I had this happen to me once with a therapist. He told me when I entered his office that he was "expecting a call that he'd have to take". I figured that it was a client or a service provider that need important information about the client. I nodded my understanding and we started our session. Of course, I didn't talk about that he and I were new to each other and I didn't really trust or like him very much yet!

Unfortunately, our session (only our third or fourth together) was filled with turmoil and upset. Halfway through the session, when I was in a very fragile state, his secrectary stuck her head in and stated, "They're on the phone." He excused himself, walked out and closed the office door, taking the call in another office. With my understanding of therapy now, I figure it was an "insurance call" or a "inpatient hospital call" No provider gets to dictate when "those" calls come!

I think that if I trusted and had a strong relationship with him, I would have been able to wait and be patient. Even in my darkest hour, I was able to recognize that others had much deeper and darker issues than mine. But reality? I felt abandoned and alone. I felt rejected and a non entity.

I'm not sure what happened, but a short time later, I found myself home. I know now what my feelings were and how they impacted on my behavior. I wish I had been able to stick around to talk about how his desertion felt. But nothing we do initially is ever understanding. .. it all takes time.