Welcome to: Successful Strategies to Make Your First Sessions Great

Introduction

Planting Seeds for Success in the First Session

Lynn Lyons, LICSW and Ron Siegel, PsyD

How Your Opening Question Can Set the Tone for Success

Ellyn Bader, PhD and Rick Hanson, PhD

Building a Strong Therapeutic Bond That Will Last Beyond the First Session

Bill O’Hanlon, LMFT, Joan Borysenko, PhD, and Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Key Skills to Alleviate a New Client’s Feeling of Vulnerability

Dan Siegel, MD, Kelly McGonigal, PhD, and Richard Schwartz, PhD

A Body-Focused Approach to a Successful First Session

Pat Ogden, PhD and Kelly McGonigal, PhD

What a Client’s Nervous System Needs in the First Session

Stephen Porges, PhD and Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Two Ways to Work with an Underlying Medical Issue in the First Session

Ron Siegel, PsyD, Dan Siegel, MD, and Joan Borysenko, PhD

How to Manage a Client’s Expectations for Treatment

Christine Padeksy, PhD and Rick Hanson, PhD

How to Address Common Warning Signs in the First Session

Ron Siegel, PsyD, Zindel Segal, PhD, and Rick Hanson, PhD

Bonus 1: How to Get a Reluctant Client to Come to Therapy

Lynn Lyons, LICSW and Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Bonus 2: First Sessions with Couples – Part 1

Sue Johnson, EdD and Joan Borysenko, PhD

Bonus 2: First Sessions with Couples – Part 2

Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT and Rick Hanson, PhD

Bonus 3: When to Disclose Personal Details in a First Session

Shelly Harrell, PhD and Rick Hanson, PhD