Above all, you should expect a therapeutic environment that is compassionate, empathetic, and safe. A therapist or counselor's role is to offer you insights into your experiences, advice on how to handle issues, and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions.

The task of the psychotherapist, therefore, is to help individuals make the changes they wish to make. Sometimes the person entering therapy knows changes are needed but doesn't know what changes to make or how to go about making them. A psychotherapist helps the person figure this out.