It's totally normal to be nervous about starting therapy. It can be hard to talk about feelings out loud. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. It takes courage to start going to therapy. The fact that you are on this website, looking for help, and reading this right now shows that you are being brave and seeking help.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and come just as you are, including feeling nervous. I'm committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible. I'm here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

Take your time to read through my website. You can email me if you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading. During a free phone consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, what a typical session with me is like, or any other questions you may have that are specific to you. You'll also be able to discuss what's on your mind, and we can decide together how I can help.

It may be helpful to think of the first few sessions as trying out the waters together. During the sessions, you'll be able to see how you feel working with me. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What's most important to me is that you find someone who you think is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that's actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things. During our sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. It's my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share. You can also tell me that you are nervous to open up about something, and we can talk about that too. Whatever is present for you. Whatever you are going through. Bring that to the session and we can explore that together.

If you open up to me, I will not think you are a bad person, I will think you are someone who went through a lot. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are a bad person). Through my own life journey and working with my clients, I know how 'normal' your experience is.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know nobody's perfect, we all struggle, we may have gone through very hard times.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a safe space where you can feel heard and supported without judgement

It can be worrying thinking that something you say in therapy might get out into our close-knit community. So I want you to know that unless you are in danger or someone else is, your story is confidential and your time in the session is protected. Your privacy and trust are of utmost importance. You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out. If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your during a free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you are currently struggling and want relief fast. If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing positive effects after the first 3-4 sessions. By that point, they they feel like they have learned some ways to manage challenging stuff in their lives a bit better.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients find 3-6 weeks to be enough to resolve immediate challenges. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a free-flowing conversation through which we start getting to know each other. I'll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what's worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

• What brought you to therapy?
• Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?
• What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about about my experice or how future sessions work.

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel I'm a good fit for you. If you feel supported, seen, and at-ease with me, we can discuss if you'd like to meet again.

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can discuss what's on your mind and we can decide together how I can help.

Email me today to get your free phone consultation at hello@starfishmentalhealth.com.