One thing she said though that hurt somewhat -- she had told me previously that if she retired, she'd open up her own private practice again and try to get on my insurance so i could keep seeing her. Today, when i brought up the subject of retirement, she said if she was going to retire, along with drawing me closer, she would also be helping me transition to seeing somebody else.

So. . .i guess this means that when she retires, she really is going to retire. I know it's her decision, and i don't want to press her to keep treating me when she goes. I imagine it's pretty expensive to have her own practice, what with having to rent an office, carry malpractice insurance, etc. It just wouldn't make financial sense to do it for a handful, or even a couple of patients who aren't ready to terminate. She might even start feeling resentful down the line if she did that when she really deep down wanted to retire. So i didn't say anything when she told me that. I just need to tuck that information in the back of my mind and trust that when the time comes to terminate, she will help it not feel like a tragic abandonment.