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Old Feb 07, 2018, 11:10 AM
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LonesomeTonight LonesomeTonight is offline
Always in This Twilight
 
Member Since: Feb 2015
Location: US
Posts: 22,028
Here's the e-mail I sent T last night that led to him saying he'd rather meet with me in person to discuss (meeting in 4 hours...). Assuming I opt to write up today's session, figure it will make more sense showing the e-mail first:

"Hi Dr. T,

I know we talked about holding stuff till the next session, but some things you said near the end today, mostly centered around attachment, are concerning me. (Charge accepted should you choose to respond.)

First, I appreciate you being so open to my comments regarding the previous week's session. Sorry if I scared you with the 2-page document!

What's concerning me centers around the attachment talk from the end of the session. For one, the fact that you said I think about my relationship with you more than any of your other clients. First, I feel weird being compared to your other clients--we're all different people bringing different issues to therapy. Plus, I suspect some of them probably think about your relationship more than you know--they just don't tell you about it. (I used to be one of those people with [ex-T and MC], but I eventually came to learn that it's better to talk about it than to keep it all inside. Even though sometimes it leads to painful discussions.)

But I think the big thing that's upsetting me is that you said you feel I think about you more than is good for me and more than is healthy. I feel really judged by that statement. Like you think there's something wrong with me. And you seemed to think I'd only been seeing you 3 months (closer to 5), plus you asked about how long I'd been seeing [ex-T and MC} before getting attached. So I get the sense you think I've attached too quickly. Which also makes me feel like you think there's something wrong with me.

I guess I just don't understand, how, knowing my history with [MC]--which is a big part of what brought me to start seeing you in the first place--(plus now that you know the stuff with that teacher) you seem surprised that I'm attached to you or that I think about my relationship with you outside of session. I feel like it would have been stranger had I NOT gotten attached to you. (Though that could have suggested it was in fact something about [MC] specifically, I guess...)

I'm concerned that much of this--that I in general--seems to puzzle you. I'm worried that you're not actually equipped to handle attachment from a client. I don't mean in the sense of psychodynamic training--I know you said multiple times that you're not trained in that, and I get that. OK. But with some of the stuff I mentioned above...I worry that you just don't know what to do with me, how to handle this stuff. I'm afraid I'll get more attached, and you'll be bothered and/or confused by it, won't know how to deal with it, and end up really hurting me in the process.

I've liked working with you so far--I think you've had some really good insights and a different perspective than what I've found with [ex-T or MC]. It would be nice if we could continue working together.

But please just be up front with me: If you don't feel comfortable handling and working with this level of attachment--or potentially a greater level of attachment and/or transference, should that develop--from a client, just let me know now, and I'll go elsewhere. I'd certainly rather know now than, say, 6 months from now, when I could potentially be more attached. Note that if you say you don't feel comfortable, I'm not going to classify that as abandonment because I'm the one asking about this. I just want to know if you think you can really help me with the attachment stuff...including if that involves attachment to you.
Thanks,
LT"

"LT - Replying to your email is above what I am comfortable doing through email. Did you want to come in Wednesday or Thursday this week, or would you prefer to wait until next week to talk about it?"

(I wanted to be like, "Of course I don't want to wait till next week! If I did, uh, I wouldn't have e-mailed." Instead, I just asked what he had available.)
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Thanks for this!
ElectricManatee