What Does Therapy at TTC Actually Feel Like?
A Journey Through Your First Session and Beyond
Ok, so you may have read about our approach, researched some of the different modalities we talk about on our website, and maybe even scheduled your first appointment with one of our experienced clinicians. But what does it actually feel like to be in a session at The Therapy Collective? How is it different from what you might have experienced in therapy elsewhere or in the movies?
Let’s walk through what you might experience from the moment you join your first Zoom session to the therapeutic relationship that develops over time
Before We Even Begin: You're Already Being Heard
Even before your first session, you've likely experienced something different about our approach. Maybe it was the way our Practice Manager, Elisa, really listened during your initial phone call, not rushing you through a checklist but genuinely curious about YOU. Perhaps it was how we offered you choices—phone or online intake, morning or evening appointments—recognizing that your comfort and preferences matter from day one.
This isn't accidental. At The Therapy Collective, therapy begins with the understanding that you are the expert on your own life, and our role is to collaborate with you, not to direct you.
Settling In: Creating Sacred Space in Digital Connection
When you log into your session, you might notice something unexpected. Your therapist won't immediately dive into your problems or pull out a diagnostic manual to assign a diagnosis based on what the symptoms you share. Instead, your therapist will take a moment to genuinely connect. This might look like a check-in about how you're feeling right now, at this moment. Or they may briefly acknowledge anything that might be present for you as you begin.
"How are you arriving today?" your therapist might ask.
Not "How are you?" with its expected "fine" response.
Our therapists try to begin sessions with an invitation for you to notice and share your actual present-moment experience.
This isn't small talk. We believe that how you arrive in relationship—with yourself, with your therapist, with this moment—is where healing begins.
Even through a screen, you might feel a quality of presence that's different from other professional interactions. Your therapist is fully there with you, not multitasking or thinking about the next client. This presence creates what we call "liminal space"—a sense that this space can hold whatever you bring.
The Art of Being Truly Heard
As you begin to share what brought you to therapy, you might notice something unusual about how your therapist listens. They're not taking copious notes, formulating responses, or waiting for their turn to speak. Instead, they're listening to receive—fully taking in not just your words, but the emotions beneath them, the relationships you describe, the hopes and fears you carry.
When they do respond, it might surprise you. Instead of immediately offering solutions or interpretations, they might reflect back what they heard in a way that helps you feel truly seen:
"It sounds like you're carrying so much responsibility for everyone else's happiness, and part of you is exhausted by that, while another part of you worries about what would happen if you stopped."
Notice how this response doesn't try to fix or change anything—it simply acknowledges the complexity of your experience. This is the power of "and" thinking in action. Your therapist isn't trying to resolve the contradiction between being tired of caretaking and worried about stopping. They're helping you see that both can be true simultaneously.
When Challenges Arise: Embracing "And" Over "But"
Let's say you're struggling with a difficult relationship—maybe with a family member who you love but who also presses all your buttons. In traditional therapy, you might expect to explore whether this relationship is "good" or "bad" for you, whether you should set boundaries or be more accepting.
But in therapy at TTC, your therapist might say something like:
"It sounds like you love your sister deeply AND you feel drained after spending time with her. You want to maintain your connection AND you need to protect your own wellbeing. Both of these things can be true. What might it look like to honor both needs?"
This "and" approach doesn't rush you toward a decision or convince you that one feeling is more valid than another. Instead, it creates space for the full complexity of human relationships and invites you to find creative solutions that honor multiple truths.
You might feel a sense of relief in this moment—the relief of not having to choose sides in your own internal conflict, of having all parts of your experience validated and welcomed.
Liminal Space : Where Real Change Happens
As sessions continue, you'll likely notice that something is happening in the relationship between you and your therapist that feels different from other professional relationships. This isn't friendship—it maintains appropriate boundaries—but it's not distant or clinical either.
Your therapist might notice patterns in how you relate:
"I'm curious—you've apologized three times in the last five minutes for taking up time with your feelings. I wonder if that happens in other relationships too?"
Or they might share their own process:
"I notice I'm feeling a pull to give you advice right now, and I'm wondering if that's what typically happens when you share struggles with people. Do others often jump into fixing mode with you?"
This is relational awareness in action. Your therapist is paying attention not just to what you're saying, but to what's happening between you in real time, recognizing that how you relate in therapy often mirrors how you relate in the rest of your life.
You might feel surprised by this transparency, this sense that your therapist is a real person who has responses to you, not just a blank screen. This authenticity creates what we call "earned security"—a sense that this relationship can handle truth, complexity, and even conflict.
Co-Creating Your Path Forward
Perhaps most surprisingly, you might find that you and your therapist are creating solutions together rather than receiving prescribed interventions. When you're exploring a challenge, your therapist might ask:
"Given everything we've talked about—your values, your relationships, your goals—what feels like the next right step for you?"
Or: "What would it look like to carry this new awareness into your daily life? What would support you in remembering this insight when you're in the middle of a difficult moment?"
This is therapeutic collaboration. Your therapist isn't imposing external solutions but helping you discover your own wisdom and develop your own tools. You might leave sessions with practices you've designed together, experiments you've agreed to try, or simply new ways of thinking about old problems.
The Ongoing Journey: Therapeutic Relationship as the Vehicle for Change
Over time, you'll likely notice that the therapeutic relationship itself becomes a place where you practice new ways of being. Maybe you learn to express needs directly with your therapist, which then translates to your personal relationships. Perhaps you practice setting boundaries in session, or learn to sit with difficult emotions without immediately trying to fix them.
The therapeutic relationship becomes a laboratory for growth—a safe place to try out new patterns before taking them into the world.
You might also notice that your therapist continues to grow and learn alongside you. They might say things like, "That perspective you shared last week has stayed with me," or "You're teaching me something about resilience that I hadn't considered before."
This mutuality doesn't make the relationship equal—your therapist maintains their professional role and responsibility—but it acknowledges that healing happens in authentic connection, and authentic connection involves mutual influence.
What Makes This Different?
If you’ve been in traditional therapy before, you might notice several key differences
Less pathologizing, more humanizing. Instead of focusing primarily on what's wrong with you, therapy at TTC recognizes that most emotional struggles make perfect sense given your life experiences and relationships.
More present-moment awareness. Rather than only talking about problems, you'll spend time noticing what's happening right now—in your body, in your emotions, between you and your therapist.
Relationship as medicine. The healing doesn't just happen through insights or techniques (though those matter too)—it happens through experiencing a different kind of relationship, one that's consistently attuned, authentic, and growth-oriented.
Your wisdom honored. You're not a passive recipient of expert knowledge but an active co-creator of your healing journey.
The Ripple Effect: How TTC’s Approach Changes Everything
As you continue in therapy, you might notice changes that extend far beyond your original presenting concerns. The skills you're practicing—mindful communication, receptive listening, "and" thinking, co-creation—begin to show up in all your relationships.
You might find yourself listening differently to your partner, holding space for complexity in your friendships, or approaching conflicts at work with more curiosity and less defensiveness. The relational skills you develop in therapy become life skills.
Beginning Your Own Journey
Every person's experience in therapy is unique, shaped by their own story, needs, and goals. What we've described here is one possible journey—a glimpse into what it might feel like to be truly seen, heard, and supported in your growth.
The most important thing to know is that this approach trusts your inherent wisdom and capacity for healing. You don't need to be fixed because you're not broken. You need to be supported, witnessed, and encouraged as you discover your own path forward.
If this resonates with you, if you're curious about what it might feel like to experience therapy as a collaborative, relational journey rather than a medical intervention, we'd love to explore that possibility with you.
Your story matters. Your relationships matter. You matter.
And healing happens best when we remember that we're all fundamentally connected, all capable of growth, and all deserving of authentic, supportive relationships—including the therapeutic relationship.
About The Therapy Collective (TTC):
We are a remote psychotherapy practice dedicated to providing accessible, culturally responsive mental health care using integrative relational principles. Our multilingual team serves clients across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Vermont, and Maine. We offer therapy in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Korean, and Russian. We believe that healing happens in relationship, and we're honored to be part of your journey toward greater wellbeing and authentic connection.
