View Single Post
 
Old Feb 22, 2013, 11:54 AM
rainbow8's Avatar
rainbow8 rainbow8 is offline
Legendary
 
Member Since: Mar 2009
Location: US
Posts: 13,284
Quote:
Originally Posted by ECHOES View Post
Maybe you could tell your T that the amount you are comfortable with is $20, even if that means 60 mins instead of 90, even though you like the 90. Then see what she says.
That's what I'll probably do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Miguel'smom View Post
How much do you normally pay? is there something else you can give up?
It's been about $26. It's not about giving up something else. My H is angry about all of my years of therapy and thinks it's a waste.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anilam View Post
IDK, if I were you I'd tell my T upfront what you need. You want 90 mins and could afford 20 USD for it and see how it turns out. However, I do find strange that your H dictates (for the lack of better word) you what to do... But if you two are OK with that, who am I to say otherwise.
My H has let me be in T for about 18 years now, and he was always against it. So I'd say that I've dictated what to do though he objected. I used to pay my former T about $100/session for years because she didn't take insurance. Yes, I'm going to see what she says. She'll probably just take my check and say okay.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tigergirl View Post
Rain maybe you need to tell your H you need this and explain he is paying incredibly little for what you are receiving I'm sorry he is so unsupportive with this
The problem is he doesn't think I'm receiving much, thinks my T is paid too much, and that I can do okay with 60 minutes. I feel guilty because my issue of not wanting to quit T and the attachment problem hasn't been resolved. All I know is that I can't be satisfied by a T so my H may be right. I need to taper down and do without T. On the other side, I've made progress with shame issues and other things. I don't know what is best for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrise View Post
Maybe you can help him understand by pointing out that she is not being reimbursed for the $275. That is just her full fee but you already told us in another post that the allowable rate from your insurance company is only $186.20, which breaks down to a copay of $37.24 and an amount paid by insurance of $148.96. So she is not getting $275 at all. And if you are only paying $20 for a copay, then she is giving you a good deal since she isn't asking you to pay the full copay of $37.24, plus that lowers her total recoup to about $170 if you don't pay the full copay. Why is your husband so annoyed by the $275 full fee? He's annoyed for one thing because he wanted me to ask what her fee was for 90 minutes, and I'm not sure if she said $275 or not. I know she said $150 for an hour, but maybe she said half of that more for 90 minutes. I still don't understand why it jumps up to $275. My H says if I was getting 90 mins. for $150 before, she only increased it because insurance will pay more. I'm confused so I can't really answer him. He thinks if insurance pays $148, we should pay her $2.00! She could charge $3,000 but it wouldn't matter. Insurance will only allow her to be reimbursed a maximum of $186.20 no matter what she charges. I say your husband shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Your T is giving you a nice discount with that $20 copay. He's angry because the most I ever earned was $18/hr. and I have a Master's Degree. He's angry because he thinks I go only because I'm "in love" with my T. He embarrasses me and since part is true, that I go for the attention I get from her, and feel good there, I have ambivalent and guilty feelings. I keep trying to tell him I wouldn't need T if he would be nicer to me, but I don't think he can change.

Beyond just explaining the insurance to him in a slow voice with one syllable words, I would suggest that you consider a part time job. I know you used to work not too long ago. If you worked a few hours a week, then maybe his resentment would be assuaged and you could use those extra bucks to pay your copay and beyond.
sunrise, it is not so easy to get a part-time job for a few hours a week! I don't think that would solve the problem. It's more that my H thinks T does not help me.
I have done both 90 minute sessions and 50 minute. I do mostly 50 minute now. I trained myself to be more efficient and T has also helped us "get into things" more quickly. I still sometimes spring for a 90 but mostly I do 50. It can be done. So if money is tight and you don't want to work at all, then maybe you could alternate 90 and 60 minute sessions to help bring your therapy fees within your budget. Or go to every other week with individual therapy for now while you are also doing the group. You know--just little compromises here and there might save a few dollars.
I will go to 60 minutes if I have to, though 90 mins. has always seemed "just right" for me. Yes, every other week is a possibility. I'm almost done with 6 months of DBT. I'd like to do it again, but I'm sure H will object to that too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anne2.0 View Post
If you have stayed at home while he worked, or worked part time, while caring for children and taking care of the house and his meals and his laundry, then you have earned that money just as he did. There is no way he could have done his job without you to take care of everything else at home. Even now, my guess is that you do the laundry and clean the house and cook the meals.
Actually, HE does the laundry most of the time but I used to care for the kids and do most of the work. You're correct.
You have earned the right to spend your family money and you shouldn't let him undervalue your contribution to your marriage and family. Even now. Why don't you suggest that he pay for a housekeeper and someone to do the laundry and cook for him? What you are asking for in return is funds necessary to improve your health. You may not be able to get him to agree that it's necessary or even desirable for you to spend this money, but it's what you require to maintain the services you provide.

Sorry, this is all probably too feminist for you, but I'm just not a big believer in the husband earns the money so he gets to decide how to spend it. You have earned the money too, and especially now that he is retired, your job probably hasn't changed at all.
He and I both agree that it's "our money" but he hasn't seen results from my years of T. He thinks, and part of me can't argue with him, that I keep going just because I like/love my T. He doesn't get it that it's my issue to deal with attachment problems and accepting limitations and what people can give me or not give me, in T and in RL.

Quote:
Originally Posted by My kids are cool View Post
The money issue aside (and I totally agree with H earning the money not equaling him getting to dictate how it's spent), do you think there would be some value in trying a 60 minute session? You have written about your sessions before and how you feel the need to tell your T about everything that happened in your week before you get down to the issues. Why not try just having a few minutes of pleasantries, and then getting right to work? Your T really does not have to know about the details of your week in order to help you with your issues.
Yes, though I remember how quickly 50 minutes went by with my former T. I always felt terrible when I left. My T doesn't have to know the details of my week, but SHE asks me if I don't tell. For example, I wrote a poem that I wanted to share with her last week, but there wasn't time. I chose to talk about something else. When I said "the poem isn't T", she said "but it is something you feel good about, right?" She likes when I tell her happy things, and then asks how I feel about them. She's trying to get me to notice in my body when I feel "light" and happy. So, for me, talking about my week IS part of my work! On occasion, something will come up about my every day life that my T doesn't know. He asked why I hadn't told him something -- oh, it was my son's perfect score on the English portion of the SAT, and on the subject tests he took. I was a little puzzled about WHY I would tell him that. It has nothing to do with my therapy issues, and it's not as if I scored a perfect score on some test. Telling T would have been kind of a waste of time, and would have been almost like taking credit for an achievement that wasn't mine.

Does this make sense? Spending all that time telling her about the details of your week, appears from the outside, to be more about trying to socialize with her than it is about the work you are trying to do in therapy.
I DO see you point and it makes sense because I know I ramble on about a lot of things. If I see her for an hour, I can cut some of that out, and still share the important things. I can ask for her help to do that if I need to. Thank you.