Finally Ready to Take This Step

Hey everyone, I've been putting this off forever but my anxiety has gotten really bad lately and my sister keeps saying I should talk to someone professional. Thing is, I don't really get what happens in those sessions? Like do they just listen or actually give advice? I'm worried I'll waste money on someone who just nods at me. Can anyone break down what therapists actually do during appointments? Would really help me decide if this is worth trying.

I totally get the worry — I felt the same before my first session. A therapist doesn’t just nod; they listen, ask questions to help you see patterns, and sometimes suggest strategies or coping tools, depending on their approach. My friend went in thinking it’d be pointless, but after a few sessions, she learned small ways to manage panic attacks that actually worked. If you want a simple breakdown of what different professionals do, this helped me a lot: www.citizenadvocates.net/blog/therapist-vs-psychologist-how-are-they-different . It made deciding to try therapy way less intimidating.