I feel lucky that my T encourages email. She said that at our first meeting but it took me a little while to feel comfortable contacting her. While we've had a few miscommunications, we seem to be able to spot them and address them quickly rather than result in me getting worked up over anything. Her responses always come from a caring place. If something is too big for email she'll say that we'll talk about it in person. Once or twice in her replies she's asked if she's addressed what I've wanted her to address.

For me, email represents an opportunity for me to clear the air or clarify things in session, update her on situations in my life between sessions that I want help with, or just to feel like she's there in a manner that's not time-dependent on her part. When I was having a hard time talking to her in person because I needed distance, I was able to write to her to maintain the closeness necessary for the relationship because I could pretend I was just writing and not writing to someone in particular. In general, I have a hard time with verbal communication (particularly with emotions), but communicating through written words helps me communicate more effectively with fewer frustrations.