Therapist Wants An Extra Session - Did I Scare Her?

[scout86]

I'm afraid that if I can't swing the extra sessions, the clinic won't keep me on as a patient, which will mean back to square one with no therapy at all.

I can understand you being worried about that but, when you think about it, they'd have to be...well...."crazy" to make you quit therapy completely because you can't afford more therapy.

 

[joeylittle]

I'm afraid that if I can't swing the extra sessions, the clinic won't keep me on as a patient, which will mean back to square one with no therapy at all.

I understand - but this hasn't happened yet. It might not happen at all. I get frozen by things that I think have the potential to explode in my face, but more often than not, the worst thing that I'm afraid of never comes to pass.

Try and take it one step at a time. When you call insurance, start with "I'm going to be doubling my therapy at the recommendation of my doctor. What do I need to do to get that approved?" - the answer might be as simple as them needing a letter.

Just one thing at a time.

 

[2ndtimearound]

I've been surprisingly lucky with insurance covering multiple sessions per week. I've been on both private insurance and, now, Medicaid, and am able to see my therapist at least twice and sometimes more if needed. A few years ago, we had to do a clinical review to justify twice weekly sessions, but it was approved easily through a doc-to-doc review. Since then, no issues. And there are weeks where my therapist has billed almost daily. It may not be as difficult as you think, particularly when you get close to inpatient level criteria. Insurance would rather give you increased temporary support than pay the crazy bills for inpatient care. Either way, I am glad that you and your therapist are both seeing the need for more focused and increased intervention in this rough patch.

 

[Knak]

Earlier this week I met with my therapist and finally divulged that I've been having suicid...

I think she should have asked you at the time if you felt a need to see her before next week, since she was willing to let you go home. Their cue is to ask you how you would do it (kill yourself) and if you have an answer they would seek to hospitalize you. I don't know how well she knows you but it doesn't sound like it's well enough to trust that you can make a decision based on your self awareness. Instead she's made you more insecure. She is not God.
Making you come in more than you can afford to is one reason I believe most therapists should not be in the business. Honestly most don't know what they are doing except trying to make themselves feel better. Most go into it because they have problems. I studied it in Grad school but couldn't bear the thought of charging a person who doesn't have much money to start with and who really needed a healthy caring friend more than anything.
Now that I have healed much damage through EMDR and information from recent research over a 40+ year period, I purely resent past therapists who only forgot what I said previously and did me no good whatsoever.
You might watch SPARTANLIFECOACH on YouTube if you want help.

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

Okay, taking this one step at a time. Week by week. Seeing her twice this week again, with the knowledge that I may have to stop the twice a week thing as time goes on. Insurance is looking like crap in this department, and paying out of pocket means I get higher quality of care (and someone trained in trauma). I hate that finances are dictating my care, but it looks like they are.