What to Expect From Your First Psychotherapy Session in New York

It can be nerve-wracking to search for a psychotherapist in New York. These days, you probably reached out to 10 different therapists and only heard back from 1. But you finally get a consultation with them and book your first session.

Now what?! You want to know what to expect if you start seeing someone for psychotherapy. What will the first session look like?

I’m here to give you some answers about what to expect. Every therapist will be different based on their license, specialties, and personality. But here are a few general ideas to get you started on your way to your first psychotherapy session in New York.

What will happen after you decide to schedule?

Scheduling your first session with a therapist should happen after you have an initial consultation with them. Most consultations are about 15-20 minutes, are free, and are done via telephone. Once you get a feel for a therapist, you’ll schedule your first session. Typically, scheduling with a therapist happens on the phone call, but if you need more time to decide on a therapist, you can give the therapist a date by which you’ll decide. Even if you choose to start psychotherapy with someone, you can change your mind at any time and ask for referrals to a new therapist.

What do you need to do to prepare for the first session?

Most therapists will send a set of forms for you to read through and fill out. I send clients documents through my secure and encrypted online client portal. You’ll typically input your demographic information (date of birth, address, etc.), answer questions about your life history (education, social relationships, current and past mental health history, etc.), and read through forms about privacy & confidentiality, and practice policies and procedures. Please read through these as this information helps you understand what to expect from your therapist and what your therapist will expect from you.

What happens in the first session?

Your first session with your psychotherapist is a chance for you to give more detail about yourself, why you’re looking for therapy, and hear more about the therapist’s style and the logistics of their practice. For example, I will often ask my new clients to tell me more about what leads them to reach out for therapy and what they hope to gain from therapy. I talk about privacy & confidentiality, what to expect from the first few sessions with me and beyond, what to expect from the therapy process, and set the expectation that we will check in regularly about how therapy is going and if we’re still a good fit.

Will I have homework?

Sometimes! But not always. Certain therapists find it helpful to give out homework between sessions. Usually, I’ll ask someone to consider questions or think about something for the next session. In the first session, I just let them know that the second session will be diving more in-depth into their history and will be me asking them a lot of questions.

When will I have my next session?

You'll be scheduled for ongoing therapy sessions about a week later if you’ve spoken to your new therapist directly for your first session. I find it helpful to continue therapy weekly as it allows us to not lose time in “catching up” and get into feelings and deeper issues rather than updates. If you spoke with an intake coordinator for your session, you should be paired with a therapist within two weeks. Ask them for one if they don’t give you a date to expect a callback with your new therapist. If you reach out to them and don’t hear back for more than a week, absolutely follow up, but please also look for someone else to get the assistance you need.

What if I don’t like what happened in the first session or am not sure it is a good match?

Tell the therapist! You don’t have to continue. For any reason. Ever. You get to decide who will be a good fit for you. I often tell new clients that therapy is like shoe shopping. Sometimes you have to try on a few pairs before finding the right fit. However, sometimes things aren’t clear right away, so I ask people to try out therapy for about three sessions and then make a final decision. Therapy may feel challenging or overwhelming, especially at first. If this happens, I urge you to tell your therapist that you were overwhelmed by it and continue slowly and gently.

I hope this helps you feel ready to schedule your first psychotherapy session. If you are still feeling stuck or would like to learn more about psychotherapy with me, please feel free to call me at (347) 699-2694 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with trauma, gender, sexuality, anxiety, depression, or addiction, you can read more about how I can help here.