How to get the most out of therapy

How to Get the Most Out of Therapy: A Guide for Your Journey

Therapy can be a transformative experience — but the real power often lies in what happens between sessions. Your therapist is there with you for a short session, usually weekly, and then you are with yourself for the rest of the time.

If you’re seeking deep and lasting change, and feel ready for it now, it can help to engage actively with the process both inside and outside the therapy room. This means bringing your reflections, questions, and insights to each session, and making space for honest inquiry in your daily life.

In this post, I’ll share practical ways to deepen your therapy experience and some questions you can ask yourself between sessions to keep the momentum going.

Why Reflection Between Sessions Matters

Therapy isn’t a quick fix. It’s a collaborative journey that asks for presence, curiosity, and a willingness to lean into discomfort and discovery. Showing up ready to work, even when it feels hard, opens the door to insight and growth.

When you pause to reflect between sessions, you’re giving your mind and body time to integrate what you’re learning. You’re also preparing to bring richer, more nuanced material to our conversations — which helps us move deeper, faster.

Practices to Support Your Inner Work

Here are some accessible ways to support your process between sessions. You don’t need to do all of them — pick what fits for you:

• Journaling: Write freely or respond to prompts that help you track your emotions, patterns, and progress.

• Meditation: Even a few minutes of mindfulness or breathwork can help you tune into your body and mind.

• Solo Time in Nature: Time outdoors can ground you and create space for reflection.

• Daily Check-Ins: Set aside quiet moments in the morning or evening to ask yourself how you’re feeling and what you need.

• Intentional Rituals: Lighting a candle, making tea, or creating a small pause for yourself can help focus your attention inward.

• Set up a "Therapy" note on your phone: Throughout your week, jot down things that irk you, that are meaningful for you, or that you are curious about and want to talk about in therapy. Open it up in the beginning of our session.

  
  

Questions to Explore Between Sessions

Use these questions as gentle invitations to notice your experience and stay connected to your therapy goals:

Reflect on Your Week:

• What felt grounding or supportive?

• What was challenging or activating?

• How did you respond in those moments?

Check In With Yourself:

• What emotions are most present?

• Where do you feel those emotions physically?

• What might you be avoiding?

Focus on Your Goals:

• What do you most want from therapy right now?

• What progress have you noticed?

• What feels stuck?

Practice Compassionate Curiosity:

• What can you learn if you drop the need to “fix” things?

• What old patterns might be showing up?

• What does this part of you need?

Bringing Your Reflections Into Sessions

Bringing in what you want to explore can be an incredibly empowering way to guide the therapy, and make sure we really explore what's important to you each hour we are together. This may look like these statements below:

• “I’ve been thinking about something we discussed last time...”

• “This feeling or reaction came up for me this week, and I’m not sure what to do with it.”

• “I noticed myself responding in a way that surprised me.”

  
  

Remember: You don’t have to arrive with answers or perfectly formed insights — just a willingness to explore. That’s where the work begins.

Therapy is a process — and your active engagement makes all the difference. If you’re ready to dive deeper and want to learn more about working together, feel free to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation.