griffinp, I have 90 minute sessions, but sometimes we have gone until 2 hours. I find the longer sessions more effective. You don't get frustrated so often that you never got to say the things you most needed help with. There is more time to "warm up" and not be so rushed. Longer sessions are great. (Unfortunately, they cost more!)

For one session where I was telling some really tough stuff, and had been unable to tell it for a couple of sessions running, I actually wrote out what I wanted to say and read it out loud to myself over and over again for days before the session to just get used to saying those things outloud. I think I was doing my own desensitization therapy to help me talk when I was with T. It did help. After all my rehearsals, I finally was able to tell T this really hard stuff. It was such a relief to get it out! I hated those sessions when I was trying to tell him, but couldn't. We would just sit there in silence, a few words here and there, with me just trying so hard. They were exhausting and frustrating. I think you will feel relief to start sharing this with your T, griffin. I also think your idea for having a one hour session later in the week after your 2 hour session is really good. Good luck.