The first question a therapist asks may vary depending on the situation and the therapist's style. Typically, a therapist will begin by asking the client about the reason for seeking therapy and what they hope to achieve through therapy.
Establishing Needs: Your therapist will need to know why you're seeking therapy. They may ask what kinds of needs or issues you'd like to address in your treatment together as well as what you've done to manage your mental health in the past.
During therapy, clients are often asked questions to help them tune in to their immediate experiences, such as: What are you feeling? What are you thinking? How does your body feel right now?
Here are a few questions your therapist might ask in your first therapy session, if they haven't already addressed them in the phone consultation: Have you attended therapy in the past? What are your symptoms? Do you have a family history of mental health struggles?
A leading question is a question that hints at the responder to respond in a specific way, thus persuading him/her, and usually, excludes possible answers. Body language, verbal communication, and tone of voice can all help lead the person to the wanted answer.
Leading interview questions are questions that imply there's a correct answer. For example, "Our company's pizza rolls are the best, aren't they?" is a leading question because the person asking clearly expects you to agree that their pizza rolls are the best.
Open-ended questions begin with the following words: why, how, what, describe, tell me about..., or what do you think about... 3. Use open-ended questions as follow ups for other questions. These follow ups can be asked after open or closed-ended questions.
But Therapists Don't Tell You What To Do
They will guide you to solutions they believe are best, but won't directly suggest things. Therapist Bethany Raab had a message for potential clients who worry about this issue. “I cannot make you do anything, nor do I want to do so,” she said.
Above all, you should expect a therapeutic environment that is compassionate, empathetic, and safe. A therapist or counselor's role is to offer you insights into your experiences, advice on how to handle issues, and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions.
During your first appointment, you and your therapist will ask each other questions and sort out the logistics of your treatment plan. During your first session, you'll also get a sense of your therapist's style. This first meeting is sometimes known as an “intake session.”
Some people come to therapy with a specific issue or concern, and brief solution-focused therapy may be the right fit. Often, that can last six to eight sessions. Some people come to therapy to explore issues that seem to run a little deeper. They might engage in therapy for several months or even years.
Some examples include “What are your thoughts about what these feelings might be connected to?”, “I'm wondering if you could say a bit more about the thoughts and feelings you have mentioned so I can understand how to be helpful,” “How long have you felt this way?”, and “It's important and okay to go slow and take the ...
Closed Questions are used to get specific information. They can normally be answered with yes or no, a single word, or short phrase. Examples: Do you like bananas? Are you mad about that?
Some Things Look An Awful Lot Like Caring
We don't interrupt. We don't re-direct the conversation to talk about ourselves. We ask good follow-up questions to hear more. We offer up language that further elucidates their feelings.
So while your therapist may guide your conversation in certain directions, it is not to offer you advice. It is so you can both learn more about what you truly want. And, eventually, so you can both learn what steps you think are most appropriate to take.
Answer them as honestly as you can, but keep in mind you don't have to share any more details than you feel ready to share. It's perfectly legitimate to tell your therapist, “I'm not comfortable talking about that yet.”
Cognitive abilities may be evaluated by asking the patient to spell the word “world” frontward and backward, asking the patient to repeat a sequence of numbers the clinician tells them, having them do simple calculations (appropriate to their level of education) such as starting at 100 and serially subtracting 7, and/ ...
Open ended questions are posed so that the client can freely discuss issues without bias from the helper. The client will discuss their feelings and thoughts so that the helper can give them education, tools and help to guide them in the right direction.