Effective therapy involves active participation and vulnerability, and it’s very normal to feel nervous about opening up in therapy when you first begin. Typically, the initial sessions of therapy are more focused on learning about you and getting to understand the challenges that are bringing you in. You’ll also complete a “treatment plan” that helps to lay out more specific goals for your therapy, and after this you begin the kinds of sessions most people picture when they think of therapy.

A therapist’s role is less about providing prescribed answers to any given question and more about helping you find your own answers to the questions that come up in life. It’s also important to communicate with your therapist about what kind of growth you’re looking for in therapy, and to let your therapist know when you feel like something isn’t quite working for you. All the while, you and your therapist will be building a therapy relationship on your healing journey.