Tags
London has more therapists per square mile than almost any city in the world. It also has almost no barrier to entry. Anyone can call themselves a counsellor, a life coach, or a therapist. Finding a therapist requires some basic knowledge of what to look for and why.
Most people arrive at a first psychotherapy session carrying two things: some version of what they want help with, and a private anxiety about what is going to happen in the room.
The anxiety is worth addressing directly. A first session is not the moment where a therapist studies you carefully and begins explaining you to yourself. It is not a performance you need to pass. It is a conversation — and a specific kind of conversation, with a specific purpose on both sides.