Family Counseling Wheaton MD

Perhaps you have contacted a therapist at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates for Family Counseling in Wheaton, MD and have scheduled your first appointment. This might have been a very big step for you and you should feel proud. As the date approaches, you might wonder about what it will be like to sit down with a therapist and talk through various issues you have been dealing with.

Your First Family Counseling Session at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates, LLC
Having many years of experience, our family counseling therapists understand that it often helps to explain what may happen during their first therapy session, also known as an intake session. In doing so, you may feel more relaxed about your patient-therapist relationship.

Even if your mind is trying to fill in the blanks about what is to come, there is no reason to do so. Consider the following general outline of some of the elements that may happen during your first MD family counseling session.

1. Meet and Greet – Normally you and your therapist will begin the first session with some general small talk. This helps you to feel more comfortable and allows us to get to know one another.
2. Review Intake Paperwork – You may have completed intake paperwork that covered questions about your demographics, history, and what has brought you here. The therapist will have reviewed this and be able to use the session time to fill in some of the details by asking you follow up questions about what you have described.
3. Further Discussion – We might also talk about things that may or may not apply specifically to you. This could include significant relationships, work history, satisfaction with work, substance use, physical health, and so forth. This helps the therapist get a comprehensive 360 degree of you, your life, and your objectives. It is not uncommon for a patient to begin their session with one objective in mind only to find that another area of their life needs to be addressed because it is the core of other issues.
4. Moving Forward – Towards the end of your first therapy session, we may discuss a plan for moving forward. We might set goals for our work together and discuss the frequency of our sessions. You may also ask any questions that are on your mind. Finally, you will schedule your next appointment.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your First Family Counseling Session

• Every therapist is different – Make sure you find one that you feel comfortable with. To do this, rather than focusing on wondering whether or not the therapist is a match for you, focus on being yourself and saying what you feel like you need to say. It might take a few sessions before you make a decision. You can even discuss your feelings about the potential relationship towards the end of the session. Many therapists appreciate this.
• After the session, think about how you feel. Remember, feelings of discomfort may arise and this is in part due to facing various problems. Avoidance might feel easier at times, but it will not help you work things out. Try not to be alarmed about this and even work hard to talk about it. That is what your therapist is there for – to listen, to provide advice, to be there when you need it.
• Opening up – If there are certain subjects that you are not ready to talk about, you may want to indicate that this topic is a concern, but you would like to discuss it later. Keep in mind that confidentiality is a foundation of therapy, and opening up might be the best thing you could do for yourself.
  

Finding Help for Feelings of Worry

Worried thoughts can take a toll on your life. You may lose sleep or your ability to concentrate because you have thoughts repeating over and over in your head. However, often worrying makes sense to the worrier, as it provides a false sense of feeling in control. At least you’re doing something about the situation, even if it is just worrying.

People often continue to worry because they:

• Think they’ll find a solution
• Don’t want to overlook anything
• Think maybe they’ll figure it out if they keep thinking about it
• Don’t want to be surprised, since considering all the possible outcomes may make them feel more in control when something bad happens
  

However, our therapists at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates understand that you CAN stop worrying, and attending Family Counseling in Wheaton can help you build and maintain more constructive thought patterns.

Is It Solvable or Not?
During a Wheaton, MD Family Counseling session, a therapist may encourage you to think about whether your concern is solvable or not. You need to ask yourself this question: Is this a situation I have no control over, or is it something I can take action upon? It is critical to differentiate between a worry that can be solved and one that you can’t do anything about. 

If the problem happened in the past, then you will likely have to decide whether you can change or rectify the situation or accept what happened. If your worry isn’t something you can solve, you basically have to take no action and practice learning acceptance. Understandably, acceptance doesn’t take away the hurt. In such instances, it’s crucial to tune into your feelings. If your brain is busy going over and over past or pretend scenarios, you’re not allowing yourself the space to get over it and don’t have room to experience your feelings.

Embracing Your Feelings

The way out of this turmoil is to embrace your feelings. Sometimes we just can’t control events, and we have to embrace uncertainty. Sometimes we are angry and hurt, but there is nothing that can be done, but feel our emotions. Remember, YOU are in control. You can decide to feel your feelings so you can eventually let them go.

Once you have devised a plan of action and begin doing something about the matter, you’ll feel much less worried. One way to do this is through Active Worrying—IF the problem is solvable.

Active Worrying

If the worry is over a solvable matter, you can use Active Worrying. This technique uses worrying to serve a purpose. For example, when you worry about a work deadline, it can motivate you to get the job done. Active worrying also involves brainstorming ideas to come up with all the possible solutions you can. However, you must not get hung up on finding a perfect solution. Once you’ve brainstormed solutions, then you can make a plan that focuses on the matters you have the power to change.

Don’t let worrying control your life. If you would like to find out more information about Maryland family counseling in Wheaton from Lindsey Hoskins & Associates, LLC, please contact our office today.