Finding a therapist in today’s world after the pandemic sent so many people into new levels of anxiety, I knew would be very challenging. Also, when you think you have found a therapist that you might be comfortable with, they announce that they are not comfortable with having you as a client. Fortunately, this did not happen with me, but I have heard that interviewing a therapist can be enlightening knowing that the therapist you choose and who agrees to engage with you was also interviewing you. The interview is a dual learning session and sometimes sets into motion a deeper thinking about what your therapy sessions could be about.
Knowing this, I needed to consider what I should look for in a therapist. I felt for me that a male therapist would be best. I needed a therapist who could relate to the male mindset when it involves major life impacts and challenges, along with a process to help me create a new pathway forward. I knew that my road was changing and I needed to change with it. This journey of my new beginnings would also include going back in time to recall my past experiences that could help me understand more about my evolution in life based on from where I have come from to where I might be headed. A loaded thought, but an important one.
Therefore, I determined that I would be looking for a therapist who could help me resolve the fact that I could have left this world before I was done here. I also needed a therapist who could help me in my journey forward in this next chapter of my life.
So, my interview began with a phone call to chat. Prior to scheduling the call, I visited the therapist’s web page to learn more about the specific services related to what I wanted to work on and how therapy could help me moving forward in life. I also wanted to get a read on any images the therapist might have on their website so I could look past the image to see what other meanings might be there in the image. There are always subtle meanings imbedded in the visual presentation, and sometimes you can find the secrete concept of thought in an image based on its location relative to the written content.
I would recommend this approach to anyone considering the services of a therapist. For my specific needs, I needed to remember that not only did I experience a major medical event, I now needed to consider how my life is changing with companionship. I was actually nervous about the call and what I would say.
The therapist I interviewed was very cordial in conversation and we chatted about a variety of things including architecture, nature, and in general, life experiences and how we cope as individuals. It was a good conversation and I didn’t scare the therapist away from considering me as a client. I felt confident that working with this therapist I could resolve a number of issues in my life and he could help me find my new beginnings.
As the call wound down, I was comfortable with him being my therapist and I believe he was too. He said that he would be setting up my account and access so we could schedule our first in person session. Back to being nervous. I was happy to hear that he would be working with me, but I was also questioning if I was really going to do this. I have never really spilled-the-beans to anyone and now I was committing myself to do just that. I thought to myself “I hope I am making the right decision”. This is a big step, but I did commit.
To anyone looking to commit to the services of a therapist for any reason, understand that this is an emotional journey you are choosing to go on. It can, and most likely will be, a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs as you reach into you mind to recover your past thoughts and experiences out of those dark places of the forgotten and from the beautiful bright places where the cherished has been safely placed. And for some, it will be an incredible journey. For me, it is my beginning to recreate me holistically.
Fingers crossed for my new journey towards the future…
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