Taking That First Step

Scheduling your first therapy appointment takes courage. You’ve decided something needs to change, yet questions swirl: Will I connect with this therapist? Can I actually talk about these things? What will happen in that first hour?

These questions matter. They show you’re invested in your wellbeing.

In my years working with clients in Woodbury and online, I’ve seen how the anticipation before session one often feels harder than the session itself. “The Body Keeps the Score” explains this brilliantly – our bodies physically respond to vulnerability with alertness, preparing us for what matters.

Specific concerns vary. Parents wonder if sharing struggles means they’ve failed their children. Couples fear exposing conflicts might deepen their divide. Latinx clients often question whether therapy will honor their cultural values and family traditions.

I see these concerns as your strength speaking. You care deeply about doing this right.

Preparing for Your First Session

You need remarkably little to start therapy:

• For online sessions: A private space, working technology (tested beforehand), and a glass of water
• For in-person visits to my Woodbury office: Ten minutes to arrive, settle in, and take a breath
• For both: Your questions and perhaps brief notes on what matters most to you right now

Before we meet, you’ll complete intake forms about your history and current challenges. These give me initial context for your unique situation. Fill these out when you can reflect clearly – no perfect answers required.

I provide all materials and conduct sessions entirely in Spanish for Spanish-speaking clients. Many Latinx clients tell me they appreciate discussing how family traditions and cultural experiences shape their perspectives. This cultural context enriches our work together.

We handle insurance verification and payment details before your appointment begins. This keeps our valuable session time focused where it belongs – on you.

The Structure of Our First Meeting

First sessions follow a rhythm that creates safety and clarity:

1. Connection comes first. We begin by getting comfortable together. The quality of our therapeutic relationship directly impacts your results.
2. Clear confidentiality boundaries. I explain exactly how your privacy works – what stays protected and the rare situations when I must share information.
3. Exploring your current situation. We discuss what prompted you to seek therapy now. I ask questions about anxiety symptoms, relationship dynamics, or parenting challenges that help us both understand what’s happening.
4. Connecting present to past. We touch on relevant history that illuminates today’s struggles. Brief, focused exploration gives us important context.
5. Setting meaningful direction. We identify what change would look like for you. For couples, drawing from principles in “Fight Right,” this often means transforming how you handle disagreements into opportunities for deeper understanding.

I pay attention to both content and process – what you say and how you feel saying it. This reveals emotion regulation patterns that impact your daily experience.

For Latinx clients, we discuss how cultural expectations and family traditions shape your needs and goals. Effective therapy honors these essential parts of your identity.

After Your First Session

Clients typically leave their first session with a distinctive mix of feelings. Relief appears most commonly – the weight of finally speaking difficult truths aloud. Thoughtfulness follows close behind.

You’ll walk away with:

• Clarity about how therapy addresses your specific challenges
• Initial insights into patterns you hadn’t fully recognized before
• A gut sense about our potential working relationship

“I didn’t realize how much I was holding until I finally said it out loud,” clients often tell me. The experience of articulating what’s been circling in your mind creates immediate shifts.

Your first session reveals my therapeutic style. For anxiety and depression, I balance immediate coping strategies with exploration of root causes. For couples, I help you recognize destructive interaction cycles while building concrete communication skills.

We’ll determine the best rhythm for future sessions based on your needs – weekly meetings help establish momentum for most clients. I schedule flexibly for both online therapy throughout Minnesota and California, and in-person sessions in my Woodbury office.

The path forward becomes clearer after this first conversation. You’ll know your next steps.

Ready to begin? Jennifer Marks, LISCW/LCSW provides online therapy throughout Minnesota and California, with in-person sessions in Woodbury, MN. Specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, couples therapy, and emotion regulation, she offers services in both English and Spanish. Schedule your first session today.