How to Return to Therapy After a Summer Pause
🍂 The Return
If you took a summer pause from therapy, you might be thinking about coming back in fall or even as early as September. You might already have a session booked, in the process of scheduling, or sitting with it on the to-do list.
The return to therapy can bring up a few emotions: a little anticipation, sometimes a little resistance, a rusty feeling… perhaps that you’ve forgotten how to show up in a session.
My last post was about staying present and tThis post is for that in-between moment. The one where summer is still technically here but September is close enough to feel real. Is it possible to reframe your image of therapy to suit your current needs?
🧠Why Returning Can Feel Harder Than Starting
When we first start out in therapy there is this clear getting to know you quality that more than often comes up. Therapist and client are both find their footing but when returning to therapy has a different ambience. You don’t need to pick up where you left off, you can begin a new strategy, set new goals even define a new pace.
I’ve noticed for some people this is can be relief, and for others kind of performance anxiety surfaces: have I done enough with the time off? Have I grown in the ways I was supposed to? Will my therapist notice that I have spent the summer avoiding the thing we were working on?
Let’s get something out in the open: You do not owe your therapist a summer of insight. You are showing up for yourself and that is exactly what a return session is for.
🌿 What to Bring to Your First Session Back
to help with some of the racing thoughts about returning to therapy, below are some questions to consider prior to your first session back:
Bring what is most alive right now:
What is present in your body and your life this week?
What is it that woke you up at three in the morning?
What is the conversation that is still sitting in your chest?
Is there a shift you noticed but have no words for yet?
Therapy can work wonders when it starts close to the body's current experience, not the mind's edited version of it.
Bring your honest account of the summer:
Not the highlights, not the lowlights, just the truth of it.
What was easier than expected?
What was harder?
What surprised you about yourself?
What did you notice in your body/your relationships/your capacity that you’re curious about?
Summer has a way of surfacing good material to structure the rest of your year.
Bring any resistance you feel about coming back
If you find you are dragging your feet a little, bring it to your session. That resistance doesn’t need to be solved prior to your arrival. Resistance in therapy might be information about something worth exploring.
⚡ How the Body Re-Enters the Work
After a break, our systems sometimes need a session or two to find their footing. This is normal and worth knowing in advance. This is not a sign of regression, just a sensation of recalibration.
You might notice:
A stiffness can come up in the first session like a sense of needing to warm up before you can go anywhere real
Emotions may feel closer to the surface, as if the break has lowered your threshold
A surprising amount might come up quickly because your system has been doing work in the background all summer and is ready to bring it forward
Or you might feel stumped “not sure why I am here tbh”. Also fine and does not mean the session will not be useful
Your body can re-enter the therapeutic relationship at its own pace.
✨ What Summer Has Given the Work
The summer you just had, is part of the work you are doing between sessions. Our physical and cognitive systems work behind the scenes. Returning to therapy is about arriving as the person you are and having the space to get curious about what you want to happen next.
đź“Ł Ready to Come Back?
If you have been on a summer pause and are ready to return, or if you are thinking about starting therapy for the first time this fall, I am welcoming new and returning clients for September in person and online.
đź“Ť Book a session or free consult with Sarah at interocare.ca
⚖️ Disclaimer: This post is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or medical advice. Learn more about Sarah’s work at interocare.ca
