inny, I agree with sunny. some therapists (and some patients/clients too!) think that a diagnosis is not necessary. I can think of many reasons: it is just a label for the symptoms presented; sometimes a person can change their thinking or behavior based on the diagnosis they're given--you hear so many people say "I'm this or that diagnosis" as if they have allowed the diagnosis to define them and then they expect certain thinking and behaviors from themselves. I would not want to do that, although I'm sure I have at times; most of us have symptoms of several of the many diagnostic classifications used.

I could be borderline personality. I could be avoidant personality. Probably a lot of things. I only know I feel depressed and anxious a lot and have traumas in my past. Those are my symptoms. I want the details on how my mind works and what old patterns i am still using that are unhelpful/harmful to me. For example, I'm lonely but don't risk getting close to people. See that viscious cycle? There's a lot in between the feeling lonely and the unwillingness to risk. That's what I want to learn about. A label/diagnosis wouldn't be very helpful with that, so it doesn't matter to me and I don't ask.

Sorry if that was more than what you were looking for!

About being accepted by the T... it does feel so good and that we mutually agree we can work well together feels like a solid foundation to start with... and I like that too.

xoxo