What Can I Expect in My First Adult Therapy Appointment?
Starting therapy as an adult can be intimidating when you are unsure what to expect. By following the steps in this quick beginner’s guide to common adult therapy services, you can equip yourself with skills and knowledge to tackle all of life’s challenges.
STEP ONE: Selecting the Appropriate Therapy Service
Individual Adult Therapy
If you are looking to focus on your personal well-being, goals, or coping strategies, individual adult therapy may be the right choice. This approach provides a safe and supportive space to explore thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, while working collaboratively with a clinician to develop strategies for personal growth and emotional resilience.
Couples Therapy
If you and your partner want to strengthen your relationship, improve communication, or navigate conflict, couples therapy may be a good fit. Sessions offer a neutral and supportive space to understand each other’s perspectives, learn tools to resolve disagreements, and build trust and emotional connection.
Family Therapy
If your goal is to improve family dynamics, resolve ongoing conflicts, or enhance communication among family members, family therapy can help. A trained therapist works with the family as a whole to identify patterns, foster understanding, and develop strategies that support stronger relationships and healthier interactions.
Still not sure? Contact us.
STEP TWO: Exploring a Treatment Plan
During the assessment and first appointment, you will begin establishing a treatment plan tailored to your therapy goals. Not sure what treatment is right for you? Explore some of the most commonly used, evidence-based psychotherapies that may be suggested for you below:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- The Gottman Method
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
If you are interested in quickly learning tools and strategies to manage unhelpful thoughts, behavioural challenges, or emotional unease, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may be the option for you. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, commonly known as CBT, is an evidence-backed treatment designed to efficiently prevent emotional and psychological distress by building skills, setting goals, and adapting behaviour. By creating short-term, achievable goals, you will be able to successfully focus on what is most appropriate for your needs to efficiently foster change in your life.
CBT provides a welcoming and safe space to recognize, evaluate, and modify behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. Following an assessment, your physician will begin a collaborative process to specifically target challenges and develop a customized treatment plan. Through different processes such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, problem solving, and other methods, you will develop strategies to produce more successful and sound outcomes.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Sometimes, accepting the changes, challenges, and uncertainties of life can feel overwhelming. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is designed to reflect on your personal values while promoting self-acceptance and integration of behaviours that align with your personal beliefs. ACT encourages you to embrace your thoughts and feelings, without judgment, while exploring emotions deeply. As a result, you will promote psychological flexibility in your everyday life. Instead of suppression, ACT motivates individuals to accept and move through challenges as they arise, or previous challenges that have affected them. Challenges may range from physical, like chronic pain, to mental health symptoms, such as depression, lack of motivation, or fear. By aligning your decisions with your personal beliefs and values through ACT, you can mitigate impulsive responses, fears, or your desires.
The Gottman Method
The Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples therapy that focuses on strengthening communication, managing conflict, and building trust and emotional connection. Early sessions often help couples better understand their interaction patterns and learn practical tools to improve dialogue and reduce recurring disagreements. The Gottman Method is grounded in decades of observational research on couples and has been shown to improve relationship satisfaction and stability when applied consistently.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
If you are experiencing ongoing emotional distress related to past or current life experiences, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) may be an appropriate treatment option for you. EMDR is an evidence-based therapy designed to support the processing of distressing memories and emotional responses, helping reduce their impact on present-day thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Research has shown that EMDR is associated with reductions in trauma-related and anxiety symptoms when delivered by trained clinicians. This has been demonstrated in a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Following an assessment, your clinician may incorporate EMDR into a collaborative treatment plan to support emotional regulation, psychological well-being, and adaptive coping.
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
If you find you have a difficult time working through challenging emotions and feelings both independently and with others, Emotion Focused Therapy may be suited for you. Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach for managing, processing, and reflecting on emotions, proven to effectively improve mental health, relationships, and self-esteem. Relying on four major principles, EFT generates change through increasing emotional awareness, promoting emotional regulation, transforming emotions, and finally reflecting on emotions to derive meaning. This short-term, goal-oriented approach is designed to help understand, acknowledge, and overcome hard emotions to develop tolerance and self-comforting techniques. By channeling alternative emotions and developing new skills, maladaptive emotions (emotions that hinder adaptation) may be reduced and regulated. Applicable to individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy, EFT is a highly effective and widely used method to resolve personal or interpersonal conflict.
Still not sure? Contact us.
STEP THREE: Free Initial 20-minute Consultation
By completing a free 20-minute initial consultation with one of our therapists, you can see if the therapist is right for you. The therapeutic relationship is extremely important to the therapy process and you have to feel comfortable with the person. The consultation also allows the therapist to determine if they are the right person to potentially help you. They will ask you about the main problems you are currently experiencing and suggest a possible treatment approach that may be helpful, as many of our clinicians use more than one approach. Your consultation appointment will be completed by one of our therapists who work with adults, including Michelle Helder, Christina Kahlou, Amy Battistone or Di-Anne Martin.
STEP FOUR: Preparing for the Appointment
Sometimes, finding the best therapist to work alongside your therapy journey can be difficult; that’s why it is important to examine your options closely and build a strong relationship with your therapist. If needed, you can complete a free initial consultation with more than one clinician. After completing the initial 20-minute appointment, you can move on to scheduling your first 50-minute appointment. Check out some of Colibri NeuroWellness’s team members.
STEP FIVE: Extra Tips for Your First Therapy Session
If this is your first therapy session, it is normal to feel unsure or curious about what will happen. During your appointment, you will have the opportunity to share your current challenges, personal goals, and any questions you may have about the therapy process. Your therapist will work with you to understand your needs, outline potential treatment approaches, and begin building a plan tailored to you.
For couples therapy, both partners will participate in identifying patterns, improving communication, and learning practical tools to manage conflict and strengthen their connection. The first session is designed to provide a supportive space to begin exploring solutions and developing strategies for meaningful change.
Starting therapy as an adult can feel intimidating, but understanding what to expect can make the process easier and more empowering. By following the steps outlined in this guide – from selecting the right therapy service, completing an initial consultation, building a treatment plan, and preparing for your first session – you can enter therapy with confidence and clarity.
At Colibri NeuroWellness, we provide a supportive and safe environment for individuals, couples, and families to navigate life’s challenges. Our team works with you to develop personalized strategies, set meaningful goals, and foster emotional well-being. No matter what life throws your way, therapy can provide the guidance, tools, and support to help you thrive.
STEP SIX: Building Momentum After Your First Session
After your first therapy session, it is completely normal to experience a range of emotions, including relief, uncertainty, and increased self-awareness. These reactions are a natural part of beginning therapy. Change often occurs gradually and progress typically develops over time through continued collaboration between you and your therapist.
In follow-up sessions, you and your therapist will continue to clarify goals, explore patterns in thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and strengthen coping strategies that support emotional well-being. You may be encouraged to reflect between sessions, practice skills discussed in therapy, or engage in exercises that reinforce insight and growth.
It is important to remember that progress is not always linear. Some sessions may feel challenging as new emotions or perspectives emerge, while others may feel more affirming. Open communication with your therapist about your experience helps ensure that therapy remains aligned with your needs and goals.
With consistency and commitment, therapy can become a valuable tool for building resilience, improving self-awareness, and supporting long-term emotional health.
Still have questions about what comes next? Contact us.
References
Aravind, A., Agarwal, M., Malhotra, S., & Ayyub, S. (2024). Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on mental health issues: A systematic review. Annals of Neurosciences, 32(4), 321–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/09727531241300741
Brown, M., Glendenning, A., Hoon, A. E., & John, A. (2016, August 24). Effectiveness of web-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy in relation to mental health and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(8). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5039035/
Cuijpers, P., Veen, S. C. van, Sijbrandij, M., Yoder, W., & Cristea, I. A. (2020, February 11). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 49(3), 165-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2019.1703801
Gottman, J. M. (2026, January 16). The empirical basis for Gottman method couples therapy. The Gottman Institute. https://www.gottman.com/blog/
Greenberg, L. (2006, June 2). Emotion-focused therapy: A synopsis. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 36, 87-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-006-9011-3
McGinn, L. K., & Sanderson, W. C. (2001). What allows cognitive behavioral therapy to be brief: Overview, efficacy, and crucial ractors facilitating brief treatment. American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2001-16951-003.html
Villegas-Ortega, J., Arevalo, G., & Cárdenas, A. (2026, January 1). Effects of EMDR vs. waiting list for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.120134
Wenzel, A. (2017, December). Basic strategies of cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 40(4), 597-609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.07.001
Authors: Clara Flitton and Sujan Ravi, Undergraduate Student Volunteers
Edited by: Caden Grandy, Undergraduate Student Volunteer
