This rings true for me. I believe I have worked through the original issues that brought me to therapy. Despite my long tenure in therapy, I am quite sure I am not "addicted" nor do I think I need to either stop or move to another therapist or modality.

Opinions on and off this board that there is something wrong with people who have spent years with the same therapist are not credible. People get to judge for themselves (along with any insurance company, in my case) how and why therapy works for them, and unless you've been in that place, you just can't know. I think I've become quite expert and efficient at using therapy to head off my yearly anniversary grief, cope with the high stress of the work I do, keep my head on straight when parenting my teen, and otherwise live my life in the best way I can. Maybe other people find it easier to focus on themselves than I do, but the hour in the therapy room is like a tune up for me.

In the not too distant future, I'll return to every other week, and then possibly every month. But as long as I do the work that I do, I'll do some kind of therapy, because vicarious trauma is a thing. I don't imagine I will continue until old age, but I won't hesitate to seek it if I do.

For me, having a therapist I've known for almost a decade has some of the same pleasures as my long term relationships. It's definitely different than doing therapy with someone in the beginning. I think I have only been able to deal with some of the things I have because of the long tenure of the relationship, so it has its place.