What to Expect

Starting therapy can bring up a lot of questions — and a lot of uncertainty.

What will the first session be like?

How long will this take?

Will I have to talk about everything right away?

This page is here to give you a clear, honest picture of what the process looks like — from your first contact with us to the deeper work ahead.

There is no single path through therapy. But here is what you can generally expect.

👉 Still have questions? Book a free consultation — we’re happy to answer them

📞 Step 1: Free Consultation

The first step is a free consultation with our client care coordinator.

This is a low-pressure conversation — not a clinical intake.

It’s a chance to:

• Share a little about what’s bringing you in
• Ask any questions you have
• Get a sense of whether Healing Tree feels like the right fit
• Be matched with a therapist who fits your needs, pace, and preferences

You don’t need to have everything figured out before this call.

You don’t need to know exactly what to say.

You just need to reach out.

👉 Book your free consultation

🤝 Step 2: Getting matched with a therapist

Finding the right therapist matters.

During your consultation, we’ll recommend one or more of our therapists based on what you’ve shared — including your concerns, your preferences, and what kind of support you’re looking for.

If you have specific preferences — around communication style, clinical approach, language, or lived experience — we want to hear them.

We make every effort to find a good fit.

👉 Learn about our team

🖥 In-Person & Virtual Sessions

We offer both in-person and virtual sessions, so you can choose what works best for your life and circumstances.

That said, we’d gently encourage you to consider coming in when you can.

There’s something about being physically present in a room with another person — the quality of attention, the subtle cues, the sense of being truly met — that is harder to replicate on a screen. In a world where so much of our connection has moved online, we think there’s real value in reclaiming that.

In-person sessions tend to be especially beneficial for somatic and body-based work, where your therapist is attuned to more than just what you’re saying.

Virtual sessions are a great option when life makes it difficult to get here — whether that’s distance, schedule, weather, or anything else. Many clients use a combination of both depending on the week.

Either way, the work is what matters most. We’ll make it work.

👉 Have questions about attending virtually? See our FAQ page

🌱 Step 3: The first sessions

The first three to five sessions are a getting-to-know-you process.

Your therapist will ask questions to understand your background, your current experience, and what you’re hoping to get out of therapy.

This is a conversation, not formal interview — and you are never required to share more than you’re ready to.

These early sessions are also about building the kind of trust and safety that makes the deeper work possible.

By the end of this phase, you and your therapist will have a shared sense of direction — and a preliminary understanding of what the work ahead might look like.

🛋️ Step 4: The work itself

Therapy at Healing Tree generally unfolds in phases — though the pace and shape of each phase will be unique to you.

Stabilization & safety

Before exploring the deeper roots of what you’re carrying, we focus on helping you feel more stable, regulated, and supported in your day-to-day life.

This might include building awareness of how your nervous system responds, developing ways to manage overwhelm, and making any needed changes to your environment or circumstances.

It also involves beginning to understand the parts of you that are working hardest to keep you protected — the patterns and responses that have been doing a lot of heavy lifting, often for a long time.

The goal of this phase is not to avoid the harder work. It’s to make sure you have enough ground under your feet to do it — and enough trust in the process to go there.

Understanding & processing

When you feel ready, we begin to explore what’s underneath — the deeper experiences, wounds, and beliefs that your protective patterns have been organized around.

This is often where the most meaningful shifts happen.

In IFS terms, this is the work of gently approaching the parts of you that have been carrying the most pain — not to force them to change, but to finally give them the attention and understanding they’ve never had.

We move at your pace. We don’t push you into territory you’re not ready for. And we understand that this part of the process is not always linear — there will be harder sessions alongside lighter ones.

Integration & moving forward

As the work unfolds, something begins to shift — not just in how you feel, but in how you relate to yourself. 

The parts that were once in conflict start to find more ease. The protective responses that once ran on automatic begin to loosen their grip. A clearer, more grounded sense of who you are starts to emerge.

You’ll start making sense of what you’ve learned about yourself, rebuilding your relationship with yourself, and beginning to live in a way that reflects your values, needs, and sense of who you are.

This phase looks different for everyone.

For some, it means strengthening relationships. For others, it means creating a life that better fits how they actually function. For many, it means simply feeling more like themselves.

👉 Work with a therapist who moves at your pace

A note on the process

Therapy is not a straight line.

There will be sessions that feel productive and sessions that feel hard. There will be moments of clarity and moments of confusion.

This is normal — and it’s part of the process.

What we can promise is that we will show up consistently, honestly, and with your wellbeing genuinely at the centre of the work.

You don’t have to do this perfectly. You don’t have to show up with the right words.

You just have to show up.

👉 Book a free consultation

Ready to Book a Consultation?