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At the beginning of your practice, your boundaries will be fuzzy and your limits will be short. That's a very tough time. Triggers abound! Yikes. Eventually, you'll figure out what you can handle, what you can do to stay healthy and strong....and over time, that strength will increase. From what I have read, you are going to be a great T!

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ty Campanula . I have really needed to hear that! Are you a T? I have compared myself to my T, and felt really inadequate and afraid to become a T. My T seems superhuman sometimes, I swear. I don't know how she does all that she does, and stays healthy. But she manages very well. Overall, she seems very very happy with her life. I, on the other hand, have been getting burned out and feeling like I'm going under. I feel like 40 hours of my job is too much each week and doesn't leave me enough time to recuperate, and take care of my own needs It's had me feeling incompetent.

ty Sky for your suggestions.

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Are you allowed to, have you tried covering the window? True, only those clients who are braver might knock to see if you are there but that might cut down on some of the distractions. Maybe a note on the door; "if window covered, in private meeting" (with yourself :-) and just not overdo covering the window

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Perna I have blinds on my windows I can close, but still have a big glass door. Unfortunately the city housing authority (property managers for the building I work in) won't allow us to cover our doors or even put blinds on them. I've tried hanging a sign up. People pop in anyway. One client even said "can I interrupt your lunch?" after noting that my sign said I'm at lunch please come back later. Another, I told him I could not let him in his apartment because I was on my lunch. He said, "oh it's ok, I needed to chat with you first anyway" and sat down in my office. I told him, "I need some time to myself to eat my lunch. I'm not working right now. When I finish, I would be happy to talk to you."

I can (and do) tell them I'm not available right now, but it just gets tiring to have to do that over and over again. Once you're interrupted, you're interrupted. You know? And I don't like feeling like I have to hurt my clients' feelings by turning them away when they feel they "need" me, and I just want to eat lunch. I know it's not personal, and certainly not a rejection of them. But I also know that on the client end, it doesn't feel the same as it does on my end. On the client's end, it hurts

ty sister for sharing your experience, too. Sounds a lot like mine.

Sorry to vent everyone.