One of the first things you will do in therapy is identify your goals. That’s where it all starts. From there you’ll be tasked with identifying thoughts and feelings regarding those goals. Next comes identifying the patterns and interventions that are effective at helping you meet those goals. Finally, we’ll work on identifying how to maintain your goals moving forward.

In therapy you’ll work on improving your mental health and sometimes that means taking a long hard look at your own unhealthy thoughts processes or behaviors. It’s a therapist’s job to confront your unhealthy patterns and guide you at figuring out how to improve them. You won’t just sit and talk with a passive therapist. You will be challenged.

While most first responders come to therapy with an idea of where they want to start, they may not realize how deep they need to dive in order to get to the root of the issue. The therapist will help you understand where your mental health symptoms originated and why. Once you understand the cause you can prevent the cycle from continuing.

First responders are rescuers by nature and want to prevent harm to their loved ones at all costs. Through therapy you’ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your symptoms, and your steps forward. By gaining this knowledge you’re preparing yourself to prevent the unhealthy cycles and patterns from continuing to impact you and your loved ones.