Finding a therapist may seem like a daunting task, but in Pretoria, there are lots to choose from. From private psychologists and therapists to public mental health professionals. You won’t struggle to find the adequate mental health care you need.
People may choose to find a therapist for different reasons. Perhaps you are feeling depressed or anxious. Perhaps you are grieving the loss of a loved one or have experienced a traumatic life event. You may just be feeling that you aren’t living to your full capacity and want to experience a more authentic version of your life. Whatever it is, you can be assured that embarking on therapy is a positive move that will certainly help improve your life.
If you are looking for a Therapist in Pretoria, Laurian Ward is one place to start. Laurian Ward is trained to help with particular difficulties you are experiencing and to help you understand that you are not alone in what you are feeling.
Once you have decided you are ready for therapy, you will probably be wondering what to expect in the first session.
The first session is a time for you and your therapist to get to know each other a bit and to assess whether the relationship is going to work for you both. While your therapist will not become your best friend, it is vitally important that the two of you have a good connection and that you feel that your relationship is based on trust.
During the first session, your therapist may ask you to explain why you felt it was time to seek therapy, and if applicable to describe any specific symptoms or behaviors that prompted you to seek out a therapist. You might also want to describe more about what you are hoping to get out of therapy.
It is important to be aware that therapy doesn’t always follow a predictable path. You may be hoping to improve a certain aspect of your life through your therapy, only to find that various other or different aspects improve as a result.
It is also very common that the process of therapy can make you feel worse for a while before it helps you to feel better. Therapy inevitably requires you to delve into difficult feelings and uncover painful memories, which can cause you a tumultuous time as you work through them. While this may not sound appealing, it is worthwhile to work through these feelings to enable you to move beyond them. With the help of Laurian Ward and with you forming the other part of the team, the hardest and most painful of feelings should be understood and dealt with constructively.
Another point to note regarding the first session of therapy is that it is likely you will do the majority of the talking, as your therapist starts to put together a fuller picture of who you are and what you are looking to resolve. However, you do not need to feel pressured to cover everything in the first session. Assuming you and your therapist choose to go ahead with the therapy, you will have plenty of time to elaborate on details and share further thoughts or feelings as you journey through the process.
Your therapist may also ask you questions about certain aspects of your life that you don’t believe are relevant to your current issue. It is important to be aware that aspects that may seem irrelevant to your current issue may relate to it in some way that will become clearer as you process the issue with your therapist. It can, therefore, be worth including seemingly irrelevant details if your therapist asks about them.
