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Hey, my friend, I hope I can help you feel more comfortable in your next (or maybe first!) therapy session by helping you understand how to talk in therapy.
There is no blueprint I can give you that will %100 provide you success in your next therapy session.
Because you are not the same as me, you have unique mannerisms and ways to deflect from painful situations.
However, there are five key areas you can focus on in your upcoming therapy session to help you get the most out of it.
When you follow all 5 of these key points, you will have an easier time opening up to your therapist, allowing them to understand you and your situation better.
The better your therapists understand you, the faster they can help you find the right path to healing.
How To Talk In Therapy: 5 Areas To Help
1. Be honest
Being honest in your therapy session is the best thing you can do.
In the outside world, you may use boasting, small lies, big lies and outright false statements to seem bigger, better or happier than those you converse with or have following you on social media.
These small falsities help you hide what is really going on inside of you, putting up a small wall to block the potential shame, fear, anxiety or other unpleasant emotions.
Being dishonest to your therapist will allow you to do the same; however, it will mislead them simultaneously.
All your therapist has to work with, especially in the begging stages of your relationship, is what you tell them.
They have no idea who you are outside in your daily life.
They don’t know what your real fears are.
They don’t know what truly makes you happy.
So, let them in to see the real you and be honest with them.
2. Say what comes to mind
When you are honest, you will find conversations that lead you down a path of having to say something that could feel awkward to say out loud.
Saying the first thing that comes to your mind will help you stay honest and genuine in your emotions. When you hold something back and search for a more comfortable word or sentence to say out loud, you are most likely not being as truthful.
Another reason you will want to hold back what is on your mind is that you may think it will hurt you or your therapist.
Maybe something your therapist does might annoy you.
Perhaps, A way they repeat each thing you say.
Take a slurp of coffee every few minutes.
Or hundreds of other potential things.
Tell them about this annoyance you find with them and how it may hinder your work to better yourself.
They will not be hurt; instead, they will be happy that you spoke out on something they know was not easy to talk about.
3. Let your emotions show
Laugh, cry, scream, flop about in utter despair or even roll your eyes in annoyance while you flail your hands in the air!
Let the energy you feel inside your head and chest flow through your entire body.
By showing your genuine emotions, you will give your therapist more insight into the levels of importance certain areas and topics are in your life.
4. Negatives and positives are allowed
Don’t focus on only the negative aspects of your life.
A little talked about fact of therapy is that quite often, the conversation centres around positive things that are happening in your life.
Talk about your wins.
Talk about the times in your childhood that made you happiest.
Talk about your vision of the future where you are in a happy place in life.
5. Learn from each session
No matter what happens in the upcoming therapy session or perhaps one that has occurred in the past, you showed up. And that’s the essential part of this journey.
Learning how to talk to your therapist is not easy to do. It most likely goes against every social interaction you have been trained to engage in.
Being brutally honest is not how society interacts.
Being brutally honest is not how we portray ourselves on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter or any other daily social media interactions.
So if you leave your next session with regret that you did not talk to your therapist as openly as you had meant when you walked in.
That’s ok because there is your next session to take it one step closer.
Explore our favorite online therapy apps
BetterHelp
Calmerry
Online-Therapy.com
FAQ
The best way to talk openly in therapy is to practice often. The more you see your therapist, the more comfortable you will get talking openly to them.
To talk to a therapist, counsellor, psychologist, social worker or psychiatrist, you want to be honest with them. Share how you feel, don’t hide any feelings or thoughts.
The most effective way to talk to a therapist is to speak to them honestly and not hide any thoughts or feelings.
In your first therapy session, you should follow what your therapists suggest. If your therapist doesn’t give a focus area, you should discuss the exact reason you signed up to go to therapy.
