Dr. Hannah Roberts

Dr. Hannah Roberts · July 15, 2024 ·

Summer Self-Care Series:

The Importance of Quality Sleep

by Taylor Ureta, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Sleep is an investment in the energy you need

to be effective tomorrow.

~Tom Roth

Every morning, at exactly 6 am, I wake up to the bright sunlight shining through my windows. Despite having all the blinds closed, my four-bedroom windows still allow enough sunlight to fill my room and wake me up. As a college student, this is one of many challenges I face when getting a good night’s sleep. With distractions keeping me from going to bed, and disruptions making it difficult to stay asleep, I often miss out on quality sleep. This endless cycle started to take a toll on me both mentally and physically. I had trouble concentrating in class, constantly felt unmotivated and sluggish, and my overall mood declined. Even my immune system took a hit. Over time, it became clear that my lack of restful sleep was not sustainable, prompting me to prioritize sleep. Here’s what I learned:

Sleep’s Impact On Your Mind & Body

Sleep is crucial for both our mental and physical health. When we don’t get enough rest, our bodies and minds can’t function at their best. One of the most compelling examples of how sleep affects our body is its impact on the immune system. Adequate sleep strengthens our immune defenses, helping the body to fight off infections and recover from illnesses more effectively. However, when we don’t get enough rest, our immune response weakens, making us more susceptible to illness and infections (Besedovsky et al., 2019). It’s clear that restful sleep is a crucial step when promoting immune defense and maintaining our physical health.

In addition, quality sleep supports brain function by allowing time for restorative processes that regulate mood and stress levels. Without restful sleep, these processes are disrupted, leading to irritability, disregulated mood, and a decreased ability to handle stress (Collier Villaume, 2024). Over time, chronic sleep restrictions can also contribute to worsened mental health, such as generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder. Therefore, it’s important to view sleep as a vital part of your mental health regimen, in addition to regular therapy sessions.

Sleep as a Form of Self-Care

Last week, we discussed how self-care can be a crucial aspect to effectively manage our mental health and promote our overall well-being. Sleep might not seem like a form of self-care, but it most definitely is – maybe even the most important form. The quality and quantity of your sleep can influence both your mental and physical state significantly (Díaz-Ramiro, 2020), and sets the foundation for all other forms of self-care. Without adequate sleep, we lack the energy and mental clarity to exercise, meditate, or even enjoy our hobbies. By prioritizing sleep and treating it as a vital part of your self-care routine, you can better meet your body’s need for rest and recovery. This simple yet powerful step may enhance your mood, boost your energy, and even improve your overall mental and physical health.

3 Tips To Help You Better Prioritize Sleep

The key to prioritizing sleep in your daily routine is to establish stable and realistic sleep habits. Here are a few to get you started!

Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help you get the right amount of sleep and keep your sleep schedule consistent. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, as recommended for adults by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) (Ramar, 2021). This routine will help you prioritize sleep and support your overall well-being.
Create a Calming Bedtime Routine: Establishing a relaxing nighttime routine can help signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed. This could include taking a hot shower, reading your favorite book, journaling, or practicing meditation. During your night routine, limit screen time as evening exposure to blue light can make it harder to fall asleep and lower sleep quality.
Optimize Your Sleeping Environment: It’s important that you optimize your sleep environment to make it as peaceful and comfortable as possible. It can be hard to ensure your room is kept cool, dark, and quiet, especially during the summer months. So consider investing in a fan, blackout curtains, silk sleeping masks, or even a white noise machine to further improve your sleep quality!

Sleep is crucial for your overall health and well-being, and should be prioritized in your self-care routine. To improve your sleep quality and duration, start by following any one of these tips! I personally love taking a hot shower, wearing my silk sleeping mask, and going to bed around 11 pm every night. These simple steps help me to prioritize my sleep and improve my overall mental and physical well-being!

Have more questions about sleep or feel ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Haack, M. (2019). The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiological reviews, 99(3), 1325–1380. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00010.2018

Collier Villaume, S., Stephens, J. E., Craske, M. G., Zinbarg, R. E., & Adam, E. K. (2024). Sleep and daily affect and risk for major depression: Day-to-day and prospective associations in late adolescence and early adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(2), 388–391. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.08.042

Díaz-Ramiro, E. M., Rubio-Valdehita, S., López-Núñez, M. I., & Aparicio-García, M. E. (2020). Sleep habits as predictors of psychological health in healthcare professionals. Anales de Psicología, 36(2), 242–246. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.6018/analesps.350301

Ramar, K., Malhotra, R.K., & Carden, K.A. (2021). Sleep is essential to health: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 17(10):2115–2119.

Dr. Hannah Roberts · July 11, 2024 ·

Social Media and Self-Esteem:

3 Ways to Improve the Way Social Media

Makes You Feel

By: Ella-Mei Matias, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Social media seems to consume us nowadays. From mindlessly scrolling, to relaxation, or even when using with friends, it’s everywhere. While social media offers many positive aspects, like allowing us to express ourselves or nurture our connections with others, it has many negative side effects. Aside from being highly compelling, it appears to be contributing to low self-esteem – especially for adolescent users. Why does this seem to be the case?

The Problem

While scrolling through various apps, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, or otherwise, we can see into the lives of hundreds of other people. In this scrolling, we can be exposed to many stimuli which can have negative effects – friends hanging out without us, influencers with items we want, or people with traits we wish we possessed.

The Comparison Aspect

Comparison is normal, and it helps us gauge our sense of self (Angela, 2021). For example, when playing a sport, you may compare your ability and skills to your teammates, or in class, you may compare your grades to others in order to assess your performance. While these comparisons help us understand ourselves better, social media leads to increasingly upward social comparison; we’re constantly shown the most positive aspects of others’ lives, and the best, edited versions of others. This form of comparison can negatively impact our self-esteem and can lead to lower mood, negative self-appraisals, and emotional problems. It can also lead to a need for social approval – via follows, likes, views, or comments.

How to Use Social Media in a More Positive Way

It’s clear that social media can have some detrimental impacts on our mental health, but what can we do about it? It’s been shown that the way social media affects us is based on the way we interact with and approach social media. Essentially, the best way to use social media is by being mindful about how we use it and creating a positive online environment – and remember, you can always turn off your phone! Here are some ways that you can be more mindful of your social media:

Engage Mindfully

Check-in with yourself: when using social media, ask yourself some questions. Is what you’re seeing online true to how people really are in real life? Why do you feel validated by social media? Do you feel better or worse after using social media? While scrolling online, you can do regular check-ins – is what I’m seeing helping or harming me? (Jacobson, 2022).
Focus on the positives: social media can be used for many positive purposes. You create your social media environment! Engage in meaningful connections and weed out anything in your feed that makes you feel negative.
Portray an authentic version of yourself: being true to yourself in the way you present yourself on social media can help you take it less seriously! Post for enjoyment, not because you believe it will get you likes.
Interact: it’s easy to mindlessly scroll and consume media, but this can unknowingly lead to feelings of disconnection or loneliness (Social Media, 2020). By interacting with media you are also more likely to be mindful about your social media usage.
Surround yourself with others who don’t use social media: after all, we tend to behave in similar ways to those we are close to!

Set Boundaries

Take social media breaks: sometimes a detox can help! This could be for any period of time that feels reasonable to you – 24 hours, or a week, you could even try taking a month off. Taking breaks from social media can help you realize how much you truly use it, and returning to social media after taking some time off can help you be more mindful about how you use it. During this time try and pick up some new hobbies!
Set boundaries: if you find yourself mindlessly consuming media, it can help to set rigid boundaries. This could include only going on an app for a certain amount of time in one sitting, turning your phone off or on airplane mode during certain times of the day, setting a time-limit for the day, or turning off notifications.

Focus on Real Life

Focus on your relationships: by prioritizing your relationships, and having a strong support system, you can decrease the ways that social media impacts your self-esteem. Focusing on the people you see face-to-face can help you to create a strong sense of self, supported by the people who know you best. It can also help decrease the likelihood of having problematic social media use.
Focus on your sense of self: by focusing on who you are without social media, you are able to create realistic and more genuine forms of self-esteem and ways of viewing yourself. When you confidently know who you are, you are less likely to be harmed by negative perceptions on social media (Akdag, 2024).
Realize it’s not real: social media only presents the most positive aspects of one’s life and is unrealistic – you won’t always look the same as someone who can review and edit photos or videos and people will usually only post images of themselves at their best (which isn’t realistic).
Practice gratitude: take some time to be grateful for what you do have! It can be easy to focus on what we don’t have when we are constantly shown idealistic online presentations, but taking time to reflect on what you already have is important (Mindful Social Media).

Feel like you’re struggling with your social media or ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Acar, I. H., Avcilar, G., Yazici, G., & Bostanci, S. (2022). The roles of adolescents’ emotional problems and social media addiction on their self-esteem. Current Psychology, 41(10), 6838+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01174-5

Akdag, B., & Unsal, C. (2024). The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem Bettveen Meaning in Life and Social Media Addiction. ADDICTA: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 11(1), 99+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.5152/ADDICTA.2024.23126

Angela. (2021, February 27). Why Do We Compare Ourselves to Others – Mind, Body and Soul. Mind, Body and Soul. https://wp.nyu.edu/mind/2021/02/27/why-do-we-compare-ourselves-to-others/#:~:text=Comparisons%20allow%20us%20to%20form

Bergman, M. (2024, January 10). Social media’s effects on self-esteem | social media victims law center. Social Media Victim’s Law Center. https://socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/self-esteem/

Hatun, O., & Kurtca, T. T. (2023). Examining the Relationship Between Social Support and Social Media Addiction: Role of Self-Esteem. ADDICTA: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 10(2), 142+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.5152/ADDICTA.2023.23033

Jacobson, R. (2022, September 2). Social Media and Self-Doubt. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/social-media-and-self-doubt/

Mindful Social Media Use. (n.d.). Care-Clinics.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024, from https://care-clinics.com/mindful-social-media-use/#:~:text=Unfollow%20or%20mute%20accounts%20thatSocial Media: 6 Tips for Mindfulness. (2020, February 5). PrairieCare. https://prairie-care.com/resources/type/blog/social-media-6-tips-for-mindfulness/

Dr. Hannah Roberts · July 9, 2024 ·

Summer Self-Care Series:

An Intro to Mental Wellness

by Taylor Ureta, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Happy summer, Thrivers! Welcome to the first section of the Summer Self-Care Series. With bright skies and sunny days ahead, this series will highlight the perfect opportunity to prioritize summer self-care. Here at Thrive, we emphasize that alongside therapy, self-care is crucial for effectively managing many challenges, especially anxiety and trauma.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care involves intentional practices to restore one’s physical and emotional health to manage stress and promote overall well-being (Bible, 2017; Schmutte, 2017). From journaling to hiking, self-care includes anything you do to keep yourself mentally, physically, or spiritually healthy. Doing acts of self-care might seem simple enough, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, self-care can be easy to overlook. Between school deadlines and work obligations, carving out time for yourself can feel like a burden. However, self-care is not just about pampering yourself; it’s about taking all the necessary steps to ensure your physical and mental health are balanced. By integrating self-care practices into your routine, you can reduce stress, increase energy levels, and enhance your ability to cope with daily challenges.

How Does Summer Self-Care Impact My Mental Health?

Self-care can significantly impact your mental health and may act as a “personal medicine” to help decrease symptoms and improve your overall mood and well-being (Bible, 2017). For example, self-care activities help to release endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good hormone, boosting your mood and helping you cope with negative emotions. When used effectively, self-care practices can also reduce stress hormones and promote feelings of calm, relaxation, and self-awareness.

When struggling with anxiety and trauma, self-care can act as a protective measure against the negative effects of these conditions. Practicing regular self-care acts like deep breathing techniques or muscle relaxation can equip you with tools to manage anxiety symptoms like panic attacks, racing thoughts, and physical tension. Self-care activities that promote relaxation and self-awareness can also help you regulate emotions that may accompany anxiety and trauma.

Ultimately, self-care can be an effective way to maintain your health and well-being. Alongside therapy, effective self-care monitoring and management can help you gain a better understanding of your symptoms and how to address them (Riegel, 2021).

How Do I Start Incorporating Self-Care Into My Routine?

The key to summer self-care is exploring different practices and identifying those that resonate with your individual needs and abilities. What works for one person might not work for another. While some people find comfort in meditation, others may need the energy boost of a group fitness class. Self-care practices can also range from activities that give life meaning or purpose to spending time in nature or with loved ones.

Now think to yourself: “what makes me feel good?” “What helps me relax?”

Maybe you thought about how journaling before bed every night helps you unwind, or how going for a walk around your neighborhood gives you a great boost of energy. Either way, when you find those little acts of self-care, you should start incorporating them into your daily or weekly routine. Figuring out the most effective acts of self-care for yourself will help promote consistency and lead to more positive outcomes.

Why Is Summer the Perfect Opportunity for Self-Care?

Whether it’s enjoying sunlight with mood-boosting vitamin D, engaging in outdoor exercises, or simply taking time off to recharge, summer provides great moments to prioritize your mental and physical well-being. It’s the perfect time to establish and reinforce healthy habits that can benefit you throughout the year.

In the next few weeks, we’ll discuss how summer self-care approaches that support physical wellness can improve your overall health, especially when managing anxiety and trauma (Schmutte et al., 2017). Starting with the importance of sleep, we’ll delve deeper into specific self-care practices to improve your mental and physical well-being.

See you next week and happy summer!

Have more questions or feel ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Bible, L. J., Casper, K. A., Seifert, J. L., & Porter, K. A. (2017). Assessment of self-care and

medication adherence in individuals with mental health conditions. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association: JAPhA, 57(3S), S203–S210.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2017.02.023

Riegel, B., Dunbar, S. B., Fitzsimons, D., Freedland, K. E., Lee, C. S., Middleton, S., Stromberg, A., Vellone, E., Webber, D. E., & Jaarsma, T. (2021). Self-care research: Where are we

now? Where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103402

Schmutte, T., Davidson, L., & O’Connell, M. (2018). Improved sleep, diet, and exercise in adults

with serious mental illness: Results from a pilot self-management intervention. Psychiatric Quarterly, 89(1), 61–71. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9516-9

Dr. Hannah Roberts · May 23, 2024 ·

Graduating from Therapy – What to Expect

Learning to Thrive: A How-To Guide for Therapy

by Gavin Hannegan, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Hello Thrivers! Welcome to the final installment of a three-part series called, “Learning to Thrive: A How-To Guide for Therapy.” This series will help you understand what to expect from the beginning and end of your therapy journey. Over the past few months, we’ve explored how therapy can be an effective self-care tool no matter what your needs are. Now, let’s put those discussions into context as we explore graduating from therapy.

Wait, graduating from therapy? Wouldn’t that be counterintuitive coming from therapists? After all, we even have a blog post dedicated to the evidence-based benefits of long-term therapy. But long-term therapy doesn’t mean that you have to see your therapist for the rest of your life. Graduating from therapy is a lot like graduating from college. It’s an achievement that not only captures how hard you’ve been working, but it also signifies that you’re ready to apply your new skills out in your day-to-day life. For today’s post, we will be answering the following questions about graduation in order to best support you in this process:

How Do I Know When it’s Time to Graduate?

Consider if you have met the goals that you and your therapist have developed since your first session. Maybe you’ve been able to properly process a traumatic event you experienced, or perhaps you’ve been able to consistently address new stressors in your life using healthier strategies. You may even feel like you can continue working towards your goals without the direct guidance of a therapist.

If you’re thinking about graduation, give yourself plenty of time to discuss with your therapist. Oftentimes, your therapist might be the one to initiate this conversation and propose the idea of graduation (Olivera et al., 2021). Like you would with any other therapy work, collaborate with your therapist to plan out what graduation from therapy will look like for you. This mutual agreement will both strengthen the therapeutic bond and improve the likelihood of a successful transition out of therapy (Olivera et al., 2021). These conversations may continue throughout a couple of sessions to ensure that both you and your therapist are comfortable and prepared for graduation.

What Will My Final Therapy Session Look Like?

The focus of this session is to create a sense of closure with your therapeutic relationship. Your therapist will give you the space to reflect on what you have achieved through therapy, be open about your feelings surrounding graduation from therapy, and to explore how you will maintain your mental health gains following therapy termination (Norcross et al., 2017). You can also talk with your therapist about your expectations and their boundaries regarding communication post-treatment. Due to ethical guidelines, this type of communication should be kept to a minimum. But your therapist may be okay with you reaching out if you ever need a brief check-in, you’re ready for another chapter, or if you would like a referral for you or someone else. Additionally, feel free to update your therapist on your progress post graduation; it’s a great feeling for therapists to know that their clients are doing well. And we’re always thinking of you! This session can be a bittersweet moment for you and your therapist, so feel what you need to feel. Although it may be sad to leave your therapist, try to walk away from this session with a sense of pride, because you deserve it.

How Can I Navigate Life Without Therapy?

Evidence-based therapy practices are designed for long-term success. Many of the therapy models that we offer here at Thrive have been found to support clients after their graduation from therapy. Here are some highlights from recent studies:

A meta-analysis of 69 clinical trials found that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) consistently reduced symptoms of anxiety disorders up to a year after treatment (van Dis et al., 2019).
Through interviews, clients of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) revealed that they have been able to navigate conflicts and build social connections more effectively in the years following graduation (Gillespie et al., 2022).
Compared to standard treatment from a healthcare provider, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is significantly more successful in reducing the likelihood of relapse for depression symptoms (McCartney et al., 2020).
Another meta-analysis featuring clinical data from over 34,000 clients with depression reported that varying different therapies, including CBT and interpersonal therapy, all produced healthier outcomes within a year of graduation (Cuijpers et al., 2021).

Therapy provides you with the tools to navigate life, but you’ve always been in charge of using these tools. If you’ve been practicing these strategies in your everyday life already, then the transition out of therapy may not feel as jarring as you would think. Remember that your last few sessions will help you gain the confidence to make this transition. You and your therapist wouldn’t have discussed graduation if you both didn’t feel it was the right choice to make.

Is It Okay to Eventually Go Back to Therapy?

Yes, the door is always open! While you may not need a weekly session anymore, you can always schedule a check-in with your therapist when you need it. These sessions would be especially helpful for putting your therapy strategies into a new context, such as an unexpected crisis. You may also have a new development on a previous area of concern that you may want to discuss with your therapist. Keep in mind that at this phase in your therapy journey, your sessions will be more about the maintenance and fine-tuning of your mental health. The growth you experience may seem less pronounced compared to the first six weeks you started therapy, but you will continue to see improvements as you take care of yourself. (Wojnarowski et al., 2019). Your graduation might be the end of this particular therapy chapter, but continue to prioritize your own needs. Help is available whenever you need it.

For those of you who are graduating from therapy, congratulations on this accomplishment! Therapy can be intensive work, and your graduation from therapy is a testament to your perseverance and determination to show up for yourself. You may continue to face challenges in your everyday life, but your experience in therapy will leave you equipped to overcome those challenges. We hope this series played even just a small role in your self-care journey. Best of luck as you enter this new chapter, and we can’t wait to see you THRIVE!

Have more questions or feel ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Cuijpers, P., Quero, S., Noma, H., Ciharova, M., Miguel, C., Karyotaki, E., Cipriani, A., Cristea, I. A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2021). Psychotherapies for depression: a network meta-analysis covering efficacy, acceptability and long-term outcomes of all main treatment types. World Psychiatry, 20(2), 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20860

Gillespie, C., Murphy, M., Kells, M., & Flynn, D. (2022). Individuals who report having benefitted from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): a qualitative exploration of process and experiences at long-term follow-up. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 9(8), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-022-00179-9

McCartney, M., Nevitt, S., Lloyd, A., Hill, R., White, R., & Duarte, R. (2020). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention and time to depressive relapse: Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 143(1), 6-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13242

Norcross, J. C., Zimmerman, B. E., Greenberg, R. P., & Swift, J. K. (2017). Do all therapists do that when saying goodbye? A study of commonalities in termination behaviors. Psychotherapy, 54(1), 66-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000097

Olivera, J., Challú, L., Gómez Penedo, J. M., & Roussos, A. (2017). Client-therapist agreement in the termination process and its association with therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy, 54(1), 88-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000099

van Dis, E. A. M., van Veen, S. C., Hagenaars, M. A., Batelaan, N. M., Bockting, C. L. H., van den Heuvel, R. M., Cuijpers, P., & Engelhard, I. M. (2020). Long-term outcomes of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(3), 265-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3986

Wojnarowski, C., Firth, N., Finegan, M., & Delgadillo, J. (2019). Predictors of depression relapse and recurrence after cognitive behavioural therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 47(5), 514-529. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465819000080

Dr. Hannah Roberts · May 16, 2024 ·

Your First Therapy Session – What to Expect

Learning to Thrive: A How-To Guide for Therapy

by Gavin Hannegan, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Hello Thrivers! Welcome to the second installment of a three-part series called, “Learning to Thrive: A How-To Guide for Therapy.” This series will help you understand what to expect from the beginning and end of your therapy journey. Over the past few months, we’ve explored how therapy can be an effective self-care tool no matter what your needs are. Now, let’s put those discussions into context as we explore your first therapy session.

Your initial meeting with your therapist will help you feel more prepared for your subsequent therapy sessions. You’ll gain experience with the ~50 minute timeframe, begin building the therapeutic relationship, and start adjusting to your chosen setting. This can be exciting, but may feel a little intimidating too. You might not know what to say or you may even feel pressured to present yourself a certain way. Know that it is okay to not feel fully comfortable. On the flip side, don’t expect to be fully healed the moment you leave this first session. Remember, this is only the beginning of your journey. You have so much time to grow!

Overall, your first therapy session is:

A Chance for Your Therapist to Get to Know You

There’s no better place to talk about yourself than in therapy. Of course, your therapist wants to understand why you’re seeking out therapy. But more importantly, your therapist wants to establish a connection with you. Therapist-client bonding serves a few different purposes:

It demonstrates the therapist’s investment in the client and that they care about what the client has to say.
It helps build trust between both the therapist and the client.
It allows the therapist to be more attentive to the needs of that client, and the client to respond more positively to therapy (Vandenberghe et al., 2018).

Over time, the more open you are with your therapist, the better you and your therapist can tailor your self-care strategies to fit your individual needs. But at this stage of therapy, share what you feel comfortable sharing. You may not feel ready to fully disclose everything about an area of concern. And with only 50 minutes in this first session, you simply may not have enough time. Think of this session as the “getting to know you” stage of the relationship. The goal is to make sure that both you and your therapist would be comfortable working together.

An Opportunity to Learn More About Your Therapist

The field of therapy has moved past the idea that therapists are “unknowable,” or that there should be rigid boundaries between the therapist and the client. While the focus of the session should not be on the therapist, you are more than welcome to ask your therapist questions about themselves. This can make your therapist feel more relatable and approachable. For example, therapists that disclose their mental health status, to a moderate extent, are perceived more favorably by their clients compared to therapists who do not practice self-disclosure (McCormic et al., 2019). Believe it or not, your therapist is human, too, and they may have personal experience with the topics you bring up in your first therapy session, in addition to their clinical experience. If you’re curious about your therapist, and you believe the information will help you feel more comfortable, then ask!

A Safe Space to Express Your Emotions

Being open with your emotions is a skill. Some of you may have grown up in an environment where you felt like you had to hide your true emotions, or otherwise didn’t get the necessary practice to hone this skill. This may be new territory, but your first therapy session will help you navigate it. When discussing your area of concern, pay attention to the emotions that come up for you. Such sensations can range from a feeling of tension and restraint to feeling like you’ve released a floodgate of tears. It is okay for your emotions to feel messy. You and your therapist will work together to identify your emotions and understand where they are coming from. Once you can name these emotions, you can tame them. No matter which emotions arise, know that your feelings are valid. Learning to accept your emotions and thoughts can improve your psychological well-being. By asserting more control over your negative emotions specifically, you can better adapt to and overcome daily stressors (Ford et al., 2018). You’ll be provided with the tools to channel your emotions in healthy, productive ways. Having these vulnerable conversations may be the toughest part of your first therapy session, but they will also be the most rewarding.

A Place to Establish Your Goals for Therapy

Moving forward, what do you hope to achieve through therapy? You and your therapist can develop a personalized action plan to make your next sessions feel intentional and productive. Setting goals encourages you to stay committed to the therapeutic relationship; those who do not set goals are more at risk of ending the therapeutic relationship prematurely (Cairns et al., 2019). Goals make your progress in therapy tangible. They illustrate how far you’ve come, and how much farther you want to go. A lot of the work that goes into reaching these goals will be done on your own outside of therapy, but your first therapy session will prepare you for that work. When working with your therapist to develop goals, remember the acronym SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed (Cairns et al., 2019). Examples of effective SMART goals include:

“I will power down my phone at 9pm before I go to bed at 10pm each night.”
“This Saturday, I will sit down with my roommate after they get home from work and have an open dialogue about our responsibilities in the apartment.”
“When I feel stressed, I will take a minute to practice the box breathing technique.”

The types of goals you set will depend on your individual needs. And sometimes, there may be new topics you want to discuss with your therapist, so some goals may need to be delayed in favor of more pressing ones. There is no timeline for personal growth or healing. Work towards your self-care at your own pace. You have a whole therapy journey ahead of you.

Next week, we will discuss how to bring your therapeutic relationship to a close, and how to adjust to your day-to-day life after therapy. Enjoy your first therapy session!

Have more questions or feel ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Cairns, A. J., Kavanagh, D. J., Dark, F., & McPhail, S. M. (2019). Goal setting improves retention in youth mental health: a cross-sectional analysis. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 13(31), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0288-x

Ford, B. Q., Lam, P., John, O. P., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). The psychological health benefits of accepting negative emotions and thoughts: Laboratory, diary, and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(6), 1075-1092. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000157

McCormic, R. W., Pomerantz, A. M., Ro, E., & Segrist, D. J. (2019). The “me too” decision: An analog study of therapist self-disclosure of psychological problems. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75(4), 794-800. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22736

Vandenberghe, L., Coppede, A. M., & Bittencourt, M. V. (2018). Building and handling therapeutic closeness in the therapist-client relationship in behavioral and cognitive psychotherapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 48, 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-018-9388-9