Recent studies show that 42% of U.S. adults have seen a counselor at some point, and another 36% are open to it. Therapy offers numerous benefits, including a deeper understanding of issues we deal with and a safe space to develop coping strategies to help us manage them. In addition, through ongoing counseling, we can improve communication skills, gain insight into ourselves, learn to make healthier choices, and feel empowered. But when we consider finding a therapist and making an appointment, it’s understandable that we might wonder what do you talk about in a therapy session. While there is no one right or wrong answer, some discussion topics can help us get the most out of time in counseling.
Talk About Your Day
One way to open the conversation is by discussing something that happened or will happen on the same day. For instance, we might want to reveal an incident at home or at work that was upsetting. We can also discuss upcoming events that make us feel nervous, and strategize with our therapist to create a plan to get through it. Of course, it’s always appropriate to share good news or talk about how we handled something difficult during our day, as well.
Talk About Your Life
What’s going on in general? For example, we often have ongoing situations that evoke emotional responses. In a therapy session, we can examine why we respond the way we do and kick around ideas on healthier approaches to use in the future.
We can also recount our “good” days. Conversing about times when you used a different approach than you might have in the past or handled something more easily than usual can help reinforce your progress. When we talk about our successes as well as our struggles, it can improve our outlook and bolster our development.
Talk About Your Relationships
Relationships are central to our mental and emotional wellbeing. We juggle many types of them, from romantic partners to family members to friends and coworkers. Whether they are strong and uplifting, strained and broken, or even currently non-existent, we can talk about the relationships we have or hope to have, set goals, and develop tools to work toward our objectives.
Talk About Your Past
Our past has shaped us into who we are. Learning about our past can also provide insight to our counselors. Addressing our history can improve the effectiveness of our therapy sessions. If you have unresolved pain from something that happened during childhood, in a previous relationship, or even within the last few years, you can let your therapist know that you’d like to discuss it.
Talk About Your Feelings
When it comes to discussing emotions, we all have different levels of comfort. Sometimes we have trouble explaining our feelings. A therapist can help us get in touch with those sentiments and better define them. It’s completely acceptable to start with disorganized thoughts and expressions or notice that we feel numb, confused, or overwhelmed when we attempt to express our feelings. Therapy can improve our understanding of them and give us tools to manage them in a healthy way.
Talk About Your Thoughts
We all think about things from time to time that we might be reluctant to share with others. A therapy session is an entirely secure place to divulge those concepts, ideas, and fleeting thoughts. Once when we say them aloud, we can find that we are understood and accepted, making us feel less isolated. Going further, this can be a significant step toward creating happiness and improving relationships.
Talk About Your Dreams
A therapy session can be a beneficial place to bring up dreams that upset, confuse, and even inspire us. Hashing out possible meanings or triggers could help us learn more about ourselves. Even if we can’t determine the meaning of our dreams, the feelings we experience when recounting them may point to something substantial. For instance, a recurring nightmare could be due to s tress at work or in a relationship that we have avoided tackling.
Talk About Anything On Your Mind
Ultimately, when we connect with an experienced, caring therapist, we don’t need to worry about what to discuss at an appointment. The therapist will typically ask questions to help us open up and get to the heart of the issues causing pain, anxiety, or distress. Of course, if we have something we want to talk about, we can always bring it up. And a compassionate therapist won’t pressure us to dig into topics we’re not ready to tackle.
A qualified, reputable therapist will always be willing to listen to concerns, provide feedback, and offer reassurance. Therapy is a safe space to share all our thoughts and feelings.
For more ideas on what you talk about in a therapy session please feel free to call or text us anytime!
