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How often do you see your therapist?

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Skywatcher

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I have been seeing my therapist weekly and sometimes more for 4 years. I panic when she leaves on vacation, but have gotten better at it. I recently asked her if she thought I was ready for bi-weekly sessions due to an insurance matter. She said that she feels I can handle that and has for awhile. She also said that it is up to the client. As long as we find therapy helpful, it holds value. She said that she thinks it would surprise me as to how well it goes. I’m not sure if I agree with her.

What has been your experience?
 
I go weekly at the moment. We’re in the middle of processing one of my more unfortunate traumas.

I used to really struggle when we had a break, but the last couple of times he’s been out, like over a holiday, I was able to prepare myself for it and did ok. I don’t think I’d do well always going every other week though.

I think as we get stronger it becomes easier to go every other week. When I went to therapy before, that’s what we did. Then as I got even better we tapered it back further.
 
Once a month and it is pure hell. But I value that one spot so I keep at it. Used to be bi-weekly but money ran out and he took it pro-bono. Last january after a vacation he came back, said he thought about it and bi-weekly wasn’t sustainable and I was given no input-just we need to move to every 4 weeks. So I did. But truly it sucks.
 
Twice a week. I was at once a week until this stupid pandemic hit, but my insurance company waived all virtual visit co-pays so there was no reason not to go back to 2x.

A few months ago I tried to go back to once a week and it turned out that was a poor decision. So twice a week it is until covid times are over.
 
I'm just getting back into therapy this week after having very little therapy over the last 18 months, but have gone to therapy as frequently as weekly and as infrequently as monthly. I remember being nervous about having less therapy when cutting back, but it was fine. I suspect that if she thinks you are ready, then a lot of your apprehension may just be over the anxiety of the change/loss and possibly feeling you need to be dependent on your sessions than you really have to be. My experience was that way. I hope yours is, too. And if it is not, hopefully, you can go back to once per week. Do you think that would be possible or are you stuck trying to work things out within the 30 sessions for the year thing?
 
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Weekly. For a year in Jan.
At times it has felt not enough.
I'm facing her first holiday, so missing 2 sessions over the festive season. Am beginning to panic about it, after initially being confident that I could manage without a collapse in wellbeing.

If your T thinks bi-weekly is going to work, then maybe trust that? Change is scary and it might take some time to compute and digest?
 
Weekly since the end of September, with pdoc1 and monthly since mid-October with pdoc2. Had therapy 3 years ago weekly, bi-monthly and monthly depending on so’s and so’s during a year and a half. Pdoc1 is only by zoom but she’s been the most effective, I also can message her anytime so it feels really reassuring. Pdoc2 is from local hospital and the trauma therapy is starting to get super raw, impossible to contact without going through all the hierarchy. I have more struggling moments to bring myself to them and not self-medicate like a lunatic, but they’ve been useful while the other therapist wasn’t at all. I enjoy the weekly meetings. Once a month feels infrequent, twice a week overprocessing.
 
I would say trust yourself first and take a great consideration what your therapist think and of course dissect that with them. I am in psychoanalysis now so I go twice a week and I gotta say, it was absolutely all regression galore for so long, but worth every single one of them. Now I am seeing things with much less fog and clouds and sadly enough having regrets of potentials of my life. That being said, in Canada, psychiatry is covered in the healthcare so because I have a doctor doing this, I do not pay. I wanted to add, it is not also my choice 100% for the twice a week but the doctor cause psychoanalysis needs to be more sessions and more consistent so I took her advice ...and covid helped since I am not traveling to her twice a week. If traveling, she would have hard time convincing me twice a week.

for the past 3 years I had every other week, knowing what I know today, I think trauma cannot be processed halfheartedly so I wish I started heavy and went lighter but then in all fairness, I would not be able to conduct psychoanalysis then so perhaps it is working out all as it should.
 
@Teamwork I am sorry that that happened.

@whiteraven we have been doing trauma work online using emdr butterfly tap. I saw her in person twice.

@RussellSue after the 30 sessions she can request more, 10 at a time. The center didn’t seem to think that it would be a problem to get more and told me that my therapist is especially good at getting that done correctly.

My T isn’t the one that suggested the switch to every other week. She was encouraging either way. She said that as long as the therapy is helping a client, it’s okay to attend often or spread out. I joked that I should just start coming daily. That got a quick “no,” with a laugh.

I have major attachment to my therapist. Especially my three and six year old parts. I keep wondering if I need to spread it out to help the little ones depend more on me, but I fear that it will just set them off which will get my protector parts involved. I think I’ll keep it weekly, at least until vaccines. Then, maybe cancel my appt and take a trip that overlaps that day. Eventually, I could do contract work every other week, but that is shut down until the world gets back to normal. It’s like I told my T, I think having the off weeks would work if I had something exciting to do in place of therapy.
 
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