How does everyone schedule with their therapist?

[Compass307]

How does everyone schedule with their therapist? Do you see them weekly, no-weekly, monthly. I’m curious! My therapist has been scheduling me like three weeks out but I’m too embarrassed to ask to check in more frequently. I’m pretty dissociative but I do feel I’d be more productive with closer sessions than sessions that feel so far away! Anyways, as always.. I appreciate the insight!

 

[Friday]

- When I’m paying for trauma-therapy my standard* = 120min sessions twice a week.

- When I’m paying for regular therapy (for whatever reason), I will usually book 120 min sessions once a week or every other week.

- When it’s free (like with a Vet Center) it’s whatever their paradigm is. Locally that = once a week, for an hour at their location, plus whatever group things one wants to sign up for; or once every 2 weeks on the university campus. Off-site often turns into monthly sessions, rather than biweekly, due to holidays, illness, Murphy’s Law, etc.

Whilst I have done 50min sessions, double sessions are exponentially more effective for me, and what I book by preference, with both regular and trauma therapy. The twice a week standard with trauma therapy, is again exponentially more effective, as it allows me time to process, and hit again, and then return to normal life without bleed-through, as well as with minimal therapy-hangover (where the rest of that day, or that day and the next) are a cross-eyed faceplant. Instead, I’m far more energetic/ clear headed/ balanced. One of the things that works the absolute best, for me, is to do twice a week trauma therapy, back to back, staying in a hotel overnight… for a few months, and then take a few months off… and then do it, again. I rarely get to DO that, but it’s my fav situation, by far. My second favourite involves a 5 hour train ride, each way. My least favourite (still on my faves list!) is when I’m seeing someone locally, and I just devote the day to it. The fist half being physical, the second half faceplanting (therapy hangover).



***
* There have been times with trauma therapy that it’s been UP TO double my standard (4 hours a day, 4 days a week; instead of 2 hours, twice a week). Those intense periods have been for super limited things (like trial prep), for super limited times (6weeks, at most). That’s the upper limit, however, I’m more likely to be somewhere in the middle, like 4 hours a day, twice a week, or 120 min 3 times a week.

 

[Sues]

I started out going once a week for 50 minutes. I disassociate a lot during therapy, and my therapist accommodates me by allowing for extra time if needed. I'm the last appointment of his day. So I often end up being there for 90 minutes. A few times I was there for two hours. This has helped me so much. I feel very supported.

About 18 months ago, I struggled a lot. I had to take off work for 6 months, which I have never done before. I started meds, which helped some. At that time, my psychiatrist (she only prescribes meds, no therapy) suggested I find an intensive out patient facility for therapy for more support, or at least increase my therapy appointments to twice a week. I talked with my therapist about it, and he agreed to meet twice a week. It helped a lot, and I've been doing that ever since. He allows for an extra 30 minutes in case we go over the regular 50 minute session. I know this isn't normal or expected, so I feel very fortunate to have a therapist who "gets it" and gives me extra time to help me.

My therapist welcomes emails and text messages in between appointments. He has checked in on me with text messages in the past when he knows I'm struggling. I have a hard time reaching out or asking for help. So he knows I won't text him in between appointments. It's our running joke. He tells me to reach out if I need to, but we both know I won't.

It was really hard for me to reach out and ask for that extra day a week. I'm so glad that I did. I suggest that you ask for what you need as well. It may be hard to do, but it will help you a lot. Your therapist should welcome your input and you wanting to meet more often. Keep us posted!

 

[Sideways]

At the moment I book monthly, several months in advance. My T has been known to suggest interval-appointments at 2 weeks when he thinks I’m struggling.

My monthly appointments are 45 mins. Long enough for me to warm up and actually start talking, but not so long that I completely tank. If we do a catch-up between monthly appointments, I keep it to 30mins.

But at times in the past? I’ve done therapy twice-weekly with some Ts (and had 3 Ts going at once…which was a bit like a full time job attending therapy 5 days a week!). That was an alternative to getting me out of hospital where I’d been long term. And I’ve spent long periods mixing 1:1 therapy with group therapy options.

That’s the beauty of therapy - it’s an entirely individual process, where there is no ‘right’ amount, except what’s right for you. Which will change over time (with both ups and downs).

Don’t be afraid to factor in other realities, like cost, work, accessibility, post-therapy recovery, personal crisis, shorter or longer sessions…

 

[Movingforward10]

Weekly 50 minutes appointments. Always same time/same day unless she or I need to rearrange and she usually accommodates a time change.

When I said weekly wasn't enough, when unearthing some of the difficult stuff, she allowed emailing in-between at points of crisis. There were times I thought I needed more than a weekly appointment and the odd email but I didn't advocate too much for it.

And now, I have just moved down to fortnightly.

 

[Midnightmoon]

When I started therapy I didn't know there was anything other than weekly 50 min/ hour appointments. So, I (wrongly) just assumed that was what therapy looked like. I am dissociative too, and struggle to retain content. My old T suggested increasing to twice weekly, and then we had check in phone contact too.

I fought for a loonnnggg time to not do anything else other than single session a week because in true CPTSD style I wanted to be 'normal'. In the end I agreed to try it for a months trial because T wouldn't stop asking. Spoiler alert, turns out she knew what she was on about . Less discociative More able to communicate more able to retain between sessions starting to look at stuff that I was adamant I wasn't going to talk about

I think, unless nearly at an ending, it is very hard to work therapeutically with three week gaps, even more so if dissociation is playing a major role. Could you broach it with T?

 

[No More]

When I did it I did the standard 50 mins once a week, same time same day unless one of us gave advance notice to cancel or rearrange.

Generally I liked to have a ‘holiday’ every couple of months, where I went maybe 2 or 3 weeks without a session. Just for a break and to see how everything was going basically.

I’d be loathe to do more. While it may work really well for some it wouldn’t for me. I think it wouldn’t leave me enough time to think and practice inbetween. I liked therapy to fit round my life, without it ever *being* my life.

 

[RainbowSearchParty]

I’ve done everything from 70ish minutes twice a week to 35minutes twice a week to 50minutes twice a week to 50minutes once a week to nothing.

I prefer the rhythm of 50minutes twice a week. But the accessibility to that has varied.