How do I start?

Hi there.

I know it can be scary to start counseling, especially thinking about sharing your stories and experiences with a stranger while being vulnerable.  You are so brave for asking this question, it's actually a very common concern and question.  I was a client once myself, so I am very familiar with your feelings regarding counseling. I want to assure you that as counselors, our priority is you and to be able to provide a comfortable and safe environment for you to during the session. We want to be able to help, understand, and guide you to meet your goals. We know that you may not feel comfortable telling us about yourself in the beginning.

As a counselor, I believe in developing a good rapport with my clients to better understand them and also to improve our therapeutic relationship.  I believe meeting the client where they are, I will not force you to talk about something you're not ready to do.  I try to be compassionate, patient, and kind to all my clients. 

Finding a therapist that you, as a client, can feel comfortable talking and connect to is very important. My suggestion is to read the therapist's biography and see if you can connect with them. You would want to think about your preferences and who could help you best. It is perfectly fine to have preferences in therapist, so this would be "gender, ethnicity, age, allies or identifies with a certain population, culture, and etc..." Each counselor has their own expertise that they are the focus on, this is also important to consider, as you want someone that is knowledgeable in what you would want to work on. There are times where your first counselor is going to be a perfect match for you and help you well, but there are also times where that won't be a case and you have to find a new therapist and that is perfectly ok, you can go on and find the therapist that will be a match for you.

I hope this helps you feel more comfortable in getting started with counseling.