Thanks for the answers, Rio, ECHOES, alexandra.
I got to wondering about treatment plans because I was reading in another forum here on PsychCentral and someone commented "sounds like you need to revisit your treatment plan" or something like that (not said to me). And I started thinking, hmmmmm, does everyone here have a treatment plan except for me?
So I feel reassured by what you all wrote. I haven't felt like I was missing anything, but it sounds like maybe the plans exist at least in part to satisfy insurance requirements. After a long battle with 2 insurance companies, I recently learned they would not reimburse at all for my current therapist.
(They paid for my previous one, up to 20 visits per year, but nope, not the new guy, who is a fantastic talent.) Well, that's another story.
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But my therapist hasn't said how long this is likely to take - which makes sense to me, because I don't see how you can know how long it will take (it's going to be different for everybody, right?), but it annoys my parents.
</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">That makes so much sense, Rio. I agree, you can't predict. I'm sorry about your parents not understanding.
I remember once my previous T said that I wouldn't need 20 sessions in a year to deal with my problem, and lo and behold, there we were 20 sessions later with still a big problem. I reminded her once that she had said that, and she said, "I never should have said that," and shook her head, like she realized she had screwed up by saying that. They really can't know, so the whole idea of being able to tell the insurance companies how long it will take seems just a big fairy tale, or a hoop the T's have to jump through to satisfy insurance. There are other parts to a Treatment Plan, of course, besides how long.
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just like goals and directions change in the therapy process as in life itself
</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">That's so wise, ECHOES.