Getting Started with Therapy: FAQs
If you’ve found yourself on this blog page, there’s a chance you’ve been looking at my website and wondering…
Can I help you?
Will we be a good fit to work together?
Will relationship therapy or sex therapy help with your specific situation?
When getting started, many people spend some time browsing therapist profiles and websites, comparing services and options, cost, and general vibe before reaching out. That’s part of the process, but it’s not always an easy or quick one. Especially if you’re fed up with how you feel about yourself, your relationship, or your current situation and wanted or needed help…well, last week.
A small note about this: If therapists you’ve already contacted have no openings for new clients or their availability just doesn’t match your own, this might leave you feeling frustrated. If this is your experience, please don’t give up yet. Reach out if you’re looking for help with finding a therapist. Even if we’re not a fit, I’ll share referrals for other therapists and practices I trust. Fill out my contact form here or email info@christineaiello.com.
Whether you’re new to therapy or have worked with a therapist before, you might have a few questions. Some people have tried individual therapy but not relationship therapy, and vice versa. All of this is ok! I tend to discuss these concerns with prospective clients during consultation calls (and initial sessions, as clients get accustomed to the therapy process).
To help, I’m sharing my answers to a few frequently-asked questions:
Is now a good time to start therapy?
Are my problems or concerns serious enough to talk to a professional?
Individual therapy, relationship therapy, or sex therapy - how do I choose?
1) Is now a good time to start therapy?
If you’ve been thinking about finding a therapist, that’s a good sign that you’re curious and willing to try it out, or have gotten to a point where you’re ready to ask for help or perspective with something challenging. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I’ve seen how therapy can really help people. I believe in it! But, what’s most important is that YOU believe in it and that you find it helpful. Whomever you choose to work with, it’s important that it feels like a good fit. If it doesn’t feel like a good fit after a phone consultation or a session or two, that’s ok—it happens. That’s what the consultation call and those early sessions are for; it’s an opportunity for both you and your therapist to make sure that you’ll work well together (given your goals and concerns and your therapist’s specialization and approach).
If you’re hesitating to start therapy, here are some things to ponder:
What do you have to lose by trying out an initial session? Is it about cost? Carving out the time in your schedule? Not sure if you’re ready or willing to discuss that difficult thing?
Imagine what you could gain by trying an initial session. What if you feel more confident and proud of yourself for taking the first step? Is it possible that you might feel relieved, hopeful, or less alone in the situation you’re facing?
If you’re uncomfortable, nervous, or unsure of how to start, try breaking it down and starting with smaller steps. Step 1) reach out to a therapist (or a few) by email or phone. Step 2) schedule time for a free phone consultation (15-20 minutes), where you can talk briefly about what’s going on for you, ask any questions, and see if you can envision yourself building a positive working relationship with that person. Therapists are used to guiding these conversations and typically make them pretty informal.
Is something else holding you back from getting started?
2) Are my problems or concerns serious enough, or bad enough, to talk to someone?
People come to therapy for lots of reasons and at different stages of distress. There isn’t a threshold of severity or intensity you have to reach in order to start therapy. Nope, you don’t have to have a history of trauma or feel like you’re in crisis mode. Often, the small but stressful/frustrating things adding up over time can hurt or impact you just as much as those stand-out, traumatic events or experiences. Maybe you’ve been feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, lonely, or just fed up…and maybe you haven’t.
I’ve worked with people who are really struggling and need help to figure out what’s going on. I’ve also worked with people who are feeling pretty good about most things in their life, but they want to dig in and make some changes in one or two areas. Wherever you are, give yourself permission to start therapy now.
3) Individual therapy, relationship therapy, or sex therapy - how do I choose?
Here’s a breakdown:
Individual therapy —> you
Relationship therapy —> you + a partner, together in session
Sex therapy —> This is individual therapy OR relationship therapy. What distinguishes sex therapy from the services listed above? The content: what we’re talking about. There is a specialized focus on helping you address and explore sexual issues, concerns, and questions. Sex therapy also includes evidence-based strategies and approaches tailored to treat specific sexual issues (ex: communication skills, cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness, resources, and other recommendations). See a list of many common issues sex therapy can treat here.
If you’re ready to get started or learn more information about my practice, fill out this contact form or email info@christineaiello.com. You can read more on my website about available services: relationship therapy, sex therapy, individual therapy, and pre-marital therapy. While my practice is based in Chicago, I’m currently providing online therapy to residents of Illinois via a HIPAA-compliant video service.
