She maybe generous with her time, but that doesn't mean she's a good fit. I had a counselor before my current T that I only saw for a few months. Other people had been helped by her, but I found her difficult and she increased my anxiety. When I started seeing my current T, it was a breath of fresh air. While I felt anxious about opening up, he took everything I said in stride and I left feeling lighter than I had walking in. The depression would press back down on me, but at least for a bit, I left feeling better and feeling like I could make it to the next week.

I think part of that was personality. My T and I have good chemistry. When I make a jab, he can jab back and he knows how to do it in a way that isn't hurtful and I end up laughing. It's fun for us and it makes therapy easier for me. I know your options are likely limited but I don't think there's anything wrong with looking through what options you have and seeing if there's one that is at least workable. Even in DBT our emotions are validated. Emotions give us information and then we can work with them from there. My T never invalidated what I felt even as he nudged me to come to places of acceptance (and it was nudging, not pushing which I think is a nuanced difference).