Writing has always been my first choice of communication. I used to journal and sometimes bring them in to read to my T. This was before email existed, with my first T. I was uncomfortable talking with her so writing helped a lot.

My current T is the first one who allowed email so I took full advantage of it. I emailed her my thoughts and feelings about my session each week, and she usually replied, though briefly. Then we decided that her short replies were upsetting me so she stopped them, but I was still allowed to email her as much as I liked. A few weeks ago, we changed the rule again and I know longer email her.

Aside from the emailing, I've written poems and essays which I've shared with my T. She's always interested in my writing. I think, for those of us who have difficulty speaking in therapy, writing is a big help. I do want to say, though, that my T never liked when I wanted to read from an email. That used to frustrate me. She wanted to know how I am "right then, in the moment, not how I was when I wrote the email." She doesn't like when I'm "in my head" as she calls it. So writing can be a barrier between you and your T if it replaces talking directly to her. I think it's like training wheels. Use them when necessary and then wean yourself off of them.