What To Expect In Your First Menopause Therapy Session in Chicago
You have found a menopause therapist to work with. Now, you can feel confident in your first session with them.
If you have never been to therapy before, it can feel very mysterious. What actually happens in those 53 minute sessions? Even if you are a therapy veteran, starting with a new therapist can bring up feelings of uncertainty. Please know that feeling nervous for your first session is completely normal and expected. As mentioned in The Complete Guide to Finding the Right Menopause Therapist in Chicago your therapist knows that you just went through the whole process of trying to find someone to support you. Your therapist expects that you might be feeling emotionally vulnerable. Here is a more in depth explanation of what you can expect in your first session, so that you can feel as prepared as possible .
Before you Arrive
Once you have had your initial consult with a therapist and have scheduled your first official session with them, you can expect a few things to happen.
Intake paperwork: Your therapist will send you intake paperwork to sign prior to your first session. This will include forms explaining about the therapist, fees, insurance information, credit card authorizations, social media policies, and any other forms needed to get you started. It is not unusual for a therapist to request a copy of your insurance card (if they accept insurance) and/or keep a credit card on file.
Insurance Information and/or Private Pay: You will want to clarify how your therapy will be paid for. If your therapist accepts insurance, confirm with your insurance company what services are covered and clarify what your out-of-pocket payment responsibility is. Insurance coverage varies widely and amounts of deductibles, copays, coinsurance, etc are different from plan to plan. If your therapist does not accept insurance and/or you choose to pay privately, ensure that you know the fee and understand how your therapist accepts payment.
Directions To The Office and Parking: Your therapist should share information about how to get to their office. If you are meeting in person, they can also include whether parking is available and/or what public transportation options are near their space. You can also expect that they will let you know how to enter the building and where to wait until it is your time to meet. If you are meeting virtually, you can expect that your therapist will send you a link prior to your appointment that allows you to enter the meeting site.
Learning the Rules of the Game in the First 10 minutes
As with anything in life, it’s important to know the rules of the game before you start to play. Menopause therapy is no different. In the beginning of your first session, you can expect to receive a better explanation of informed consent for therapy. Meaning, your therapist will likely run you through the administrative housekeeping list to make sure you are all set to start. These things can look like:
Intake Paperwork: Making sure all intake forms are filled out and signed.
Confidentiality: Therapeutic relationships are based on trust and in order to develop trust, you need to know what things are kept private, when confidentiality needs to be broken, who has access to your therapeutic records, and how information is shared. This is an essential part of any first session because it lays the foundation of your relationship with your treatment provider.
Billing and Insurance Information: Therapy is not only a big emotional commitment, but is also a financial commitment. As such, you deserve to know what you are signing on for. Each therapist handles billing, insurance, and financials differently, so you want to make sure you understand your therapist’s process. While this will all be outlined in the intake forms, it is important to clarify all of this in your first session.
Attendance Policies and Cancellation Fees: You want to know the expectations for in person sessions versus virtual sessions, cancellation policies, and any possible fees associated with them.
How to Contact Your Therapist Outside of Session: Establish the best ways to reach your therapist whether via email, phone, text, etc. Also, the therapist should explain their hours of operation. Most outpatient therapists do not function as crisis clinicians and you want to understand who to call in an emergency.
How Does This All Work?
After all the nitty gritty details of administration is discussed, another important part of the first session is understanding a basic outline of what therapy will look like for you. Questions you will likely have answered include:
How often will you meet with your therapist? Weekly, biweekly, monthly? Oftentimes, weekly sessions are recommended in the beginning in order to help build trust and make the assessment period go more smoothly. However, talk to your therapist to discuss your individual needs.
How are the sessions structured? Depending on the therapist and on the modality of therapy you are engaging in, sessions can range from being highly structured to client-led. Your therapist can help get a better sense of what your goals are and give you some options for structuring your sessions.
Who leads the session? You are always the expert in your own life. Therefore, your opinion matters a lot. Ideally, therapy is a collaborative experience between client and therapist. It is helpful to discuss your preferences and comfort level with sharing information with your therapist. They can help take the lead in the beginning to help you increase your comfort with the goal of eventually co-steering.
Getting to Know Each Other
The rest of the session is dedicated to beginning to know each other and getting a better understanding of your goals for seeking out therapy. It is a chance for BOTH the client and the therapist to begin to develop a trusting and caring relationship with one another.
Getting to know each other in menopause therapy is a two way street. Both therapist and client get to ask questions.
Therapists may have a list of questions that they want to ask. Remember that you always have the right and the option to only answer as much as feels comfortable at the time. You can also ask to skip a question. Again, trust is something that is built. So, if you aren’t ready to share vulnerable things with someone you just met, that is ok!
This is a great time to discuss your initial goals for coming to therapy. It is totally normal if the goals are just rough drafts or incomplete ideas. We are always tweaking and reassessing goals throughout the therapy process.
The client is allowed to ask questions of the therapist too. Therapists are trained to field questions while maintaining professional boundaries. In the same way that the client has an option to limit or prefer not to answer a question, the therapist can too. But, it is always ok for a client to ask as long as they are respectful of any boundaries that are given.
Ending the Session: When Can I See You Again?
At the end of the session, you will talk about how frequently you will meet and you will confirm the time for your next session. Depending on your therapist, you may or may not be given homework to complete before your next session.
Common Feelings After The First Session
Relief, Exhaustion, Confusion…maybe all of the above! These are all common feelings to have after an initial session (or quite honestly, after any therapy session). Sometimes, we refer to the experience after a therapy session as the “therapy hangover.” It is a lot of work to process your life experiences! Just like you might expect to feel sore after a hard workout at the gym, you can expect that your mind and body will need some time to recover after a therapy session. Or, conversely, you might not feel anything at all, and can go about your day as normal. All of these reactions are expected and totally normal. The thing to keep in mind is to try to allow some grace towards yourself. You are just starting out on a path. How you feel at the very beginning is not necessarily how you will feel as you continue and get stronger.
Congrats! You Are On Your Way!
You made it! You are now solidly on your way to being a menopause therapy veteran! You never have to do your first day again! Know that you are at the beginning of a journey towards feeling back in control of your life!
Sarah Schufreider, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago, IL and the founder of Six Hearts Counseling PLLC. She focuses on mid-life transitions including menopause, parenting special needs and medically complex children, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), grief, and postpartum depression. Sarah’s goal is to help her clients feel like they can take control of their life again through identifying their values, learning concrete skills to manage and regulate their emotions, and work to challenge mental obstacles that are creating stuck points to change. Learn more about her work at www.sixheartscouseling.com/about