It's funny. I used to worry about saying "I want to change subjects and talk about this other thing instead - this is more important for me to talk about today." I was worried about the repercussions and as you mention, I have not been an assertive person. But my counselor knows this about me, and usually he surprises me and is actually happy about it and cheers me on when I do something like that and make such a forceful statement - he's usually excited about it. If he still thinks we need to talk about something, we talk through that. Either he explains why he thinks it's important and we talk about it for part of the time, or we agree to talk about it in a later session if he still thinks it is necessary. I think he realizes how hard it is for me to really say how much I need to talk about something, and if I make that sort of statement, he generally respects it. Your counselor could surprise you that way. :-)

Take care,
ErinBear