Ginny Kappel Counselor + Coach

Some clients have been waiting for days, weeks, months to finally get this moment-talking with someone that can help.
But not everyone knows what to say or ask. First, the therapist should be guiding the call, because they get it.
Second, know that this is a brief time to really get a feel for the therapist, their authenticity and how they work.

My advice: Be prepared. But know that 15 minutes is a tiny snapshot so it’s ok if you don’t know everything to say or ask.

But here are some suggestions:
1. Ask them if they’re used to working with ____ (anything you have identified you need support with. i.e. anxiety, life stressors, postpartum, etc.)
2. Ask how would you typically approach something like this?
3. What type of therapy do you use, and what might that actually look like in our sessions?
4. What can I expect from you as my therapist?
5. How will we know if therapy is working or I’m making progress?
Bonus: Is there anything you’ve heard from me today that makes you think you would, or wouldn’t be a good fit for me?

Not every therapist offers consults for their own reasons. But if you get the opportunity, I hope this helps!

Just break my heart. But I’m for real done with this mess.

One of the most important parts of therapy with kids is knowing when to give them space and knowing when to bring their people in.

Your child opening up more when you leave the room is not a reflection of your relationship or your parenting.

Sometimes kids just need a space that feels completely like their own and an opportunity to find their own words.

And parents, we still really need you! Your perspective matters and your relationship with your child matters-you are an important part of this work.

You don’t have to know what’s important before you walk into therapy. 🤍

Sometimes the thing that matters most comes up months later.

Not because you were hiding it.
Not because your therapist missed it.
Not because you’ve been wasting time.

Maybe you needed time to trust them.
Maybe there were more immediate fires to put out first.
Maybe you didn’t have the words for it yet.
Maybe you didn’t understand how much it was affecting you.
Or maybe it genuinely never occurred to you that it was something worth talking about.

Therapy has a way of helping us connect dots we didn’t even know were related.

So if you’ve ever thought, “Wait…how have I never told my therapist this?” — tell them.

You’re not behind. You’re learning yourself as you go.

And that’s kind of the point. 🤍

Here’s the card baby, whatchu want?
We ❤️ St. Louis Cardinals

Where are all my ladies?
Drop the emoji you relate to:

🤍Working moms
🩷Boss babes
🩵ADHD girlies
😋Type C
♈️Aries
💕Enneagram 2

The next time you hear “mommy I had a bad dream,” remember this:

1. Validate “oh that’s no fun. I’m sorry.”
2. Connect “let’s go back to your room and I’ll tell you about dreams/imagination.”
3. Explain (keep it shorter for little ones). The essences here is teaching them where they have a little power or control in the uncertainty.

It’s not about not having scary dreams. It’s about knowing they can handle it when they do. ⭐️