It is understandable to feel apprehensive about starting therapy and to not know what to expect, how it will work for you, if it will even help you etc. Taking that first step to call/text a therapist is one of the most challenging aspects of the whole process. Take your time to read/understand more about therapy (if you think that’ll help), but eventually do hit send on that text/email! Because the only way to know if something works for you (or how well it works for you), is by giving it a shot and experiencing/trying it for yourself!

Additionally, ask your therapist as many questions as you like in the introductory call to clarify any doubts, understand more about them and their process, and to judge if this is the right fit for you. And if not, you need not stick with the process or the therapist.

I mostly use a lot of reflective questions to understand the thoughts/emotions a particular situation/interaction might have elicited for my clients. Through these conversations, we try to process and make meaning of some of these aspects. I firmly believe that gaining awareness of and acknowledging our thoughts/behaviors/feelings is half the work done in terms of overcoming or changing any patterns. I also adopt a narrative and strengths-based lens, which means that along with understanding how a problem affects you, I am equally interested in understanding how you are impacting the problem- what is helping you hold out and resist? what are your strengths? in what small or big ways are you changing things in your life?

I also adopt a trauma-informed, systemic, and rights-based approach where I actively acknowledge the ways in which the systems (families, workplaces, cultural/political factors) are contributing to the challenges you might face in your lives.

I aim to use gender-inclusive language, ask clients their preferred pronouns, acknowledge the systemic and structural challenges they may face in a cis-het, patriarchal society, and also acknowledge my privilege as a cis-het person.

Besides this, I try to read literature and about the perspectives/experiences of individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community to educate myself and learn more about affirmative practices in therapy.