Therapist hasn't responded in almost two weeks

[Undavnted]

I'm wondering if this is normal.

I have a great therapist. She's extremely busy. Our previous session, nearly two weeks ago, I wasn't being intentional, and said "I felt fine" and "Idk I guess I go to work, I come home, etc." but did details some issues I've been going through. Upon journaling them for the past week and a half, the picture is quite different. I'm worried I've given the impression I don't "need" care. I emailed perhaps four times with a couple days in between since then, and called once. I called because I lost the energy to keep persisting being "left on read" and kindof went into myself, maybe regressed in my office, and just needed an answer because some part of me primal-level felt like I was being abandoned. That was Friday, and while I know it's only Monday, I'm still drained by this. The receptionist was very kind, and just said my therapist is extremely busy, and their clinic is taking in another location's clients for the time being, many people are working during lunch on some days.

I still haven't heard anything back. I don't know if that's normal, or if I breached norms by emailing outside of a session? Or if she doesn't believe me anymore. I would hate for there to have been some emergency I am being inconsiderate about, or some annoyance I'm causing, but I just don't know. I'm out of energy.

 

[Teamwork]

Trust the secretary. Keep journaling and wait. It seems normal for how you detailed the picture. Sometimes our self talk creates anxiety over something that doesn’t exist. That being said, I am allowed to email outside a session. He views some as me just saying what is going on, which he does not respond to. If I ask a question, with nothing else said, he answers. If he reads and intends to answer later and forgets and I ask a few days later he does respond. I know his behavior regarding email and he knows mine. Whenever I get too anxious about a no response I rephrase and try again and he answers. Also he only checks twice a day. I respect email as if he answer at length in his reply then it is almost a session, which is not the intention of email in between. Plus we only get to see him every 4 weeks. Nail down the rules, then you will be able to relax in the future. You’ve entered unknown territory, ask in session and it will work better moving forward.

 

[Undavnted]

Trust the secretary. Keep journaling and wait. It seems normal for how you detailed the picture. Sometimes our self talk creates anxiety over something that doesn’t exist. That being said, I am allowed to email outside a session. He views some as me just saying what is going on, which he does not respond to. If I ask a question, with nothing else said, he answers. If he reads and intends to answer later and forgets and I ask a few days later he does respond. I know his behavior regarding email and he knows mine. Whenever I get too anxious about a no response I rephrase and try again and he answers. Also he only checks twice a day. I respect email as if he answer at length in his reply then it is almost a session, which is not the intention of email in between. Plus we only get to see him every 4 weeks. Nail down the rules, then you will be able to relax in the future. You’ve entered unknown territory, ask in session and it will work better moving forward.

This is very helpful. Thank you. I'd say more in thanks but literally you covered everything. Should I feel bad that I reached out so often? I feel like I've either been a nuisance, overly needy, or have embarrassed myself.

 

[Movingforward10]

This is very helpful. Thank you. I'd say more in thanks but literally you covered everything. Should I feel bad that I reached out so often? I feel like I've either been a nuisance, overly needy, or have embarrassed myself.

Absolutely no need to feel bad about contacting your T, at the frequency you have. You're not a nuisance. You are a client going through a challenging time. Perhaps you're not even the only client who has contacted them right now.

It's totally understandable that this is causing you worry. I would feel the same and I am sure many would.

I agree: trust the secretary. Your T sounds like their workload is really hard right now and perhaps if it wasn't they would have responded already. This is about their workload. And not about you or their care for you or their misunderstanding of you.

I hope they have responded by now and you know when your next session is.

In the meantime, what helps you feel stable and secure? And can you practice that?

It might also really help when you do have your next session, to talk about how all this felt for you. And for your T and you to explore the underlying reasons for it all. That could really help you and be healing.

 

[Undavnted]

Absolutely no need to feel bad about contacting your T, at the frequency you have. You're not a nuisance. You are a client going through a challenging time. Perhaps you're not even the only client who has contacted them right now.

It's totally understandable that this is causing you worry. I would feel the same and I am sure many would.

I agree: trust the secretary. Your T sounds like their workload is really hard right now and perhaps if it wasn't they would have responded already. This is about their workload. And not about you or their care for you or their misunderstanding of you.

I hope they have responded by now and you know when your next session is.

In the meantime, what helps you feel stable and secure? And can you practice that?

It might also really help when you do have your next session, to talk about how all this felt for you. And for your T and you to explore the underlying reasons for it all. That could really help you and be healing.

It is beyond strange for me to have been in two or so threads by now already, and everything I bring up, I have people who understand, even saying things like "Yup. Been there. Struggle with that." and suddenly I don't feel like a tangled ball of crazy. For now at least. It crosses from being just helpful to being like "So it's true. It's really true. And there are people who get it." and I'm still sitting on that feeling.

 

[Freddyt]

It is beyond strange for me to have been in two or so threads by now already, and everything I bring up, I have people who understand, even saying things like "Yup. Been there. Struggle with that." and suddenly I don't feel like a tangled ball of crazy. For now at least. It crosses from being just helpful to being like "So it's true. It's really true. And there are people who get it." and I'm still sitting on that feeling.

We are all here for the same reason.....to learn and to help and encourage each other. We even have an online social life here in the Social threads.

........and no matter what weird place you find yourself - it's likely someone else has been there before.......

 

[EveHarrington]

Not every therapist will offer help outside of sessions.