Hi all,

This isn't so much a question....as I declaration. I'm practicing here on PC and asking for some reactions/responses/humor, whatever you got.

My T and I were working together pretty well. She is smart, responsive and "gets" where I am with my life and what I want to work on. I was seeing her weekly and had even tackled my big issue -- the lack of an intimate relationship. With her, I've made pretty big strides and have even more coping skills. They're so great to have, as I'm in a challenging profession and do have some health (and mental health issues; who am I kidding?) that I deal with on an ongoing basis.

This therapy has been, on balance, pretty *!** good!

But then my T had a family health issue that took her out of town. Basically, she has a family member with a terminal illness and she has left town for an extended period. She left here in mid July and there is no sense from her when she will return.

I've done some phone sessions with her, which were not very useful. Then we started to try email sessions, as she felt that she couldn't talk on the phone. I had some real questions about the billing (is answering an email really the same as a 50-minute talk session? I think not....I'm going to have to check my billing statements) One email "session" or exchange of emails went badly enough that I felt the exchange was hurtful rather than helpful, and I let her know.

Now, I'm faced with finding a new T...or just staying in this lapsed situation.

Do you think I should press for answers about her plans? I mean, how do I really bring this up? Do I simply say, what are your plans for returning to this city and what are you advising your clients to do? I mean, I can't exactly say...how long does your relative have to live, can I? I have thought about an interim T and I have also thought about just throwing in the towel. Part of me does not miss having to drive across town for yet another meeting.

Any reactions from the hive mind would help....