If you’re starting therapy for the first time, you might be feeling nervous – and you’re not alone. People new to therapy often feel excited, uncertain, or nervous before their first session.
You may wonder what to expect, how to prepare, or if you’ll even know what to say. The good news is that you don’t need to have everything figured out – by showing up, you’ll have the space to explore your thoughts and feelings, and to prioritize your well-being and mental health recovery.
On this page, we’ll explore what you need to know before your first session. Preparing in advance can help ease some of the nerves you might be feeling. From setting up a comfortable space and checking your tech, to preparing emotionally and mentally, we’ll show you how to make the most of your telehealth mental health session.
By the end, you’ll feel more confident, less anxious, and ready to begin your therapy journey.
What to Expect from Teletherapy
Teletherapy means accessing therapy services virtually through video calls, rather than in a traditional face-to-face setting, whilst being just as effective.[1][2][3]
Getting mental health support virtually can make it easier to access services that may not be available in your local area. Plus, it cuts down on travel time to and from appointments and can fit flexibly into your schedule.4
If you’ve not had therapy before, let’s explain a little more about what this involves. In therapy, you work with a therapist in a judgment-free, safe space, to help improve your mental health and well-being. You can learn coping strategies, explore your thoughts and feelings, learn new things about yourself, and gain a sense of control over your life.
Choosing Your Space
First things first – it’s important to feel comfortable in your sessions. Part of learning how to prepare for online therapy involves creating a quiet space for virtual counseling. Setting up your physical space also helps you to get in the zone mentally.
Find a quiet, private area where you feel safe to speak openly about whatever concerns you have. Try to make it a different spot from your usual workplace, so that you don’t associate therapy with work.
Minimize distractions by turning off notifications on your phone or laptop so your focus isn’t drawn away. This is going to be time dedicated to you and your well-being, and you deserve to be able to give it your full attention.
Find a comfortable chair to relax and settle into, as your session can be up to an hour long. You don’t want to feel distracted halfway through when you get pins and needles in your legs because your chair is really hard![4]
Finally, make sure that the lighting is good for you. If the light is shining directly in your eyes, you may feel uncomfortable. If the light is right behind you, you may appear dark like a shadow to your therapist.
Grab a blanket if you’re feeling a bit chilly, have a glass of water or a warm drink nearby, and a notebook and pen. You’ll be here for a little while, it’s your space and time, so allow yourself to feel settled.
Testing the Technology
This may be especially useful if you are a bit of a technical novice or don’t use smartphones or laptops often. Let’s walk you through some of the things to remember when setting up for your first telehealth mental health appointment, including how to test video and audio for telehealth.[5][6]
You can think of it as a sort of technology checklist for online counseling:
- Make sure the device you are using for the session is fully charged. If not, plug it in, as you don’t want to suddenly be cut off from your session because your battery ran out.
- Check that your internet connection is as stable as possible. Being able to talk with your therapist is a lot easier if there aren’t big pauses, glitches, or video lags. If you’re sitting in a room far away from the wifi router and the signal is weak, you could look into signal boosters rather than having to switch to a different room entirely.
- Ensure your camera, microphone, and audio are working correctly. If there are issues with the audio, see if it is clearer with headphones. Headphones can also be useful if you’re in an area with other people and want to keep things more private. You can test your audio, video, and also your internet connection, by video calling a friend using the device and platform that you’ll be using for your session.
- Have a backup plan for if technology fails, such as switching to a phone call if the video signal drops. Your therapist will go through this with you in the first session.
- Log in a few minutes early to avoid any last-minute technology stress. No one enjoys scrambling in the last few minutes with last-minute updates or slow laptops. Ensure you’re ready nice and early to avoid causing yourself unnecessary stress.
Getting Mentally Ready
You’ve gotten comfortable in your space and tested your tech, so preparing mentally for virtual therapy is the next part of the process.
If you’re feeling nervous, know that it is completely normal to feel that way. To help you prepare, one question the therapist is likely to ask while they get to know you will be what has brought you to the session.
Each therapist has their own way of working and approaching a first session, but they will usually want to find out what your struggles are and a bit of history about your life. It can be useful to think about what led you to find your therapist. You could write down some thoughts in a notebook beforehand to help you feel prepared and ease any nervousness about potentially forgetting why you are there.
However, sometimes, you might not know what you need help with – that’s why you made this appointment in the first place. You don’t need to have all of the answers to your therapist’s questions, but having a few moments beforehand to remember why you are showing up to the session can ease you in.[4]
What Happens During Your First Session?
You’re comfortable, you’ve got a cup of tea, the video and sound are working, you feel in the zone mentally, and you’ve logged onto the platform. The therapist is ready for you in your virtual room, and you finally meet them. But what happens now?
The first session lets you and your therapist get to know each other, rather than diving straight in and being asked to bare your soul. Your therapist will probably ask how your day has been, how you found it logging on to the platform, and so on.
They’ll go through any electronic paperwork that you need to be aware of, such as confidentiality policies, session times, what to do if technology breaks down or if there is an emergency, payment, and anything else that is relevant.
Don’t worry, the whole session won’t be about paperwork, it’s just important to get the essential admin in place before diving in properly. Sometimes, these documents will be sent to you ahead of time to look through, so that you can come prepared with any questions from what you’ve read.
The therapist is likely to ask you about your life, your history, your concerns, and any struggles you currently face. It isn’t all one-way though – you can ask questions too. You probably have a lot of questions buzzing around your head that you want to ask your therapist, so this is the perfect opportunity to get some of those answers. If you’re not sure what you can ask, we’ve listed some example questions to ask during a virtual therapy session to give you some ideas:[7]
- “Do you often work with clients online?”
- “Have you had training in online counseling?”
- “How will sessions work?”
- “What can I expect going forward?”
- “Is everything I say kept confidential online?”
- “What if I’m on holiday and can’t make it here?”
- “What if an emergency comes up?”
- “What happens if I don’t feel like this is working for me?”
- “What type of therapy approach do you use?”
- “How can you keep me motivated when things get tough?”
- “How do you measure my progress?”
- “How do I prepare for our sessions?”
- “When, where, and how often do we meet for sessions?”
Processing Your First Therapy Experience
Once you’ve logged out of your virtual therapy room, take some time to yourself before heading back to your normal routine. When you have a face-to-face session, you often have the journey back to be able to think or reflect on what has happened, similar to how a commute home from work can help you transition back to home life. With virtual therapy, you don’t have that journey and reflection time built in, so you have to carve out those few moments for yourself.5
If anything has cropped up for you, or you think of anything after the session, grab that notebook and pen you put aside and scribble your thoughts down. Maybe you have questions for next time, maybe you realized something about yourself, or maybe you just feel…something…and want to put it on paper to remember it.
You can prepare yourself for daily life again by doing a grounding exercise, a breathing exercise, or heading out for some fresh air. Find something that works for you to help you feel refreshed and ready to face the world again.
Processing Your First Therapy Experience
Once you’ve logged out of your virtual therapy room, take some time to yourself before heading back to your normal routine. When you have a face-to-face session, you often have the journey back to be able to think or reflect on what has happened, similar to how a commute home from work can help you transition back to home life. With virtual therapy, you don’t have that journey and reflection time built in, so you have to carve out those few moments for yourself.5
If anything has cropped up for you, or you think of anything after the session, grab that notebook and pen you put aside and scribble your thoughts down. Maybe you have questions for next time, maybe you realized something about yourself, or maybe you just feel…something…and want to put it on paper to remember it.
You can prepare yourself for daily life again by doing a grounding exercise, a breathing exercise, or heading out for some fresh air. Find something that works for you to help you feel refreshed and ready to face the world again.
Find Out More About Teletherapy Today
If you are ready to take the first step toward feeling better, we are here to help you. We offer compassionate support tailored to your individual needs. We know that mental health can affect people in different ways, which is why we offer a range of treatment approaches so that we can find the best way to support you. Some of our services include:
- Short-term inpatient stays for emergencies or severe symptoms
- Partial hospitalization with treatment in the daytime and evenings in the comfort of your own home
- Intensive outpatient programs with multiple weekly sessions
- Outpatient services like online therapy, CBT, and DBT
We offer a range of payment options to help ease any concerns over the cost of mental health treatment because we believe that you should be able to get the help you need when you need it.
Get in touch today to start your healing journey.
References
- American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Telehealth and telepsychology. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/practice/telehealth-telepsychology
- Scott, A. M. et al. (2022). Telehealth v. face-to-face provision of care to patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 52(14), 2852–2860. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291722002331
- Zimmerman, M., D’Avanzato, C., & King, B. T. (2022). Telehealth treatment of patients with major depressive disorder during the covid-19 pandemic: comparative safety, patient satisfaction, and effectiveness to prepandemic in-person treatment. Journal of Affective Disorders, 323, 624–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.015
- Harris, M. (2021). What to expect in your first teletherapy visit…and how to effectively prepare. Psychology Today. April 5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/letters-your-therapist/202104/what-expect-in-your-first-teletherapy-visit
- BACP. (2020). Online counselling tips: how to make the most out of a session with your therapist. BACP. June 9. https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2020/9-june-online-counselling-how-to-make-the-most-out-of-a-session-with-your-therapist/
- Jones, S. (2024). Preparing for online therapy. UK Therapy Guide. December 12. https://uktherapyguide.com/preparing-for-online-therapy
- Durant, S. (2021). Understand the risks and benefits of online therapy. Psychology Today. May 24. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/millennial-mental-health-tools/202105/how-prepare-your-first-virtual-therapy-session