Quote:
Originally Posted by guilloche
I have the impression that therapists (at least the ones I've seen) don't tend to respond much to emails.
I always felt bothered by it. I'm not necessarily expecting a *long* response, but sometimes there is *no* response - and that makes me feel ignored... and also really *really* sends the signal to me that, "sharing via email is NOT OK."
I know some of the reasons: therapists don't want to do therapy over email, they want to deal with stuff in session, they're busy, and it's harder to understand the nuances of emotion over email.
But... I wonder.... is part of it about containment? Like, by not interacting outside of the session, it makes it easier (?) to contain all the emotional stuff in the session itself, so it doesn't spill into the rest of your life?
I think if that's true, it would make me feel a little better about this phenomenon  because at least I'd know it has a good, kind purpose!
What do you think? |
I think it's partly true. I have a friend who's a T and she doesn't do emails or phone calls outside of business hours. Part of it is time, part is containment and part is self care or a work/ life balance. The people I see and always have seen for psychiatry or therapy have had similar philosophies as well. I've never felt that emails were part of the deal with therapists so it's not something that I expect, at least not outside of business hours.
I think that if I saw a t who allowed or encouraged me to email, I would have a very hard time for the reasons you describe. Writing to someone because you're upset and receiving inconsistent replies or no reply at all, would be more harmful than helpful to me. I think some Ts have good intentions but don't always get this.