Your First Therapy Appointment
What do I need to expect when I first contact a therapist, and how can I tell if they’re going to be a good one?
What Happens In The First Contact?
You’ve selected a therapist to call for an appointment. For most people, the hardest part is now: that first phone call. I thought it would be helpful to let you know what ought to happen when you call. This might decrease your anxiety about the unknown. It also gives you additional means to evaluate the therapist’s professional competence.
Keep in mind what I said before: I am describing here a “perfect” encounter, and your experience can be helpful if it is a little less than perfect. Use the following scenario as a guideline to judge the relative competence of your prospective therapist.
In your very first phone call, you will probably encounter either an answering machine or (less likely) a receptionist. With either, you only need to leave the following information:
That you want to talk to the therapist
Your name and telephone number
Briefly, when you can be reached
That’s it. At this time, it is not necessary to explain the reason for your call. You should never have to discuss the reason that you want to talk to the therapist with anyone except the therapist. A receptionist is NOT entitled to know and should not ask. If he/she does, a red flag should go up for you because the secure frame is already being broken.
You also shouldn’t have to convince the therapist to see you. I think it would be extremely unusual that any therapist in private practice would not agree to see you at least once, as long as they have time available. Don’t feel that you have to “qualify” for the appointment by offering a suitable reason. If you are dealing with an HMO or a community mental health clinic, this may, unfortunately, be compromised.