How to Get the Most Out of Therapy
Your therapy appointment and mental health journey is more than just an item on your to-do list or a time slot on your calendar. In this blog post, we provide you with some advice on how to maximize your sessions and even therapy outcomes.
Be Present
Seeking help and arranging care is the first and most important step on your mental health journey. When we say be present, we aren’t just talking about physically being present for your appointment (although that’s important too).
Believe it or not, many people actually struggle to prioritize making time and space for themselves. Therapy is built for just that, to hold time and space for yourself, so give yourself permission! When your days are packed and you feel “too busy” for therapy—that is the perfect time to be going to therapy.
Manage expectations
Whether you are starting therapy for the first time, or have been in therapy for years—you may find that you have some assumptions or beliefs about therapy. If you have had a negative experience in therapy in the past, it’s understandable why you would be reluctant to try it again as it is such an emotionally vulnerable process. However, that doesn’t mean that the right therapy modality for you isn’t out there.
It may be helpful to define what you are looking for in your therapeutic process. This does not mean that you have to have goals in therapy (while some may find that helpful), it just means that intention can be very powerful in driving your journey.
Medication therapy balance
There may come a time when it feels like your mental health challenges peak and become disruptive in your day to day life, at this point you and your mental health clinician/provider/therapist may discuss psychiatric treatment which would involve medication management.
The great thing about Lavender is that you can see one clinician for medications management as well as therapy. This all encompassing care is so effective because you are addressing your progress and how you are feeling with one person, as opposed to a psychiatrist for medications and a therapist for therapy. This gives our PMHNPs better insight on how you are doing and if any medication changes are indicated.
Become engaged
You may find that knowledge/resource sharing with your provider may help you more deeply engage with the therapeutic process. Whether you are curious about a different therapeutic approach or theory, or feel compelled to discuss relevant books, articles, or podcasts in therapy—these are all ways to engage more deeply with the therapeutic work. Using resources and tools outside of session will help you cultivate a better understanding of the complex issues that you discuss in therapy.
Your motivation in therapy may ebb and flow—and that’s okay! It doesn’t always have to be work, it can just be about holding space, but if you bring some ideas out of the session and into your daily life, you just may see results!
Check in
With yourself, and with your provider. Seeking mental health help can be a vulnerable journey, so it’s important to take care of yourself in the process. Sometimes taking the first step can be the most intimidating.
Check out if we are in network with your insurance as well as our private pay options. When it comes to taking care of yourself and taking control of your mental health, we are here to help you flourish.
