Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey everyone
I started therapy last Friday as I wanted an honest opinion about if I should pursue an assessment for ASC. I have been very up and down about if I should and really couldn’t figure out if I deserved a place in the que for an assessment. My son is neurodivergent and I share a ridiculous amount of traits with him as well as us both understanding each other completely. I felt guilty because I didn’t want to take a spot for assessment from someone else really and that made me feel awful. I had an initial 30 min conversation with my therapist who is neurodivergent herself as well as her entire family and I knew from that 30 mins that she was the right choice. I definitely got my money’s worth for my first session as I just could not shut up and pretty much talked for the whole hour. I have never felt that chatty before as I never have that much to say. I came out from the session so elated and was even laughing for some reason?? I did jump around a bit going from one thing to another and gave myself a hard time afterwards as I felt like I might not have made much sense. I just wanted to ask the community for my next session should I just go with no intentions and see how it goes or should I be a bit more structured and prepare what I want to talk about? The last time I had therapy was 15 years ago for my panic attacks (to no avail) but I never felt like I connected with my therapist before, there is no surprise in that as even though I’m very friendly it’s very rare I do.
Thank you for listening
Hi Alienated
I found my therapist on Psychology today site, not sure where your from but I’m sure it covers the UK. You can type your area in there and it lists all local therapists along with a bio, pictures and what they specialise in. I rang 3 that I narrowed down and chose the one who I connected with. Like I said I found her to completely understand me like no one else ever has. Might be worth a try.
good luck and thank you for your interest
That's awesome to hear. It's not always easy to find a therapist who you can feel comfortable with, so it's great it seems you found the right therapist.
If I were you, I would go in with an idea of what I wanted to talk about and have some "backup" ideas just in case, but it sounds like you can be yourself around your therapist and feel at ease with the conversation and go with the flow.
Thank you everyone for your positive and kind messages. It has helped me feel a bit more settled before my next session. I am going to write some things down as I did come away thinking why didn’t I ask this and that.
Thank you again
It sounds like you had a really positive experience in your first therapy session, and it's great to hear that you connected with your therapist right away. It's completely normal to feel a bit uncertain about how to approach your next session, especially after feeling so elated from the first one. In terms of preparing for your next session, there's no right or wrong way to go about it.
Some people find it helpful to have a few key points or topics in mind that they want to discuss, while others prefer to go in with no specific agenda and see where the conversation takes them.
Since you mentioned feeling like you jumped around a bit in your first session, you might find it helpful to jot down a few things you want to talk about or explore further in your next session. This can help provide a bit of structure and ensure that you touch on the things that are most important to you.
This is how I cope with my own therapy sessions, I jot things down first especially as I always get a blank mind whenever I'm there with her.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to approach your next session in a way that feels comfortable and authentic to you. Trust in the process and in your therapist's ability to guide the conversation in a meaningful direction.
Hi Take5. Sounds like a fabulous session. You ask about the next session and what your options are. I think that either would be just fine and ask what feels right for you? I am someone who likes structure so that is often how I approach my therapy sessions. Hope it continues to help and wishing you all the best on your Autism journey. xx
That’s really great you found a good therapist that you are satisfied with. I still couldn’t. The therapist I talked to last time did not understand me and what I actually feel. I felt gaslit. I struggle to find a good therapist (good for me, probably also neurodivergent). I think maybe you can discuss the plan for sessions with the therapist? Maybe you can ask her about it how the therapy should loook like. I think you can prepare some short list of topics you want to discuss (it may be helpful) but it’s better to not replay the possible flow of dialogue or monologue in your head (I know, easy to say hard to do), you can just be prepared for wandering off the topic. I have no idea where I can find a suitable therapist. While walking once I saw a quite big clinic with information that they specialise in Autism and ADHD as well as other conditions. But I somehow feel anxious about contacting them I also feel kinda guilt for possibly wasting someone’s time.