We understand how much courage it takes to realize a need for help and then actually act on that need by setting up an appointment with a professional counselor. We get the anxiety that people experience when making the appointment and then attending the first therapy session. This anxiety experience makes sense, if you think about it. You are setting up an appointment with a total stranger to talk about some of your innermost feelings, thoughts, and experiences. You will likely share personal information that you would rather just keep out of your own thought, let alone confess to a total stranger. ​

This anxiety is normal and there really isn’t any easy way to get over this nervousness, as counseling can just feel like a scary thing to do. It might be helpful to remember that most experiences of self-discovery and healing are stressful in this way and are not easy things to do. Telling secrets, letting the proverbial “cat out of the bag,” and getting real can be very distressing and even be painful. Even though this may be good pain (e.g. like healing a broken bone) it is pain nonetheless and we like to avoid pain.

We at A New Day know that this stress experience might be your experience and we want to encourage you to