Preparing for Therapy
A gentle worksheet to help you gather your thoughts before reaching out to a therapist — including questions you can ask to see if they are the right fit for you.
How to use this worksheet: fill in as much or as little as feels right. You do not have to complete every section. Take the questions to an initial call or first session and use them to help you decide whether this therapist feels like a good fit.
Part One — What's Bringing Me to Therapy
In a few sentences, what has prompted me to look for therapy now?
You do not have to write your whole history. Just what feels most present.
Some patterns or feelings I would like to understand or change
How it is showing up in my body, mood, sleep, relationships or work
What I hope might feel different in six months, if therapy helped
It's okay if this is vague. 'A bit lighter' is enough.
Part Two — What I Need to Feel Safe
Things that help me feel comfortable with a new person
e.g. warmth, humour, going slowly, not being interrupted, being asked before advice is given.
Things I know I find hard, and would want a therapist to be careful with
e.g. long silences, being pushed to disclose too soon, certain topics.
Any relevant identity, cultural, faith or accessibility needs
Nothing is too small to mention — it is okay to want a therapist who understands your context.
Part Three — Practical Preferences
- In person
- Online / video
- Phone
- Walk-and-talk
- Weekly sessions
- Fortnightly sessions
- Short-term (6–12 sessions)
- Open-ended / longer term
- Daytime
- Evenings / weekends
- Private fee
- Sliding scale / low cost
- Insurance / EAP
- NHS referral
My realistic budget per session, and how often I could afford it
Location / distance I can travel, or online setup I have
Part Four — Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist
You do not have to ask all of these. Pick the ones that matter most to you. You are allowed to interview them.
Training & approach
- What is your training background, and are you accredited or registered? With whom?
- Do you consider yourself trauma-informed? What does that mean in your practice?
- Which therapy models do you draw on (e.g. integrative, EMDR, somatic, IFS, CFT, attachment-based)?
- Have you worked with people bringing concerns similar to mine?
- How do you usually pace trauma work — how do you know when someone is ready to go deeper?
How sessions work
- What does a typical session with you look like?
- How do you handle it if I become overwhelmed or dissociate in a session?
- What happens between sessions if I need support — is there any contact allowed?
- How do you and I review whether the work is helping?
- How do endings usually work — is there a planned ending?
Practicalities
- What is your fee, and do you offer any reduced-cost places?
- What is your cancellation and missed-session policy?
- How do you store notes, and what is your confidentiality policy (including its limits)?
- Do you offer an initial call before I decide to book a first session?
- Are you supervised? (In the UK, ongoing supervision is expected of ethical practice.)
Fit & safety
- How would you describe your style — warmer and more relational, or more structured?
- How do you handle it if I tell you something isn't working in our sessions?
- Have you had personal therapy yourself, and do you think that matters?
- What do you not work with, or refer on to someone else?
Part Five — After the First Contact
How I felt during and after the call / first session
Body sensations, mood, energy level, anything you noticed.
Did I feel listened to, respected, and safe enough?
Anything I want to ask or clarify next time
My next step
e.g. book a second session, take a week to decide, contact a different therapist, wait until [date].