If your T says it's okay to contact and has given you the means to do so (phone #/email address) then it's OK to contact them. They wouldn't have offered if it wasn't okay.

However, I KNOW how hard it is to actually make contact. I've been seeing my T for almost 2 years, and I've called her less than 10 times, and email no more than once a week, if at all. As I said in my thread earlier today...I struggle with actually sending emails - I can type them no problem, it's hitting send where I get stuck. Calling is nearly impossible for me and something that I consider an emergency only type of thing.

My T has never given me boundaries on contact, and in fact, her office voicemail gives her cell phone number to call. I would assume, therefore, that she's okay with calls after hours. I will often send her an email on the weekend, but I know that she doesn't check emails from Friday thru Sunday and I won't get a reply until Monday morning. I also know that she typically only checks emails once a day, in the morning.

I have put my own boundaries on contacting my T, but it's not something I've ever discussed with her. I will not call her outside of her normal office hours. If I leave a message for her during office hours, and she returns the call after hours, I figure that's her decision. The only reason I'd call her outside of regular office hours is if I were in major crisis (of course, last time I was in major crisis, I couldn't call her). I try to limit emails to no more than one per week, and I try to keep them brief. Sometimes we've had a bit of an email exchange, maybe a couple mails back and forth, but if I feel it's getting excessive, I'll tell her "thanks...I'd like to continue talking about this in session." and I stop emailing. My T has never indicated to me that I contact her too often...she's actually encouraged me to contact her more...but it's a challenge for me.