I think her having her own relationship with T1 is part of the problem... but in a different way. Last November T1 went on a long trip. T1, T2 (not my T then) and I were all in the waiting room. T1 asked her something and she said she thought I was her client. T1 spontaneously started joking about her taking me while he was gone... she froze and had no clue what to say or do. I laughed and when she saw me laugh she calmed down. Other interactions I have seen between her and T1 she almost seems child-like with him... like maybe a middle school or high schooler and their dad (he does do the dad thing well). First session with T2 I discovered she idolizes him far more than I do, which I have to admit is impressive! I think she assumes he is the same with me as he is with her or she doesn’t want to see him differently than her experience because when I try to talk about him she talks over me. Right now I have everything I could want from T1 other than the limits from my finances and COVID.
T1 , to date, is not forcing it. I suggested it and I have not shown interest in quitting... until yesterday and T1 and I have not talked since then (it was an email).
I ran into T2 a few times in the waiting area and just liked her in general. It wasn’t like she came out and I got all uneasy or uncomfortable. If her client wasn’t there I would say hi. She seemed quiet and maybe a little shy but very nice and approachable.

So, now the bigger issue... her inexperience. She is almost done with her Masters so technically I guess I would be considered part of her practicium or internship hours? She is legally seeing clients but is not yet met the license requirements in my state and is not licensed. I don’t have any issue with this in general especially seeing as T1 thought it would work. Since seeing T1 my perception of myself as a client has shifted. I work with horses and have one that is exceptionally well trained in 4 different styles of riding (trail, polo, low level dressage and cutting). She has a huge heart and wants nothing more than to please and protect her rider. She came to me as a rescue because she was dangerous to ride and was going to end up killing someone. My plan was to put her out to pasture if she was safe on the ground or have her put down if she really was that dangerous. I rode her once and man it was the rollercoaster ride of my life time! I wanted to see what she knew and if she was dangerous which made her confused, scared and volatile. What I learned though... you want to trail ride her? Put a trail saddle on, point her on the trail and enjoy the ride. You want to cut? Point her at the calves, hold on and let her go. You want to play polo? Hold on and hit the ball she will make sure you are where you need to be. She is simple to ride... show her what you want and let her go. Everyone, myself included, over complicates her and that’s when she gets scared and people get hurt. I think I am the same way. T1 points my nose in a direction in therapy and then hangs on for the ride. He might make slight adjustments here or there but point and trust... and he has done this from the beginning. I think in T2’s lack of experience she trusts her books and professors and wants to make the session fit their mold. I don’t think she has found herself as a therapist yet and I don’t think she has learned to (ugh... I can’t believe Im going here...) “Trust the Process” from the therapists side. I think I would be OK with her being her if she would relax, focus and truly be HER in the room rather than trying to be something from a class or a textbook.

I also know T1 sees a very different T2 than what I see. Not because she mis represents herself or that he doesn’t know her but simply because we all have different relationships with eachother. She is very submissive to him and seeks out feedback and eager to do exactly what he says. He is not giving her a lot of feedback with me because she is not seeing a problem between us... I don’t show up ten minutes late every week with a cup of coffee I clearly bought just to make me late and be in control (a conversation I overheard when she hijacked T1 on his way to get me). So what he gets from her is her perception that everything is going so well because she likes me and I don’t push her buttons. Then he gets me totally losing my s* in ways he never thought possible given how easy it has been for him to work with me.

I also don’t think he gets that she sets me off on multiple layers... there is the protective blow up when she crosses the boundary. There is a secondary “explosion” usually a day or so after when I can no longer contain what the boundary was there to keep in place. And... between the blow up and the explosion I spiral downward something awful to the point of dangerous.