Jacob Martinez, MA, LPC | Setting Yourself up for Success from your First Session (1 CE)
The initial session with a client is one of the most critically important moments in the therapeutic process, it has the potential to make or break the relationship between client and therapist. In many clinical settings the most common number of sessions is one, meaning clients attend one session but never return! This talk will provide key strategies for setting yourself up for success in the first session. Learn how to increase the likelihood that clients will be engaged in the work, generate their own achievable goals for therapy, and be excited to complete homework from the very first visit. Participants will learn how to set up expectations for the first session for newcomers to therapy, how to set the stage for ongoing clinical work, and how to use a collaborative treatment planning tool called the ACT Matrix to sidestep unworkable treatment goals and generate highly achievable therapeutic goals for treatment while also making assigning homework a breeze.
Participants will be able to:
- Define the three types of clients that seek out therapy.
- Structure the initial session to ease clients into the therapeutic context.
- Facilitate the ACT Matrix activity for collaborative treatment planning.
