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Embarking on the journey of therapy can feel daunting, especially if it’s your first time. You might be filled with a mix of emotions – anticipation, nervousness, perhaps even relief that you’ve taken this step. But as you prepare for your initial session with a psychologist, it’s natural to wonder what exactly to expect. Knowing what to expect before you arrive can help ease your nerves.

1. Intake forms:

Upon booking an appointment with your psychologist, you’ll likely be asked to fill out an online intake forms. This may include consent forms, and questionnaires about your medical history and current concerns. While it might seem tedious, this information helps your psychologist gain a better understanding of your background before your session begins.

2. Introduction:

Your psychologist will start by introducing themselves and providing details about their background and expertise. Following the initial introductions, they will briefly discuss the concept of confidentiality.

While many individuals are aware that discussions with their psychologist during sessions are private and confidential, it’s important to understand that there are certain limitations to this confidentiality. For instance, if your psychologist believes there’s a risk of harm to yourself or others, or if legal proceedings require access to file notes, confidentiality may be breached. However, rest assured that if such situations arise during therapy, your psychologist will discuss them with you beforehand.

In cases where you wish for your psychologist to share information about your treatment and progress with other healthcare professionals outside the clinic, such as your general practitioner or psychiatrist, you will be requested to sign a consent form authorizing them to do so.

3. Establishing Rapport:

During the first session, your psychologist will aim to create a comfortable and supportive environment right from the start. They’ll likely spend some time getting to know you, asking about your reasons for seeking therapy, your goals, and any previous experiences with therapy or mental health treatment. Building a strong rapport is essential for a successful therapeutic relationship, so don’t hesitate to be open and honest about your feelings and concerns.

4. Setting Expectations:

Your psychologist will also discuss the logistics of therapy, such as the frequency and duration of sessions, confidentiality policies, and payment arrangements. Your appointment will generally run for around 50 minutes. They’ll explain their approach to therapy and what you can expect in terms of the therapeutic process. This is an excellent opportunity to ask any questions you may have and to voice any preferences or concerns you might have about your treatment.

5. Sharing Your Story:

Much of the first session may involve you sharing your story, including the issues or challenges you’re facing and how they’re impacting your life. Your psychologist will likely ask probing questions to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Remember, therapy is a judgment-free zone, so feel free to speak candidly and openly about whatever is on your mind.

6. Collaborative Goal-Setting:

Towards the end of the session, your psychologist will offer you feedback and insights regarding the concerns you’ve presented, including potential causes and factors that contribute to them. Based on this assessment, they will then propose a rationale for the most suitable evidence-based treatment tailored to your individual circumstances.

Setting up therapy goals is a collaboration process between you and your psychologist. This will serve as a roadmap for your treatment and provide a clear direction for your sessions moving forward. It’s essential to be realistic about what you hope to achieve in therapy and to communicate any specific objectives or areas of focus you have in mind.

7. Reflection and Next Steps:

As your first session draws to a close, take some time to reflect on your experience. Consider what insights you’ve gained and how you feel about the prospect of continuing therapy.

Your psychologist will likely discuss next steps with you, including making a recommendation about the frequency of your psychological therapy sessions based on your individual circumstances. Often people attend on a weekly or fortnightly basis to start off with, gradually reducing the frequency of their sessions as they improve. After your first session, we recommend booking a series of therapy appointments to ensure you can consistently work towards reaching your goals.

Conclusion:

While the thought of seeing a psychologist for the first time may feel intimidating, it’s essential to remember that you’re taking an important step towards prioritizing your mental health and well-being. Your first session sets the foundation for the work you’ll do together, so approach it with an open mind and a willingness to engage in the therapeutic process. With the support of a skilled and compassionate psychologist, you can gain valuable insights, develop coping skills, and make positive changes in your life.

Written by Penny Chai, Counselling Psychologist

Introduction:

In a fast-paced world filled with challenges, stress is often seen as adversary. However, what if we could transform our perspective on this seemingly negative emotion and turn it into source of motivation and excitement? This blog explores the concept of reappraising stress, shedding light on how a mindset shift can lead to improved performance and overall well-being.

The Conventional View of Stress and Anxiety

Stress is a normal part of our life, everyone experiences stressors. To deal with stress, we may have been taught to find ways to avoid, manage or counteract the effects of stress. In addition, we have been told for several decades that the effects of stress are only negative and it is toxic for our mental health and physical well-being. Paradoxically, this negative perception of stress can actually exacerbate its adverse impacts on the body.  

The Power of Mindset: Reappraising Stress

Understanding Reappraisal

While much of the existing research predominantly emphasizes the negative impacts of stress, recent scientific studies reveal that stress has the potential to enhance performance, promote better health, and foster personal development.

According to research from Stanford University, our mindset about stress is the most important factor to determine the outcome of our stress response. This research suggests that, regardless of the type or severity of stress encountered, adopting a mindset that recognizes the potential benefits of stress increases the likelihood of experiencing positive outcomes. Conversely, perceiving stress as harmful tends to elicit negative responses. Stress itself is not inherently harmful, it’s our perception of if that makes a significant difference.   

Shifting from Threat to Challenge

It appears that we have two main responses to stressors, one of threat and one of challenge. When we perceive stress as challenge, our physiological response differs. Our bodies release specific neurochemicals that help us to become more equipped to handle the situation. Adopting a mindset that reframes stress from being a threat to being a challenge can enhance our resilience and overall sense of wellbeing. Conversely, constantly interpreting stress as a threat can result in chronic stress, potentially leading to negative health consequences.

Turning Stress into Excitement

The Arousal-Excitement Link

When the body is confronted with stress, it releases hormones such as adrenaline and dopamine, which circulate throughout our system, supplying the brain and body with essential blood and oxygen. This reaction catapults us into a state of heightened energy, heightened alertness, and intensified focus, akin to a superhuman state, enabling us to effectively tackle the challenges, whether they are mental or physical in nature. This phenomenon, termed stress-related toughening by researchers (e.g., Dienstbeier, 1989), involves physiological responses that closely resemble those experienced during moments of excitement.

The Performance Boost of Excitement

Research conducted at Harvard Business School revealed that individuals who were instructed to reinterpret their stress as excitement exhibited better coping mechanisms under pressure. Notably, their performance levels improved, and they were perceived as more persuasive and confident by others. Further studies from the same institution demonstrated that when individuals reappraised their anxiety as “I am excited” rather than “I am calm,” they achieved higher performance levels in various tasks such as mathematics, singing, and public speaking. It’s important to note that reframing stress didn’t eliminate the stress entirely but rather channelled its energy in a positive direction. These studies showed that individuals who view stress as excitement often benefit from a performance boost.

Health Benefits of a Positive Stress Mindset

Reduced Physical Impact

While most research assumes that the short-term stress response is detrimental to the body’s system over time, new research suggests different narrative. In many instances, the release of stress hormones actually triggers the production of growth hormones, which play a vital role in cell regeneration, protein synthesis, and bolstering immunity. This phenomenon, termed physiological thriving by researchers (e.g., Elissa Epel, 1999), results in the body becoming stronger and healthier than before. Therefore, embracing stress as excitement can mitigate the physical toll on the body, thereby reducing the adverse health effects typically associated with chronic stress.  

Improved Mental Resilience

Embracing a positive mindset towards stress can amplify mental resilience, enabling individuals to confront challenges with increased control and adaptability. Remarkably, the experience with stress and adversity often fosters the development of mental toughness, deeper connections with others, heightened awareness, fresh perspectives, a sense of mastery, enhanced appreciation for life, a deeper sense of meaning, and stregthened priorities. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as post-traumatic growth (e.g., Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004; Park & Helgeson, 2006).

Practical Strategies for Mindset Shift

Stanford University mind & body lab has designed a three-steps to a Stress is Enhancing Mindset to help individuals to learn practical strategies for mindset shift, which can enhance our health, well-being, and performance.

Three steps to a Stress is Enhancing Mindset

Step 1: Acknowledge your Stress. It is what it is.

Reflecting on your current stressors is an essential step towards understanding your reactions to them. Consider what is currently causing you stress. Once identified, observe your typical responses to that stress. This involves recognizing your emotional reactions, such as thoughts, beliefs, and feelings; your behavioral reactions, such as arguing or avoiding; and your physiological responses, such as a racing heart, stomach upset, or tunnel vision. Being aware of these responses allows you to acknowledge your stress and better understand how it affects you.

Step 2: Welcome your Stress. You are stressed because you care.

An effective method for embracing stress involves reconnecting with the positive motivation or personal value underlying the stressor. For instance, if you’re experiencing stress related to your family, it may be because you deeply care about their well-being and happiness. By recognizing and focusing on this positive motivation or personal value, you can shift your perspective on the stressor and find renewed strength and purpose in managing it.

Step 3: Utilize your stress. It is designed to facilitate.       

Once we’ve gained awareness of our typical reactions, as noted in Step 1, and reconnected with the positive purpose identified in Step 2, we can begin to reframe our stress as opportunities for growth and challenges to overcome. This can involve using affirming statements such as “I am ready to take on this challenge” or “My body is assisting me in focusing my attention.” By adopting this mindset, we can transform stress into a source of excitement and motivation, viewing it as a pathway to personal development and achievement.

Applications and Integration

These three steps are effective only when consistently practiced. Therefore, it’s crucial to integrate them into our daily lives as natural and habitual responses. This can be achieved by creating routines that incorporate these steps both regularly and during moments of heightened stress.

Daily Anchors serve as reminders to engage in the three-step process. These can be activities we perform daily, such as before meals, meetings, showers, or during routine stops like at red lights or stepping out of the car. Implementing Daily Anchors helps establish the habit of employing the three steps to cultivate a Stress-Enhancing Mindset in our daily lives.

Additionally, recognizing Stress Signals is essential for identifying when stress is emerging. These signals may include headaches, muscle tension, or feelings of irritability. Rather than viewing these as indicators of impending self-destruction, they can prompt us to initiate the stress-enhancing response outlined in the three steps, thereby fostering resilience and well-being.

Conclusion: Embracing a New Perspective

In conclusion, recent scientific findings highlight that stress has the potential to enhance our performance, improve our health, facilitate our learning, and foster personal growth, provided we embrace stress as excitement and view it through a positive lens. This article does not negate the detrimental effects of stress; rather, it advocates for a shift in perspective based on our awareness and knowledge, and then choosing to focus on what is most beneficial for us.

By familiarizing ourselves with research on the beneficial effects of stress, we can take the first step towards altering our mindset and transforming our stress response from one of threat to one of excitement. The subsequent step involves actively implementing skills and strategies to cultivate an enhancing mindset when faced with stress.

Stress has the capacity to enrich our lives in numerous ways. I encourage you to explore the strategies outlined above, embrace a mindset shift, and uncover the positive dimensions of stress in your own life journey.

written by Penny Chai, Counselling Psychologist

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More information

If you would like to learn more about therapy or book an appointment with me, please contact us by calling 0405 992 090 or email: pennypsychology@gmail.com.