How to Prepare for Anxiety Treatment Online & Get the Most Out of It
Whether you’ve already booked your first session for anxiety treatment online, or you’re just thinking about it, there are many things to consider. Most people spend a lot of time searching for the right online therapist. Unfortunately, the steps they take lead them to an exhaustive list of therapists that treat anxiety but aren’t taking new clients. Perhaps they do take clients but don’t offer appointment times that work for them. Or do not meet the expectations you have for therapy.
Getting the Most Out of Anxiety Treatment Online in California
If you want to get the most out of your online therapy for anxiety experience, follow these steps:
Identify What Lead You to Seek Anxiety Treatment Online in the First Place
Think about what was going on for you right before you decided this was the time to get help. Was it a thought that provoked your anxiety and raised your symptom levels to an intolerable amount? Did you experience a panic attack, without having a history of panic attacks? Or was there an event or emotion that triggered your anxiety symptoms enough to want to make a change?
Depending on your answers to this, your anxiety treatment plan can look very different. Knowing what brings you to seek online therapy for anxiety in the first place, and communicating that to the online anxiety therapist prior to your first session will allow both you and the therapist to decide if this is the right therapeutic relationship for your needs.
Communicate What Your Ideas Are About Attending Online Therapy for Anxiety
Everyone has a different idea about what the therapeutic experience timeline is like. Depending on the severity of your anxiety, the length or amount of time in therapy could be different. In addition, the type of therapist you see could change how often you’re going to anxiety treatment online. Your anxiety could raise if your expectations are very different from the therapist you sign up with.
So, when you reach out to an anxiety therapist, tell them what you’re expecting. Most clients that work with a cognitive behavioral therapist will start out therapy with a session once per week. Then they will decrease as they meet their goals. For some, that means 8 weeks, and for others that could be 6 months. Talking about the pace you’re open to working on your anxiety will allow the therapist to develop a plan that’s in line with your comfort level. Which will allow you to be on the same page from the beginning.
Know that the first session for anxiety treatment online is different from all the rest
The first session with your anxiety therapist is unique from the rest and includes several different opportunities including:
Education about the therapeutic process
Meeting your therapist
Time for the therapist to gather information about your medical and mental health history
Develop goals for tackling anxiety.
During the first session of anxiety treatment online, your therapist will do a lot of talking. This is to provide education and ask several questions in order to get a good picture of what could be contributing to your anxiety symptoms. If your therapist asks you to complete questionnaires prior to your first session, it’s important to get them done so that the therapist isn’t spending too much time during the first session gathering data. Your therapist really does want to give you time to share and talk about what brings you to therapy. Completing your intake forms prior to the first session will give you more time to interact together in the session. You don’t have to go into too much detail on the forms. You can leave lengthy explanations to discuss in person with your therapist during future sessions.
Once you’re sitting in the first session of online therapy for anxiety, your therapist will review the responses to the questionnaires. At that point, they will ask for any details. Your online anxiety therapist may take a lot of notes in the first session to build a good overall chart, and that chart will guide them in future sessions to stay on track with the goals that are important to you. They may not take as many notes after the first session in order to be more present with you in session, protect your confidentiality, and only document major changes to your mental health needs, interventions you worked on, or progress you’ve made.
Give yourself permission to worry less about preparing
Quite often, people will lose sleep the night before their first online therapy for anxiety session trying to think of all the things they want to cover in therapy. It’s normal to want to get the most out of your therapeutic experience. You may feel you’re investing a lot of time and resources into making the decision to schedule an anxiety treatment online session. So it’s reasonable that you’re feeling this way.
When you choose an experienced online anxiety therapist, they will be trained to ask questions that help you recall the important details for developing a helpful picture of who you are and the needs you have. If you’ve got a lot of thoughts racing through your head about what you want to share in therapy, take steps to reduce that anxiety now by writing down your thoughts and questions in the notes on your phone app or in a notebook. Also, give yourself permission to let yourself rest.
You can bring your notes into the anxiety treatment online session to review and share all the questions and details you have. There’s never enough time in a first session to tell your whole story about everything that has contributed to your anxiety. By committing to the therapeutic process, you will have future regular sessions that you can count on to be able to ask new questions or expand on your goals.
Remember that the therapeutic process is voluntary
You might be anxious about your first online therapy for anxiety session and are not sure if you’ve made the right choice to attend online therapy. By attending a first session, you’ll get a chance to feel what interacting with the therapist is like and ask questions to reduce the worries you have.
A well-trained online anxiety therapist should share with you in the first session that therapy is voluntary. If at any time you feel like the experience or the therapist is not a good fit for you, then you have the opportunity to make a change. The therapist should be open to you communicating that the experience is not a good fit. That therapist may be able to provide other resources that could benefit you more. If your needs or symptoms are not suitable to work within an online therapy setting, the therapist should be trained to identify that and explain to you alternative types of therapy that can meet your needs. There’s no need to feel forced into an experience if it’s not giving you the best outcome.
Take care of the practical things for a smooth session for anxiety treatment online
Prepare the electronics you are using for online therapy
The online anxiety therapist will likely send you an invitation to a secure online portal for your first online therapy for anxiety session. Be sure to sign up for access you’ll need for anxiety treatment online, and test it out beforehand if you can. Charge your electronics and have access to the portal on the electronics you’ll be using for your session.
Choose a time & place for your anxiety treatment online session that is safe & distraction-free
Therapy is supposed to feel like a safe experience where you can be vulnerable to describing your anxiety symptoms and struggles. Be sure to schedule your first session during a time when you feel comfortable being open and answering questions.
If you’ve scheduled during your work day, try to find a time when you won’t be interrupted and you have privacy away from others. Online therapy is convenient and can be done from anywhere. But you won’t get the most out of it if you are distracted or you are sharing the experience with other people in the room. Some people try to hold their sessions with a family member or friend in the room. However, it is important to know that could be taking mental or physical energy and attention away from you. You’ve invested a lot of effort and time to begin making some changes to your mental health. Allowing interruptions could lengthen the amount of time you need to be in therapy to get the results you’re hoping for.
Take A Break before you start online therapy for anxiety
Take a break to relieve yourself before your appointment and grab a refreshment if you think you’ll need it during the session. It’s okay to take a breath or drink something refreshing during the session to keep you focused and relaxed. Email any unique questions you have to your therapist regarding technical issues for signing on well before your appointment time. Lastly, give yourself praise and congratulations for starting your journey to relieving anxiety by scheduling your first online therapy session.
Start Anxiety Treatment Online in San Francisco & Throughout California
If you're struggling with anxiety, don't wait any longer to seek help. Online therapy for anxiety in San Francisco and throughout California is available to help improve your quality of life. An online anxiety therapist can provide you with the tools and support you need to manage your anxiety symptoms. Don't let anxiety hold you back any longer - take these first steps toward starting online therapy and feeling better:
Schedule an appointment for anxiety treatment online
Start enjoying life without the stress that anxiety can cause
Other Online Therapy Services We Offer in California
Besides anxiety treatment, we also offer therapy for postpartum depression. As well as counseling for life transitions, relationship issues, and more. Whether you are in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or rural California we can support you through online therapy.
