Contact- the beginning

In therapy, the first session is just as important as in any other relationship. We establish a connection and mutually assess whether we can work together. Through this process, the experience of (probably) hundreds of "First Sessions" has shaped the way I initiate first contact with my clients. Of course, we will talk about goals, about what triggered the decision to start therapy NOW, about confidentiality, and other technical aspects that will outline how our collaboration might look in the future (if we decide to continue after this first session).

One important guide for me has been, among others, the famous article written by W. Cornell in 1986- "Setting the therapeutic stage: the initial sessions".

Beyond the technical aspects, I believe that the therapeutic experience is strongly influenced by the setting in which the sessions take place.

When sessions are online, the responsibility for how they unfold is shared: both the client and I are responsible for maintaining external boundaries, as defined by Berne. In practice, the session should take place in a secure, interruption-free environment. In the office, I control this aspect. When the client is in a different location, they are responsible for making sure they are not interrupted by family members, pets, etc.—and this, in itself, can create a therapeutic context, related to how we are used to / have been taught / feel comfortable setting our own boundaries.

As in any therapy session, focusing on the HERE and NOW is essential: sometimes, although my access to non-verbal behavior may be limited, other things may become more evident on screen—microexpressions at key moments, behaviors that might not have occurred in other circumstances (for example, the client’s implicit assumption that smoking during the session is allowed since we’re not in the same room might open new areas for exploration: is this an attempt to disconnect in the therapeutic relationship? What part of the process has become overwhelming NOW? How does this disconnection show up in other relationships? Etc.).

The advan0cement of technology and the context that has made online therapy sessions possible have increased access to therapy, and I believe that my goal, as a therapist, is my clients’ well-being. Despite certain limitations, I recommend that the therapeutic process take place in live sessions whenever possible.

#contact #florentaturleapsihoterapeut #onlinesessions