What to Expect at Your First Session
Starting counseling can feel like a big step, especially if you have never been to therapy before. Knowing what to expect can make the process feel a little easier.
From scheduling your appointment to meeting your therapist, we want you to feel prepared, welcomed, and comfortable along the way.
Schedule Your Appointment
Complete Your Paperwork
Arrive 5 to 10 Minutes Early
Meet You Therapist
Share What Brings You In
Talk About What Comes Next
Scheduling Your Appointment
Whether you schedule online or call our office, we will gather some basic information to create your chart, prepare for billing, and get you connected with your therapist.
We will ask for information such as your:
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Name and date of birth
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Contact information
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Insurance information
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Basic demographic information
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Financial and billing information
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Emergency contact
If you call our office, our front desk team can also walk you through available therapists and appointment times to help you find a good fit.
Complete Your Intake Paperwork
Once your appointment is scheduled, you will receive access to our secure Client Portal. There you will find a welcome letter and the intake forms you will need to complete before your first appointment.
We know it can feel like a lot of paperwork. We appreciate you taking the time to read through and complete each form. Each one explains its purpose and provides important information about your care, privacy, financial responsibilities, and practice policies.
If you have questions or need help accessing your portal, our front desk team is happy to help.Please complete all required intake paperwork at least 24 hours before your appointment. If your paperwork is not completed by that time, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.
Please complete all required intake paperwork at least 24 hours before your appointment.
If your paperwork is not completed by that time, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.
What should I bring?
Most of the information we need will already be collected through your Client Portal.
For your first visit, please bring:
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A photo ID
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Your current insurance card, if you are using insurance
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Anything else our office has specifically asked you to bring
How Early Should I Arrive?
Please plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment.
This gives you a few minutes to park, find the right building, get settled, and check in before meeting your therapist.
Finding Your Office
Agape Counseling Center has two buildings located right next to each other on South Main Street in Centerville. Your therapist's location will determine which building you visit.
Directions will be included with your intake information and can always be found at the bottom of our website.
169 S. Main St.
Park behind the building and walk around to the front entrance facing Main Street. Once inside, have a seat in the waiting room. Your therapist will come out to greet you when it is time for your appointment.
175 S. Main St.
Park behind the building and enter through the back entrance directly off the parking lot. Stop at the front desk to check in. Your therapist will come out to meet you when it is time for your appointment.
Street parking is also available near both buildings.
Meeting Your Therapist
Your first session is really about getting to know one another.
Your therapist will introduce themselves and review important information about counseling, including consent, confidentiality, and what you can expect from therapy.
They will also begin a diagnostic assessment. That may sound formal, but it is simply a way for your therapist to learn more about you, your story, what brought you to counseling, and how they can best help.
Your therapist may ask about:
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What brought you to counseling
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What you would like help with
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Current concerns or symptoms
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Important relationships and family history
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Medical and mental health history
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Strengths, supports, and coping skills
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Your goals for counseling
What Will the First Session Feel Like?
Think of your first session as a conversation, not a test.
You will sit with your therapist in a private, comfortable office and talk together about what brought you to counseling and what you hope might be different.
Your therapist will ask questions to get to know you, but you do not have to tell your whole story in one visit. It is okay to take your time, ask questions, or let your therapist know there is something you are not ready to talk about yet.
What If I Get Emotional?
That is completely okay.
People come to their first counseling session feeling all kinds of things. You may feel nervous, relieved, tearful, unsure, hopeful, or several of those things at once.
There is no right way to feel during your first session. Your therapist is there to meet you where you are.
What About Children and Teens?
For children and teens, a parent or legal guardian will usually be involved in part of the first appointment.
Your therapist may also want to spend some time talking privately with your child or teen. They will explain confidentiality, parent involvement, and what everyone can expect as counseling continues.
What Happens At The End of My Appointment?
Toward the end of your first session, you and your therapist will talk about what comes next.If you choose to continue counseling, you can schedule your next appointment with your therapist or at the front desk.
Over the next few sessions, you and your therapist will continue getting to know one another, identify what you would like to work on, and develop goals for your time together.You do not have to figure everything out in the first hour.
Our Hope for Your First Visit
Walking into counseling for the first time can take courage.
Our hope is that knowing what to expect makes that first step a little easier.
You do not need to arrive with the right words or know exactly where to begin. Just bring yourself and your story.
We hope you leave your first appointment feeling heard, respected, comfortable, and a little more hopeful about what comes next.