Most therapists use voicemail. While most take care to make sure only they or their secretary have access to the voicemail, you should leave just your name, number & mention that you'd like to schedule an appointment.

Leave a time range and telephone number where they can reach you. If you are unable to talk freely when they return your call, feel free to say,"I'm at work" or "I really can't say right now...". ;
Back to top

Scheduling the appointment

Determine how long the first appointment will be & what info you should bring with you as well as what you will be expected to pay at the first session. Ask the therapist if he or she will call to "verify your benefits". Have your insurance card ready to provide her with the "benefits verification telephone number" and your i.d. number.

Write down the names & dosages of any medications you are taking.

Write down the full office address, cross streets and the telephone number you can call if you get lost and put that in the wallet you will be carrying. (The unconscious mind is tricky and will help you misplace directions, keys, etc.)
Back to top

The day before your appointment

You may want to make a trial run to be sure you can find the office or you may want to print out computer map directions ahead of time. Note how long it should take you to get there. Allow 1/3rd more time than recommended. More if you're going at rush hour.
Back to top

When you arrive

Once you're sure you're in the right office, if there is no receptionist nor arrival bell, just have a seat in the waiting area. The therapist is usually aware of your arrival and will come out to get you at the scheduled time. There may be forms waiting for you to fill out.   Back to top

Payment preparations

Some insurance companies require advance authorizations. If the therapist has verified the benefits for you, they will let you know if you need to do anything else. If not, look at your benefits summary under "mental health benefits" and see if it states that you must obtain "pre-authorization" prior to seeing a provider. Many insurance companies use the pre-authorization call to persuade you to use their contracted provider. It is not only unethical, it is illegal in some instances because callers are misled into believing that they do not have the right of free choice in the quality or style of therapy that their policy must cover. There are a minority of policies that only cover services provided by the insurance company panel's providers, but most states mandate a choice. They are counting on  you not knowing. For more on this, visit "Paying for Therapy".
Back to top

Using the time well

Most providers have a series of questions they'll ask to obtain enough information to determine whether or not they can help you. Some will simply listen to what you choose to talk about in the session. Some new clients write down these essential points:
What the current problem is
How long it has been going on
What led them to come in at this time
Has this type of problem happened before. If so, when
What did the client do to try to solve the problem this time and before
What does the client think will happen if they don't change things    Back to top

Handling your feelings

Clients always try not to cry. They don't know the therapist yet & some worry about what the therapist will think of them. Notice that there is a box of tissue there. It is for you. Tears are normal and God's way of making sure you can shed painful feelings. You may want to schedule your first appointment so that you don't have to go right back to work afterwards. Give yourself time to reflect and organize your feelings about your first session. The way you handle your emotions will probably change as you progress through the insight that will come in your sessions. 
Some providers may seem to interrupt you when you're telling your story. This might be for one of two reasons: that you seem stuck on one point & that they want you to replace it with a substitute thought or behavior, or that they want to reduce the session to covering specific areas of information in a limited amount of time.        Back to top