Hello everyone, long time no post.
So, 4 months ago my therapist changed offices. I've been through change before. Change in therapists, change in office location, taking breaks, etc. It's always a bit of a bump, but we adjust.
The trouble is -- with this office we are NOT adjusting. My inner kids keep saying "It's not safe". Why? What is unsafe? Well one part is - my T's new office is right by the waiting room. When I am in the waiting room I can overhear her session with the previous client if I pay attention. This freaks me out as a client and as a therapist (Um, hello HIPAA!). They are working on putting music in the waiting room to make sure no one can hear anything. Fine.
My therapist has done everything to keep me and my alters in mind. The same furniture. She got the softest rugs knowing my kids love to sometimes sit or lay on the floor. She got a wicker loveseat because we love having something to lay on. The window gives a wonderful breeze. We love the colors of her office.
The office is bigger, which may be one of the issues. Being too big maybe we feel that it won't "contain" us or the things we talk about. So we asked her to borrow a standing screen to section off part of the office. That has helped some.
Even if my therapist said "Let's meet at 3am on Saturday" when there is absolutely no one there, I still don't think it would feel safe. This is bizarre to me! What's the deal? Why is it such a big deal all the sudden after all these changes?
My therapist made a comment yesterday to my inner kiddo who said "it's not safe". And she said "I wonder if that it's truly not safe or if you use that as a way to not work on hard things?" Ouch. I understand the need to ensure that's not what it is. But it felt like she was making it "our fault" by stating that.
We don't WANT to feel unsafe. We don't like it. And we're trying to figure it out too. I just don't know what to do. We've worked with her for 4 years and can't afford this feeling that continues to linger and impede our progress.
Any ideas, tips, etc?