Staying home to meet your therapist is an option for those who need therapy. In-home therapy provides a feeling of comfort while maintaining a sense of safety and privacy. The ability to feel safe while talking with someone who can meet your mental health needs is a perfect way to include support for addiction or mental health disorders at your convenience.
Imagine a therapy session you can schedule when you are available. You can talk with your therapist without the stress and anxiety of driving, worrying about people seeing you, or changing your calendar to fit your therapist’s schedule. The bonus of in-home therapy is you can feel protected.
What to Expect
In-home therapy is a time to discuss your feelings, mental health concerns, or alcohol or substance addictions. Setting up an appointment is easy, and many find our in-home therapy services are the beginning of their physical, emotional, and physical health journey. You are under no obligation to clean or prepare snacks when your therapist visits. Instead, take the time before your first visit to think about why you set up the appointment. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your first in-home therapy appointment:
- Prepare a list of questions before your therapist sees you. Asking questions focuses on why you scheduled an appointment while also easing your mind. Being comfortable in your own home and building a sense of trust with your therapist is integral to the therapy process.
- Ask and re-ask questions if necessary. It’s okay to repeat a question. Sometimes an answer is unclear, or you aren’t sure how a form of therapy will benefit your needs. Going over your questions until you feel satisfied can help you understand the process and provide clarity and a sense of safety.
- Don’t hide your feelings. Explain any hesitation or misgivings you have about therapy. Not feeling comfortable with treatment will build a barrier between you and your therapist. Your honesty about how you think, what led you to treatment, and your goals while in therapy help you and your therapist decide how to approach your sessions.
- Listen to yourself. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings regarding the session. Discuss how you feel with your therapist. Ways to address your feelings are available to you if you talk with your therapist.
After the therapy session, take time to go over what happened during the appointment. Consider how at ease you were with your therapist. First therapy sessions are a way to interview your therapist. Sometimes you don’t feel a connection to the therapist. You have two options if you don’t feel a connection or feel uncomfortable:
- Schedule another appointment to see if there is a better connection
- Try a different therapist. An understanding treatment center will work with you in your search for a positive patient-therapist relationship.
Why Staying at Home Works
Meeting with your therapist at home can take the discomfort or feeling of being vulnerable away from your appointments. Being at ease fosters your openness to treatment. An essential part of in-home therapy is a safe space—having familiar objects surround you aids in the journey to a healthy mind, body, and soul. Often, in an office visit, you cannot show how your environment affects your health. With in-home visits, your therapist can see how you react to your environment. For example, your therapist can assess how home life creates a positive or negative effect on your person. Once recognition of how you are affected by your relationships is established, healing will begin.
Function and Family
Working with your therapist in your home also provides an opportunity to create a safe space. Not every home is a safe or positive place. Dysfunction may surround you, causing you to fall into negative lifestyle patterns. Your therapist will work with you to identify and make the adjustments needed to increase the positive energy required to heal.
An act as simple as organizing your home environment will make a difference in maintaining order in your daily routine. Working on establishing a routine, coordinating schedules with family, friends, or others can help you regularly focus. The act of focusing benefits your emotional, physical, and inner well-being.
In-home therapy allows your therapist to observe the interactions you have with your loved ones. Families have patterns of behavior that either support a healthy lifestyle or damage a person. In some cases, the family or loved ones may adopt roles that protect them, but in turn, hurt you. Mental health disorders and alcohol or substance addiction creates unhealthy dynamics in personal relationships. Your therapist will work with you and your loved ones in adjusting behavior and adopted roles. Positive, supportive relationships foster a sense of well-being. Establishing healthy relationships starts with changing family roles, but it doesn’t stop there.
Learn what your needs are through creating a safe space. The idea of a safe space can seem daunting, but it’s worthwhile. Discuss with the family what you need to feel comfortable, work on coping techniques, or re-focus. Safe spaces are essential in constructing a routine and an outlet.
Safe Spaces
Safe spaces are places you feel you can talk with your therapist, write, paint, exercise, or meditate. To work on your health and well-being, you need to have a place you feel is yours. Creating a safe space is achieved by following these steps:
- Find an area in the house you feel is private.
- Decorate the space with objects, pieces of art, or anything connected with positive feelings. Make this area your space, and ensure that it reflects your personality.
- When you are ready or if you are ready, show your space to your family or therapist.
- Discuss boundaries with your loved ones. Let them know if you prefer they don’t go into your space, stay away while you are there, or if it is a place you want to share on your terms.
In-home therapy allows you to feel safe, comfortable, and open to treatment.
The process of healing begins at home. An open, supportive environment is essential to maintain your well-being. Working with your therapist in your home provides your therapist with an opportunity to observe how your family interacts. Comprehensive therapy fosters a sense of safety, control, and routine. Functioning within an organized, positive environment builds on the tools needed to continue your positive mental health journey. Your therapist is your partner in establishing a safe place for you to work on your well-being. Formulating a plan is essential. Contacting a treatment center that offers in-home therapy is the first step. Write down your questions before the first visit, ask, and re-ask questions until you understand what happens during a therapy session. Freely discuss your feelings with your therapist. Don’t be afraid to change therapists if you don’t feel connected. Find what feels right. Call Achieve Concierge to schedule your in-home therapy session at (619)-393-5871.