session in particular can feel like a lot, because you're essentially telling your story to someone new. That takes something out of you, even when it goes well. Be gentle with yourself after.
