Hi Deli,

I'm sorry this is happening with Austin-t. Very painful stuff!

In thinking about this issue, I feel like something is "amiss." The things Austin-t said don't sound like him. And because he started out the session all prepared to talk about your "dependency" on him, i'm suspecting something has happened since the last time you saw him that has made him "change gears," so to speak. The question is, what?

In reading your posts, i've never picked up on you being overly dependent. It sounds like you have friends your own age, and you've recently traveled, which also shows independence. Also, from what you wrote, it doesn't sound like Austin-t has ever brought up the issue of dependency as a problem before, has he? So something feels really odd to me about this.

You mentioned that he is very busy and that you'd been asked to see him at a different location due to his full schedule. Could it be possible that his superiors are getting on his back about any patients that he is seeing long-term, or who have have very frequent sessions? Perhaps they are telling him he must start spacing their sessions out and helping them become more independent, so as to create room for new patients?

I'm sorry you're hurting. I think you deserve to find out what has prompted this sudden change of attitude on his part. I know Austin-t cares very much for you, and this just doesn't sound like him.

If I were in your shoes, I would leave him a phone message, telling him you need to speak to him briefly and that it's very important (or tell him how you feel in the message). If not that, i would for sure send the email, telling him how you feel. If he is as busy as he appears to be, i would not want to wait several days to find out if it was OK to leave a message, nor would i want to go several days feeling this sort of pain and confusion before getting some kind of explanation.

(((((((Deli))))))) Hang in there.