10 Things To Ask Your Therapist During Your First Session

An initial therapy session typically focuses on four topics: introduction and familiarization, goal setting, preliminary assessment, and scheduling. Asking your therapist these questions will help you form an understanding of what you can expect from therapy.

1. Can you tell me about your therapy style and how our sessions will be structured?

This is a good opening question that gives your therapist a chance to explain what therapy is, their approach, and the session structure and confidentiality.  

2. What does the therapist-client relationship look like?

Your therapist should be able to expound on what a healthy and professional therapeutic relationship looks like.

3. What does a realistic therapy goal look like?

Understanding what a realistic therapy goal is will help you, together with your therapist, form the session focus areas.

4. What can I expect to get out of these sessions?

This will help you clarify what therapy can help you do and what you need to do on your own to achieve your wellness goals.

5. How do I track my progress?

This question can help you create a strategy to track your wellness improvements.

6. Is there anything I should reflect on before our next session?

Your therapist will want to get a basic understanding of your background. Asking this will help you understand what might be helpful to start thinking about.

7. How frequently should I expect to have sessions?

This allows you and your therapist to schedule your sessions in a way that fits into your current schedule and activities.

8. How will we communicate?

This will establish how to reach your therapist for things like rescheduling and cancellations.

9. Do I need to do anything before and after each session?

Sometimes a therapist may ask you to make reflections or write down your thoughts in preparation for the next session’s discussion.

10. Is there anything else I need to know about or do?

This final open-ended question allows your therapist to share anything they think is valuable to your therapy journey.

These questions are not prescriptive; they are simply thought starters as you begin your first session. Feeling nervous is to be common at first, but with time, trust and consistency, therapy can be a powerful tool for transformation and growth. These questions can help you feel more informed and less nervous about starting.

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