What to Expect from Therapy in San Francisco

There is so much beauty to be found in San Francisco, but there’s also a lot of pain. 

Facing large-scale issues like homelessness, lack of policy equity, and climate change–to name a few–can be overwhelming and anxiety-provoking. With the stress of managing our personal lives on top of it all, it’s far too easy to disregard our mental health. Engaging in therapy can help you manage your anxiety surrounding issues that impact your personal life and our wider San Francisco community. 

Luckily, going to therapy is less stigmatized than ever and one can easily hear people slipping in “My therapist said...” into conversations. But if you’ve never been to therapy before or if you haven’t been in awhile, it can feel scary not to know what to expect.

I’ll share a little bit about the therapeutic process to clarify what you can expect and help it feel less intimidating. 

Therapy typically has a beginning, middle, and an end. The process will start with an initial phone consultation to explore your needs and for you to determine whether the therapist will be a good fit for you. This initial consultation is an opportunity for you to ask questions about the therapist’s style of working, and to schedule your first appointment. After the first phone call, your therapist might send you an online intake form to get a more comprehensive view of your background. Your first session will be centered on building rapport and discussing more in depth about your goals or the changes you want to make in your life. 

The meat of therapy is about the process of change. 

This will look different depending on your needs and your therapist's approach. Your therapist will hopefully check in periodically about where you’re at regarding your treatment goals. And remember–your therapist is there to work with you, and you know your own needs best. It’s important to give your therapist thoughtful feedback about what is working or not working for you. This can open up a dialogue about blocks you're experiencing in therapy that might also be happening in other areas of your life. It will be helpful for your therapist to know about potential blocks you’re facing, so that together you can pivot the course of treatment, or help you find another therapist if necessary. In addition, providing feedback to your therapist serves as practice in expressing your needs in a healthy way to another human that cares about you. 

Therapy is not about getting advice. 

It’s about carving out intentional space in your week to move through painful experiences, gain greater access to your internal world, and reveal deeper feelings below your go-to coping strategies. Therapy can also highlight your inherent strengths and goodness, and facilitate corrective emotional interactions with a caring other. It can also help you identify the ways that oppressive societal systems may be affecting your well-being, and encourage compassion for your unique circumstances.

Also, it’s important to remember that while therapy can guide you through deep internal work, not every session will involve heavy emotional lifting. Some weeks will feel energetically lighter, and your therapy session can be an opportunity to celebrate what’s going well in your life and call attention to the progress you’ve been making.

The length of treatment varies for everyone. 

Perhaps you have a very particular issue that can be resolved through therapy in about 8 weeks. For others, problems that have developed and grown over the course of many years cannot be solved within a few weeks and require months to a couple years. You don’t need to be in therapy forever–we can meet some goals and send you on your way. Some people appreciate having that weekly support and choose to stay for longer periods to maintain the positive changes they’ve made. 

I hope this helps you in your search for a therapist in San Francisco. 

If you are still feeling stuck, you are welcome to call me at (415) 851-5125 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening, answer your questions about what to expect of the therapy process, and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with managing anxiety related to personal, community, and global stressors, you can read more about how I can help here.