Good Questions to Ask a Therapist

Therapy is a collaborative process. Asking questions can help you better understand what you’re experiencing and make your sessions more useful.

Below are some ideas for questions that can support deeper conversations with your therapist.

Questions to Understand Yourself Better

Your therapist can offer an outside perspective and help you explore parts of your experiences that may be difficult to understand on your own.

• Can you help me understand why this situation brings up such a strong feeling for me?

• Have you noticed any patterns in the experiences I’ve shared with you?

• Can you help me understand what might be underneath what I’m feeling?

• Do you think my past experiences could be affecting how I’m experiencing this now?

• How can I better understand what I need when I’m feeling this way?

Questions About Specific Struggles

When you’re facing a specific concern or difficult situation, your therapist can help you consider your options and determine what may be helpful moving forward.

• What are some ways I can manage my anxiety when it starts interfering with my day?

• How can I approach a difficult conversation that I’ve been worried about having?

• Can you help me figure out what a healthy boundary might look like in this situation?

• What can I do when the coping strategies I usually rely on aren’t helping?

• How can I work through a difficult decision without feeling pressured to have the answer right away?

• What are some ways I can handle a situation that I know I can’t change?
  

Questions to Check Your Progress

It can be helpful to periodically talk with your therapist about how therapy is going. This gives you an opportunity to discuss what has changed and whether your current goals still reflect what you need.

• What changes have you noticed since we started working together?

• Do you think the goals we’ve been working toward still make sense for me?

• Are there areas where you’ve noticed growth that I may not recognize myself?

• Is there anything we’ve been working on that you think we should approach differently?

• How can we evaluate whether therapy is helping with the concerns that brought me here?
  

Questions About Tools and Practice

Your therapist can recommend strategies that support the work you’re doing in therapy between appointments.

• Is there something you recommend I practice before our next session?

• What can I try if I start feeling overwhelmed between sessions?

• Are there specific techniques that could help me manage what I’m experiencing?

• Are there exercises or resources you think would be useful for me?

• How can I practice using this skill when I’m not in therapy?
  

If you’re already working with a therapist, consider bringing one or two of these questions to your next session. If you’re new to therapy, finding a therapist you feel comfortable talking openly with is an important place to start.

Find the right therapist for the support you need by exploring our therapists and their areas of specialty.