Deciding to change takes courage. Starting therapy takes courage. Many only call a therapist when they have tried everything they know to do. Others are tired of reaching the same crossroads time and again – whether in our personal lives (with issues such as anxiety, depression, fear), in our relationships (communication, intimacy, etc.) or a past experience that keeps one from living the full life once imagined. Whatever brings you to therapy, we at Fergus Falls Family Counseling are happy to discuss the many options available to you and how we can be most helpful. If you’re ready for healing and growth, we're ready to help.
Your First Few Individual Sessions
Session 1 We spend a few minutes of the first session running through the paperwork and legalities of therapy, including nailing down details of confidentiality, and payment. We will then invite you to ask any questions you have about therapy in general.
The bulk of the session is taken up with drawing a genogram – or family map – which provides a lot of useful information about who you are, what you grew up with and what you’re bringing to life. The remainder of the session is reserved for discussing what is bringing you to therapy now and what you hope will be different in your life as a result.
At the end of the session, we offer you the opportunity to schedule your next session or to take some time to think about it if you’re not sure.
Session 2 During the second session, we will go through your intake form to learn a bit more about you and get a baseline of your symptoms. We will also discuss a diagnosis for you, if appropriate. The remainder of the session is used to summarize and prioritize issues, discuss goals and for us to provide suggestions for the treatment approach.
Session 3 Between the second and third sessions, we go through all the information gathered from the first two sessions and develops a comprehensive treatment plan. We will present this to you in the third session so that you can give your input, ask questions and make any changes. The remainder of the session usually includes some education about the brain and the practicing of resources and techniques for managing any current symptoms before the next session.
Session 4 This is where therapy truly begins! At this point, the structure of sessions becomes more fluid, as we will weave the strategies from the treatment plan into discussions over whatever issues you encountered during your week. If nothing specific happened in your week that needs addressing, we will attend to the goals on your treatment plan directly, using our approach of education and practical intervention.
We will check in with you regularly on your symptoms, therapy goals and how you feel the therapy is working for you.