My first therapy appointment at the counseling center

Welcome back to my mental health series! If you have not read my previous post please do so. This will help explain more about what happened previously, and it will help this post make better sense.

The weeks flew by as I waited for my first therapy appointment. As the days got closer to my appointment, I became more anxious. I wanted more information on what I could possibly expect. I looked on YouTube and found a Kati Morton video. The video explained that more than likely I would be filling out some paperwork about how I was feeling, symptoms I was having, and that I would fill out information for my insurance. After watching the video, I felt a lot better.

The day of my appointment I got to the office early, and the office manager was kind and welcoming. She took my insurance card and made a copy for my file, and then took my $20.00 co-pay. I had to fill out three forms. The first form asked for basic information such as my contact information. The second form was a questionnaire about what problems I was having. I was having problems with anxiety and depression. If I had any physical or emotional symptoms from these problems, such as problems sleeping, worrying, etc, and what I wanted to work on for my short- and long-term goals. The third and final sheet I had to sign was a privacy policy.

Once I turned all that paperwork in I waited for my appointment. My therapist came out and introduced herself; we went back to her office. Once I was settled, she and I went through some of the information from the forms. She asked me questions such as who was in my support network, what were the current symptoms I was having, and what I was already doing to get better on my own- some examples of this were reaching out to friends and exercising.

We discussed a further treatment plan. One of the main suggestions that she made was a change of diet. She wanted me to try a diet known as the no-white food diet. This is a diet where you don’t eat white food such as candy, soda, pasta, bread, etc. Instead you either swap out those foods for whole-grains or an alternative. Some examples of switching out the white foods for whole grains are bread and pasta. Sometimes you either can find sugar free things to enjoy such as the candy and soda or sometimes you have to go without.

Another thing she suggested was to write in my personal journal. This was to help get me thinking and to help me start to process my own emotions. Lastly, she suggested that, despite having transportation issues, to try to reach out to my friends more and to get out of the house more.

I felt that my first therapy appointment was a good one. I knew that it would be a long road to recovery, but I had made the first true step.

Author’s note: I am not a medical professional. I am just sharing my own personal experiences. If you are concerned about your physical or mental health please seek proper medical care.