Your time just before and right after therapy is just as important as the actual session.

Here's what we recommend before your therapy session:

-review your journal from last week to your refresh memory about what you talked about and orient back towards your therapy process

-ask yourself how you are feeling (you know your therapist is gonna ask!!)

-ask yourself what, if anything specific, you feel you need today in therapy (it's okay if you don't know, your therapist can help you explore this),

-reflect on how you want to spent the session, note anything specific you want to talk about today,

-take a sip of water and a few deep breaths.

Don't (or try not to): rush to therapy from another meeting/task/place...take transition time (even with virtual therapy). This will help you gather yourself and get more out of your sessions. Otherwise, you have to spend the first 5-10 or more minutes just getting oriented to the change of scene/emotional tone/relationship.

Here's what we recommend after therapy:

-take a few deep breaths, don't just rush to the next thing,

-get out your journal! Write about:

-what are your key takeaways from the session?

-what do you want to remember this time next week?

-what do you want to practice during the week? when/how will you do that?

-what was your homework, if your therapist gave you any? how do you feel about this homework? when will you do it? if you feel hesitation about the homework, what makes it feel difficult/scares you about it?

-reflect on how you can take care of yourself for the rest of the day?

-drink water. breathe, eat a snack, take a nap.

This post-therapy integration is where you can set intentions for the week. It's where you can take the hard work of therapy and start to explore how you can apply it to your actual day to day life. Remember, therapy is only one out of 168 hours in a week!