Waiting for your first appointment with a therapist can be a nerve-racking experience. Most people feel a little uncomfortable talking about their feelings after all, especially with strangers. But going to see a therapist could be one of the very best things that you do for your mental health. If you're still nervous, here's what you can likely expect from your very first appointment.

Getting to Know You

The first thing your therapist will want to do is to learn a little about you. This doesn't mean going into your deepest, darkest secrets and memories, but rather, just a little about you and your day-to-day life. Feel free to discuss anything you feel comfortable with, like what you do for a living and who you live with at home. Your therapist will provide you with some pointers if you're not sure what to talk about.

What You Want to Talk About

Next, once your therapist has a sense of who you are, they'll ask you what you want to talk about. This can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people who are new to therapy; maybe you don't want to talk about anything at all and don't know what to say. For this reason, it's a good idea to think about a topic to discuss before you come in for a psychotherapy session.

Keep in mind that this doesn't mean that you have to drudge up any deep, dark secrets or anything like that. Your therapist is there to hear out all kinds of frustrations and things that upset you, so you could talk about something current and topical, like how your boss drives you crazy at work or how you're tired of being the only one doing chores in your household. It really doesn't matter what you pick; if it seems worthy to you, it's worth talking about.

Closing Out

After you've spent some time venting, it'll be time to close out your first therapy appointment. That's really all there is to it. Your therapist will provide insight, reassurance, and even exercises to follow along with that can help you to ease your feelings and cope with what you're going through on a day-to-day basis. As you begin to grow more comfortable with them, you may want to open up more and start talking about things that may have been on your mind from years ago, but it's ultimately your choice.