Questions to ask a therapist

Where did you go when you wanted to be left alone?

Under a bed, up a tree, a long walk, a book, a locked bathroom. Retreats are usually well remembered, and the modern equivalent, whatever you do now when overwhelmed, is often a direct descendant of it.

From: Questions to Ask Your Inner Child

How is your sleep, and what happens at night?

Nightmares, hypervigilance at bedtime and early waking each point to different mechanisms. Severe sleep deprivation also limits how much processing a client can tolerate in a session, so it may need addressing first.

From: EMDR Questions to Ask Clients

Who in my life knows I'm doing this, and does anyone need to?

You are not obliged to tell anyone. Still, worth thinking about who might notice the appointment in a shared calendar, and whether you want one person you can say "that was a hard session" to. Sessions can leave you unsettled for a few hours.

From: Questions to Ask Yourself Before Therapy

What have you stopped doing since this happened?

Avoidance is usually the mechanism keeping symptoms in place, and clients rarely report it as a symptom because it feels like sensible caution. The list also gives you a graded ladder to work from later, in their order rather than yours.

From: Trauma Questions to Ask Clients

What are you doing with the time now?

Recovery frees up a startling number of hours, and people often fill them with something they are quietly pleased about: running, a course, cooking, an instrument, work. Asking about it treats them as a person with a life rather than a condition.

From: Questions to Ask Someone in Recovery

What does the assessment involve, how many appointments, and what will it cost?

Get the number of sessions, the total fee and what the written report includes before you start. Assessments often cost more than families expect, and the fee frequently covers the report rather than any treatment that follows.

From: Questions to Ask a Child Psychologist