Therspist leaving practice - can I continue my care with her?

[TimeIsOnOurSide]

Hi guys! I’ve been reading posts on this page for a long time, though never had the guts to post something myself. The time has come!

I’ve started going to therapy this past year after my dad died and it’s honestly been changing my life. I’ve been lucky to connect with a therapist on the first try with whom I have developed an incredible therapeutic relationship with, and I’ve had so much personal growth on account of it. I know a lot of people need to go through many therapists to “click” the way I click with mine, and I’ve always felt very blessed & thankful for this. We’ve always been on the same page, it’s been incredibly authentic, and i always felt like I could be myself around her.

Long story short, my therapist told me she is leaving the agency where I see her (an agency I don’t feel committed to at all) to start her own private practice, and that she can’t take old clients with her. We began the termination process (which, after 9 months of holding back tears in each session, I sobbed through the whole hour) and of course she is going to refer me to other clinicians at the current facility etc. I know legally & ethically she is very limited with what she can say to me right now due to her non-compete clause with current agency & that she can’t solicit me or coerce me in any way. She did drop hints casually though, and said her non-compete clause is only 15 miles and said very clearly “My advice to you would be to see someone I refer you to, see if you like it or not, if you find that it’s not working out, you could always ..FIND SOMEONE online.” (coded language that I can find her online if I need to.)

I have no interest in working with somebody else. I have no doubt other clinicians will be also skilled, but i don’t want to start over with someone new and go through my trauma all over again, which already took so much work for me to do the first time.

A friend of mine recommended for me to ask to be discharged from current agency and say that I’ve met my treatment goals, cut ties with them, and then I will be a free agent and that it is my right to see whichever provider I want to see for my mental health care. At the end of the day, the client gets to choose who they see. (i don’t “belong” to the agency - right?) I’m asking for advice on this because frankly I don’t know many people who practice psychotherapy or go to therapy. I don’t want to cause her any legal trouble (which I know is not my problem to sort through) and I also want to look out for myself and take care of my own needs - and quite frankly, starting over with a new therapist in the middle of trauma work due to a non-compete seems a bit unethical to me. It seems like her hands are tied and I’m getting the vibe that this is what the agency is “forcing” her to do, and it’s leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth regarding the agency.

It seems pretty clear to me that she said what she was obligated to say (i.e. now she can document that she terminated with me, left me with appropriate referrals, and advised me to stay at current facility, etc.) she said she has a lawyer looking over the details but it just seems f*cking unfair that i don’t get to continue my treatment with her. I’ve been a cash pay client, i haven’t even used insurance, so there is no problem with me belonging to an insurance panel or something like that.

Like I said - she did drop clear hints, telling me i could always “find SOMEONE online” and when I was saying I don’t want to start my trauma work with somebody else, she said “that could actually be retraumatizing for you” it seems like if she truly thought it was in my best interest to start over with someone else, she wouldn’t have said that. So I know she has to terminate with me legally & ethically, and she “can’t” take me with her but it’s to my understanding that off the record it is up to me if I want seek her after she terminates. Right?

When I see her next week, I want to say something along the lines of “I want you to know I completely understand this entire situation. I know legally and ethically you’re limited in what you can say to me right now, but I’m the client and i can say whatever I want, and I want you to know that I heard you loud and clear last week. And that if I’ve learned anything from the past year of working with you, it’s to assert myself and put my own needs first and realize that I’m in charge of my own decisions and what happens to me. So I’ve been thinking about it, and I would like to be discharged from this agency. I’ve met my treatment goals, and if I ever need to start therapy again, I can FIND SOMEONE online.” That way she can document what she has to, I can discharge myself as any client can, and I should be free to call her at her new office to pick up where we left off.

So I’m just asking for everyone’s two cents on this, or maybe just peace of mind ?‍ I’ve honestly been devastated about this, so i thought reaching out to this community may be helpful. thank you all in advance!!

Warm regards.

(Also - I apologize for being redundant - my anxiety is running me in circles into the GROUND.)

 

[EveHarrington]

Just do as she advises.

This whole discharge because you’ve met your goals thing is asking her to lie, which could get her into trouble.

Again, just do as she advises. She knows how to get around the issue if she has legal counsel.

 

[ButterflyBean]

Yes, you do have the right to see whoever you want for mental health care (I did the same thing you’re considering with my therapist years ago when she left the college I was attending). You do not have to be “discharged” from, or leave, the agency because you met your goals though; you can just say that you don’t feel you need therapy right now or that you chose to continue elsewhere. It is always the client’s choice to terminate therapy and there does not need to be a reason why. You don’t owe anything to the current agency, and they should not be asking your therapist why she discharged you except for general terms. Once you leave the agency, you are free to see her when the private practice opens. I second the advice to take her lead, but you are in charge of your own treatment. Good luck!

 

[Justmehere]

Like I said - she did drop clear hints, telling me i could always “find SOMEONE online” and when I was saying I don’t want to start my trauma work with somebody else, she said “that could actually be retraumatizing for you” it seems like if she truly thought it was in my best interest to start over with someone else, she wouldn’t have said that. So I know she has to terminate with me legally & ethically, and she “can’t” take me with her but it’s to my understanding that off the record it is up to me if I want seek her after she terminates. Right?

I would be wary of taking this as a hint. She seems quite willing to say what she means.

It's up to you to make your choices... and it's up to her to make her own. She is seeking legal advice, and it's my guess she will follow that legal advice in regards to what clients she can and can not see when she is in the other practice... no matter what choices you make, or how much you self advocate.

I think it's fine to state right out that you still want to see her. She is the one who has to document she does what is required. That's all.

Follow her directions, so you don't burn the bridge with the clinic you are at, and then after transferring care, if you want to try to see if she is able and willing to see you, then you can do that.... but I'm guessing the answer will be a very solid no. It seems clear she signed a non-compete clause and could face a serious penalty if she breaks it, enough that she is paying for a lawyer (not cheap). Hopefully, she finds a way to resolve it, and it will likely help if you follow her recommendations. There is nothing barring you from seeing someone else at that clinic, and still reaching out after she transfers care. Clients don't generally sign agreements to never ever see anyone else outside of the clinic they are at.

You can do what you want. Doesn't mean she can.

 

[Nessa7]

How long do you have before she leaves?

I do not know that attempting to communicate in code with your therapist would be a good idea. It would be too easy for them to misinterpret what you are trying to say. I would directly ask for more specific information about the terms of of their noncompete agreement.

 

[TimeIsOnOurSide]

I appreciate everyone’s feedback on this. A few of my friends who are therapists (one who owned a private practice in the past) are telling me to take her advice on working with someone else for a few sessions, discharge, and then eventually contact her in her new practice. By that point I’m someone else’s client, and she’d have already transferred my care. This seems to make the most sense.

ButterflyBean - Thank you. Your message gave me some peace.

Nessa7 - I have two more weeks! It feels so sudden. I’m usually so good at coping but this has put my anxiety in overdrive ? And I don’t want to speak in code too much. But I also don’t want to ask her questions that she can’t answer. I’ve never been through this process before, so any feedback is helpful.

I’ve gotten to know her pretty well the last year (and by that I mean her mannerisms, tone of voice, when she’s being sarcastic about something or insinuating something else) and I’m pretty confident that she was trying to get me to hear what she was actually saying to me despite the termination.

My friend who’s had a practice in the past said, “I would accept the referral, maybe meet w the person once or twice and then just leave. You are entitled to leave and you are entitled to seek treatment elsewhere. As long as she's not "taking you w her". She can't say much while still there. But she has to follow the appropriate protocol.”

Siiiigh. I have a feeling it’ll be okay, it’s just a difficult and nerve wracking process. I’ll handle it whatever the truth is, I’m just trying to stay positive and do the most research I can!

Thank you all.