Hi all!

Been away for a bit, but back now, and wanted to get perspective on something (and also just wanted to tell someone!)

After two years of waiting/searching for a mental health professional, I was finally (thankfully) referred to a psychiatrist for an assessment. She is wonderful and incredibly smart and I think I would be able to work so well with her.

However, I've seen her seven times now, and she keeps making it clear we are still doing an "assessment". I totally understand that she wants to get a clear picture of me and make sure she can help, and the logical part of me does really appreciate her professionalism that way. But my emotional side feels like I've had this ongoing "audition" or "job interview" (for lack of better words) for weeks now, with no clear end in sight. I'm struggling a bit, because I don't want to invest and get my hopes up just to have her say that she doesn't think she can work with me, but I also know that holding stuff back and intentionally not trusting her and letting her in is probably not helpful in this stage at all.

So, I don't know. I guess I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about this, or what I should do? Or what other people's experiences have been with the initial assessment phase of therapy?

Thanks for reading!

~Ness