Show up with the intention to be as open and honest about yourself as you can be. The first session is like a first date. Your therapist will want to learn about your life and hopefully you will be interested in filling them in. The likelihood is that there is much you will want to tell them and they’ll be listening carefully and giving you their full attention. They will also go over your rights as a client, and what to expect during the course of your work together. By the end of the first session you will each have a sense of each other and will have talked some about the possibility of working together. Hard research has shown that the success of therapy is determined more by the quality of the relationship, than the theoretical orientation of the therapist. If the fit doesn't feel good to you, then you owe it to yourself to keep looking. If for some reason your therapist don't think they will be the most advantageous therapist to work with you for whatever reason, they will tell you and make a good referral to someone who they think will be better able to help you. If you decide to move forward together then they will schedule a follow up appointment.