Your first session with your MCS therapist will be different from future visits. The initial visit is a period for you and your therapist to get to know each other and get an idea of how to proceed. Future visits will be more therapeutic in nature. For example, in your second session, you may explore a specific symptom, problem, or past trauma you mentioned in the first session.
When you get to the therapist’s office, expect your initial experience to be similar to a doctor’s appointment.
You will sign in when you get there, sit in the waiting room, and wait for someone to call your name. If your therapist has a home practice, the scene might be a bit more casual.
While waiting, you will likely fill out some paperwork, including:
- HIPPA forms
- Insurance information
- Medical history, including your current medications
- A questionnaire about your symptoms
- Record release form
- Therapist-patient services agreement
If you feel uncomfortable answering any of the questions on paper, you can wait until you are with the therapist and answer the questions orally. You might also have the option to complete this paperwork at home prior to your first visit.
If you feel uncomfortable with your initial therapist, MCS offers many others to choose from. Feeling at ease with your therapist is a major predictor of your therapeutic progress.
You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.
If you or someone you know is in crisis right now, reach out to this hotline. Help is available 24-hours-a-day at the Suicide Prevention Hotline available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. 1-800-273-8255