What to Expect When Seeking Therapy 

Therapy. Do I need it? How can it help me? How do I get started?

When you begin the therapy journey, it might feel scary. But ultimately, it can be beautiful, healing, and refreshing. Let’s take a look at what therapy is and how you can make it work for you. 

Why Do People Seek Therapy? 

Everyone has different reasons for seeking therapy. Some of the most common are anxiety, depression, and substance use. Trauma is another and may include accidents, abuse, or grief. All are deeply personal and should never be judged as “not important enough” to reach out for help. 

Types of Therapy Settings 

• Individual therapy: Work one-on-one with a therapist using talk therapy to discuss the changes you want to make.  

• Group therapy: Facilitated by a therapist, groups can provide connection and understanding from people who may be going through similar challenges.  

• Family therapy: You and a family member or partner attend sessions together with your therapist (this includes couples counseling). 

• Support groups: Not therapy, but they provide mutual support and shared experiences. (Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous, grief groups, or mental health diagnoses groups) 

Are There Different Kinds of Therapists? 

You may want to search for someone with a specific educational background or license. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist often do very similar things. Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialists (LCAS) are specially trained to support people experiencing substance use. A psychologist can also provide therapy and is able to do additional testing per their specialized training. A psychiatrist has a medical degree and prescribes medications. While they traditionally don’t do talk therapy, many have therapists within their practice or trusted referral sources. 

Finding the Right Person for YOU 

Therapists often have different specialty areas that tie into your reasons for seeking therapy (trauma, grief, ADHD, couples, etc.). Look for someone who is non-judgmental and open minded. You can also search for someone who matches one or more of your identities if you think it would be beneficial for them to understand from that perspective. Also consider logistics that work for you such as location or virtual options. 

Getting Started with Therapy

When you decide to make the call, you’ll speak to someone who gathers information so they can start your health record, ensuring all your information is in one place (including your treatment plan and progress). From there, you will have an “assessment” appointment done by a licensed clinician. Don’t be surprised if they ask you a LOT of questions! Be as open and honest as possible. This is needed so they can diagnose you correctly and connect you with the right service and person. [Note: This is how it’s done at SouthLight; other providers’ processes might vary.] 

Building a Good Working Relationship 

You will work with your therapist to set goals* so that your treatment is helpful and can give you some measures to see your progress. Know that sometimes it takes several sessions to build an honest relationship, so give it some time. And be sure to communicate openly with your therapist if you don’t find the sessions helpful or are having other issues. 

*At SouthLight, we use a “Person-Centered” approach when writing goals, meaning everyone is considered unique so their treatment and care are unique as well. Therapy should be a safe and caring place for all people. 

What About Confidentiality? 

Therapists are governed by confidentiality laws that cover medical and behavioral health treatment.  

HIPPA is a federal law with standards for protecting individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. Also, federal regulation “42 CFR Part 2” for those with substance use diagnoses means that, for example, if you tell your therapist at SouthLight you’ve used an illegal substance, that information won’t be shared with anyone outside the agency. 

“Release of Information” is written consent you give to share your information with an outside person or organization. (Common reasons include referrals to community resources or coordination of care with other providers). You always have the right to revoke a signed ROI with no penalty to your treatment. 

Therapists may have to break confidentiality for these reasons: You’re a danger to yourself or others; mandated reporting on child or elderly abuse or neglect; receiving a subpoena for your information signed by a judge; public health concerns like a major outbreak of a deadly virus. 

Did you know? If you see your therapist in public, they’ll ignore you unless you speak to them. If you do, they’ll reply but can’t introduce anyone to you or tell anyone they’re with how they know you (another way your therapist is looking out for your privacy). They’ll also keep the conversation brief. 

Paying for Therapy 

The cost of therapy varies depending on where you go and in what services you’re enrolled. A lot of private insurances will pay for talk therapy for a certain number of sessions. Medicaid/Medicare offer payment for therapy services, and some organizations (like SouthLight) offer sliding scale fees for participants who have to pay out of pocket.  

SouthLight is a “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic” which means (among many things) that we provide quality behavioral health care no matter the participants’ ability to pay.  

Therapy Resources 

At SouthLight, we welcome people to enroll in services with us at any point on their journey and you can contact us HERE. SouthLight offers individual therapy (including virtual sessions) as well as group therapy and accepts many types of insurance. 

Additionally, most hospital systems have outpatient therapy clinics. The Psychology Today website has a therapist search feature where you can find private practice therapists in your community. And Better Help is another searchable website known for its virtual options.  

The Next Step is Yours 

If you feel that therapy would benefit you, I encourage you to consider looking into this valuable tool for your overall well-being.  

Grace Gilmore, Health Systems Educator, SouthLight Healthcare

Grace Gilmore is the Health Systems Educator on the clinical training team at SouthLight Healthcare. She started in the behavioral health field in 2018 and was a substance use therapist for 4.5 years, doing group and individual therapy with those who had both substance use and mental health diagnoses. Her areas of passion when working with these individuals were trauma and grief.