I think you should go ahead and use it. This is an understandably horrible time for everyone and your T has made it clear that if you need extra support, she is there for you. I wouldn’t feel bad for reaching out to her. I’m sorry you’re going through such a difficult time.

I understand the logic behind waiting until you are “really struggling” but at the same time, I think it would be best not to let things build up. From what you have written, I think your T seems very encouraging. Have you thought about mentioning the reticence regarding reaching out to her? I’m only asking because when I said something similar about this to my T, it opened up some very reassuring discussions about feeling like I am being “too needy” etc.

I don’t text my T as he hasn’t given me his number, but I tend to email every few months or so when I need a bit of extra reassurance that he’s still there/ need to feel connected. When I told him that not replying makes me feel anxious, he started making more of an effort to acknowledge my emails with a few encouraging lines.