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A Letter to Patients in Therapy

Dear New Patient,
Welcome to new beginnings. Despite what the response has been from your family and friends, I believe you are making a positive decision. Therapy is a safe place where all aspects of your life can be explored. As a therapist, I am so pleased that you have chose this process as a segue to recovery and healing. If this is your first time in therapy, welcome. This might be an emotional and ambiguous time for you especially talking to someone that you do not know about things that make you angry, sad, or embarrassed- but let me reassure you that this process is here to help you grow. I will provide a judgement free space- a space that is challenging but also comforting. Be open with me about your experience as it progresses. If your experience is not what you were hoping to have, please let me know so we can find a referral source.
If you have been to therapy before, welcome back. Whether you are trying to find another therapist or you are returning because of previous experiences have helped you, you are welcome here. I hope that your time in therapy will be as positive as previous therapeutic experiences, or that it will allow new growth that may have been stifled by a prior unhelpful occurrence. Returning to therapy after some time will likely mean that revisiting work you completed before and figuring out with your therapist what your current goals are now. It will be helpful to share with your new therapist about your past experiences, so that together you can foster a trusting beneficial relationship. Therapy will be difficult at times and at other times the highlight of your week. As a therapist, I welcome these opposing states and embrace them as a sign of good work being done on your behalf. I ask that you bring your authentic self to each session. I encourage you to allow yourself to experience any emotion or thought freely, for example crying and not needing to apologize. It is my genuine hope that every patient that comes to my office, journeys along their therapeutic path with a renewed sense of understanding and self-appreciation. Welcome!