Rainbow,

I have a question - I'm sure you've probably posted this already on this forum - but how long have you been with your current T? You say that you have had 4 different Ts (probably not something at all unusual) - has this been over many years or over a short time and have they been from different schools of thought (i.e. therapists with different approaches)?

I think it's good to be honest with potential future Ts but I wonder whether emphasizing that you have had a succession of Ts might be going against you if you aren't placing it in context. I think without the context, there is a slight risk that a therapist might be concerned that you will not stay in the therapy for very long/will soon move on again.

The other approach might be to predict the kind of concerns a therapist might have and make sure you explain what you want specifically from this therapeutic relationship that is lacking from the current one. I can imagine the therapists you saw before your current one are of less relevance to a future T than what is lacking in the here and now with your current T.

I hope you find the right one.

The other thing to bear in mind is that sometimes a T will say "no" not because of you but because of their own case-load. Different clients present with different kinds of issues and require different intensities of therapy - to be a good therapist you need to know your limits and be in a position to schedule each client in so their needs can be met.

The other thing that comes to mind is: does it really make a big difference if someone has been doing their job for 10 years or 20 years. I think after a certain point, this factor is less important than other things - such as flexibility, the overall impression you get of the person and so on. Sometimes we find the thing we want/need in a place we least expected it.

Onzi