Introduction

You have acknowledged your eating disorder and decided to seek therapy, but now you are anxious and worried about your first appointment. Going to your first appointment with a therapist can be overwhelming as you have to share vulnerable information about yourself with a person you do not even know. Questions like what to expect and how to act in your mind arise. Here are some tips that can help you have a better outlook on your therapy sessions.

Be proud of yourself

Appreciate yourself if you decided to go for therapy for your eating disorder. It takes courage to be vulnerable about your fears and concerns. But, if you decide to do so, be proud of yourself.

Be honest

Overthinking about the first session and how it will go are pretty normal concerns and thoughts. But if you are not honest with your therapist, it can waste both your and your therapist’s time. Whenever you try to go onboard with treatment for an eating disorder, it’s not all joy and butterflies; instead, it can be scary, but it does not mean that you have to sugarcoat anything to your therapist, be as honest and objective in front of them as you can. It can help you to be upfront about your anxiety and fears.
People with eating disorders seek therapy due to the concerns of their family and friends. Therefore, there might be questions regarding your behavior and how stressful your situation is to you. Also, the therapist might discuss the impact of those stressful situations on your behavior. This discussion will help the therapist to analyze your symptoms better and how to work around the treatment. For this, your therapist might ask you questions in your first session or leave them to the next session. Sometimes you cannot be vulnerable around your parents; in that case, it is important to sit alone with your therapist to feel comfortable answering all the questions. But if your parents are very supportive and you think it would do you good if they sit with you at least in one session to get a better idea about how to be more helpful throughout your journey, you can ask them to go with you.

Schedule your appointment at a convenient time

Schedule your first appointment when you are not stressing about other aspects of your life, and you are more focused on getting your eating disorder treated. Chances are you will feel refreshed after your first session, but if you felt overwhelmed, give yourself time to process your emotions. But it is safe to consider both scenarios.
When you decide to be vulnerable about yourself, it is normal to get anxious. You just need to give yourself time before your session. Then, instead of fighting your anxious feeling, accept them as a part of the process. Acceptance is always the first step to help.

Have realistic expectations

Do not get all excited about thinking that after your first session all your problems will vanish. Also, you will overcome your disorder. It is very unrealistic for you to recover from your eating disorder. It’ll take some time. You need to be patient throughout your journey and just know that you can trust your therapist. He is there to help you out.

How the first therapy session will look like

Sometimes, it helps to lower anxiety levels if you know what is coming next. Here are a few things that can help you figure out how the first session of an eating disorder will look like. Counseling sessions vary depending on the therapist and client. But there are few rules set or similarities that will occur. First, the therapist will introduce himself and provide you information about their training, license to make you feel comfortable. Next, he/she will gain your trust by telling you about your confidentiality and your rights. After the therapist provides information, he/she will likely ask you Some questions like general information, your hobbies, your profession and your purpose of therapy, etc.

If you keep a journal, it could be a helpful source of memories and feeling to share with your therapist.
After gathering general information, the therapist will ask more specific questions about your eating habits/patterns. You might feel shy about sharing this much information in the first session. But try being honest with your therapist and try your best to answer the questions honestly and thoroughly. Some questions might likely be like this:

• • How does your daily meal intake look like?
• • How often do you weigh yourself?
• • Have you lost or gained any weight recently?
• • Do you stop eating at times? How often it happens?
• • What is your body image?
• • How often do you track your calorie intake?

General questions to get a better idea of your mental health might be asked by your therapist. It will include questions like:

• • Any Self-harm attempts?
• • Did you ever have any suicidal and homicidal thoughts or plans?
• • Your phobias and obsessions?
• • Any past traumas?

Remember, everything is confidential

Many people avoid therapy due to the fear of being vulnerable. It would help if you remembered that anything you will tell them will remain confidential. Your therapist will most likely discuss your diagnosis and their recommendations at the end of your session. Individuals have to work with a therapist, dietitian/nutritionist, and even general practitioner to make progress in their recovery. Therefore, your therapist might recommend you to meet them to get referrals.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

In the end, the therapist might ask you to address the questions that are in your head. Even if the therapist does not clarify something you would know, he will be more than happy to answer your questions. It will relax you from some frustration you could bring home. Just go with an open mind, and everything will be fine. You got this.