Part 2: Making Therapy Work
Table of Contents
In Part 1: Getting Started with Therapy, we explored how to lay a strong foundation for success before your first session — from choosing the right therapist to preparing yourself mentally for the work ahead. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s a great place to start.
Now that you’re attending therapy, the next step is learning how to get the most out of each session. In this guide, we’ll walk through eight proven strategies to help you engage more deeply, overcome common hurdles, and maximize the benefits of your therapy journey.
1. Come Prepared for Each Session
One of the easiest ways to get more out of therapy is to prepare — just a little — before each session.
Instead of arriving with no direction, take 2–3 minutes to think about what’s happened since your last appointment. What stood out? What did you apply, question, or struggle with?
Therapists often teach a simple method called “bridging.” It helps you connect the current session with the previous one. Even a single insight can create a thread that makes your work feel more focused. This kind of continuity helps you make therapy more effective by building week-to-week momentum.
Try to share something that worked, something that didn’t, and something that stood out. That includes progress, even if it feels small. When you describe a struggle, try to bring in a specific situation rather than general feelings. It gives your therapist something concrete to help you with.
You don’t need a script — just a sense of what feels unresolved. If you want to improve your therapy results, intentional session prep is one of the best places to start.
2. Speak Honestly and In the Present Moment
Another way to get more out of therapy is to speak from your real-time experience, not just about your life in general.
Saying things like:
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I feel anxious talking about this.”
“I’m starting to check out right now.”
…opens the door to deeper work. Your therapist can respond in the moment, and you’ll often discover layers you didn’t know were there.
This type of in-the-moment honesty is one of the most overlooked ways to get more out of therapy. And it’s an advanced skill — for clients and therapists alike. Don’t pressure yourself to master it right away. It’s something to grow toward over time.
Speaking from the present helps your therapist attune to what’s really happening, and it brings the focus to emotions and sensations that might otherwise get missed. It takes courage — but it also opens the door to genuine breakthroughs.
3. Expect and Embrace Discomfort
Therapy can feel uncomfortable — and that’s usually a good sign. If you’re leaning into difficult emotions, you’re likely doing the work that leads to meaningful change.
Many people worry that discomfort means something’s wrong. But often, it means you’re facing something important. When you face something head-on, it can get worse before it gets better.
Clients who get more out of therapy often learn to reinterpret discomfort as a growth signal. They don’t run from it — they lean in, with support. A skilled therapist will help you regulate and find the right level of challenge so you can grow without feeling overwhelmed.
Discomfort isn’t the detour — it’s the road. If you notice yourself wanting to cancel or skip a session because you “just don’t feel like it,” that might be the clearest signal that you’re on the brink of something powerful.
4. Build the Alliance with Your Therapist
One of the most reliable ways to get more out of therapy is to strengthen the relationship you have with your therapist.
This includes giving feedback, saying what’s not working, and showing up honestly — even when things feel awkward. Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is one of the best predictors of therapy outcomes.
This relationship takes time to build. That’s okay. All good relationships do. But the more real you can be, the more your therapist becomes a partner, not just a professional. And when the alliance is strong, everything else gets easier.
Want therapy to work better? Prioritize the alliance. That means being willing to have vulnerable conversations, naming discomfort, and being curious when something doesn’t feel quite right. You don’t have to have the answers — just the willingness to be honest.
5. Do Your Homework
What you do between sessions matters just as much as what you do during them.
If your therapist gives you an assignment — like journaling, tracking thoughts, or practicing a skill — follow through as best you can. Not because it’s homework, but because it’s how change happens.
To get more out of therapy, try co-creating your assignments. Ask yourself: “What’s one small step I can take this week to reinforce what we talked about?”
Follow-through between sessions is one of the clearest predictors of whether your therapy will lead to real-world results. Even a 10% effort can build momentum. Over time, these small efforts stack up into measurable progress.
6. Journal, Reflect, and Process
Therapy moves quickly, and insights are easy to forget. To get more out of each session, give yourself a few minutes afterward to reflect.
You don’t have to write a novel. Just jot down:
One thing that surprised you
One insight you want to remember
One thing you want to try
Reflection helps you integrate what you learn and get more out of therapy every week. It turns insights into habits and makes breakthroughs more durable over time.
There are two research-backed approaches you might explore:
Positive Affect Journaling (PAJ): Developed by Judith Moskowitz and colleagues, this technique focuses on writing about positive experiences, strengths, and meaningful moments. Studies show that PAJ can improve emotional regulation and resilience.
Expressive Writing: Based on the work of Dr. James Pennebaker, expressive writing involves writing freely about difficult or emotional experiences. Research has shown that this practice can significantly improve both mental and physical health.
You can choose one style, alternate between them, or simply journal in whatever way feels natural.
The most important thing isn’t the format—it’s the act of staying connected to your inner experience between sessions.
Want to make therapy stick? Journaling is one of the simplest and most research-backed ways to amplify your progress. Consistency, not perfection, is the key.
7. Listen to Session Recordings (Especially for Hypnotherapy)
This one applies to everyone — but it’s especially important in hypnotherapy.
If your therapist allows it, record your sessions. Listening again helps you reconnect to important ideas and build responsiveness over time. In hypnosis, repeated listening increases your capacity to respond deeply — and it often leads to breakthroughs you didn’t have the first time.
Even if you’re not doing hypnosis, reviewing the material can help you get more out of therapy by reinforcing what’s already working. You’re not memorizing. You’re building connection — to your insights, your emotions, and your process.
As Dr. Brent Geary of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation puts it: “Continued contact with the therapist’s voice during the week is the single biggest predictor of therapeutic success.”
Each listen strengthens the neural pathways behind your growth. Even uneventful listening sessions do something.
8. Track Progress and Attend Consistently
Therapy is a process — and like any meaningful process, it takes time and consistency.
You’ll get more out of therapy if you show up regularly, even when you don’t feel like it. In fact, the sessions that feel inconvenient or emotionally heavy often end up being the most meaningful.
Tracking your progress is just as important. Keep notes. Review your goals every couple months. Ask your therapist for a copy of your treatment plan, and check in together on what’s shifting. Don’t wait for change to surprise you — look for it.
Clients who consistently attend and reflect tend to see better outcomes. That’s not magic. It’s momentum.
Protect your therapy time. Treat it like any other critical commitment. If you want to get more out of therapy, consistency and intention are the ultimate accelerators.
Recap: How to Get More Out of Therapy
Therapy isn’t about getting it “right.” It’s about showing up, staying curious, and doing the work between sessions.
These eight strategies can help you get more out of therapy — whether you’re just starting or you’re months into the process. Real change takes intention. With the right tools, you can make every session count.
Remember:
Come prepared
Speak honestly
Embrace discomfort
Build the alliance
Do the homework
Reflect and journal
Revisit the recordings
Track your progress
And most importantly — keep going.
Therapy works best when you keep showing up for it. And for yourself.
References
- Beck, J. S. (2020). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Geary, B. B. (n.d.). Milton H. Erickson Foundation Hypnosis Intensives: Level A Training. Milton H. Erickson Foundation.
- Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166.
- Smyth, J. M., Johnson, J. A., Auer, B. J., Lehman, E., Talamo, G., & Sciamanna, C. N. (2018). Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 5(4), e11290. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6305886/
This article was human-authored and supported by AI tools for formatting, editing, and visual enhancement.
