If you have not been to therapy before, you may wonder - What is therapy? What should I expect? Even if you have been to therapy before, you may want to know what therapy is like through COMPASS. It is very normal if you have questions or feel nervous coming to therapy as you will be meeting and connecting with someone new to you - your therapist. COMPASS therapists work with pregnant people and new parents. They understand the unique challenges that come up during this time.
COMPASS offers therapy based on science, meaning that research has shown that the therapies can work. Therapy at COMPASS can help you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and actions are linked. For example, many people work with therapists to schedule activities that they enjoy. We often think that we need to feel energized and ready before we do an activity, but doing things that we enjoy can make us feel better. Action then motivation! You can work with your therapist to match your activities to your goals and values.
Common topics that people talk about in therapy include general stress and feeling overwhelmed, managing anxiety and low mood, uncomfortable emotions and acceptance, relationships and communication, the challenges of being a new parent, standing up for ourselves, self-esteem, sleep issues, and going back to work.
Therapy is a place where you can feel safe and comfortable talking about your feelings, difficult thoughts, and behaviors that you may want to change. Therapy is about working together and “fit” is important - deciding if a therapist’s style is right for you. Ask questions about how your therapist does therapy. Also ask about how to schedule visits. If you decide that COMPASS therapy is not right for you, you can work with your care manager who can help find other services.
The COMPASS therapy office is in the OB clinic. During the pandemic, COMPASS shifted to providing therapy over the phone, which many patients like. At your appointment time, your therapist calls you on the phone for your therapy session, which lasts 45-50 minutes. As the world continues to change, with safety in mind, COMPASS may switch back to in-person therapy - stay tuned!
If you have more questions about therapy or COMPASS, feel free to reach out and ask your care manager.