My therapists were always pretty upfront about any major issues that were going on, particularly if they might in any way interfere with scheduling or general availability. I was aware of major illnesses with them or family members, deaths in the family, etc. not because the therapist was trying to overshare or turn me into their therapist or anything, but simply because logistically and practically, these things did have some sort of impact on the therapist's business. While these issues were major for my therapists, they were not particularly major for me I think in part because my therapists were so honest and open about how these issues might affect their work. I think they basically exuded the tone that they had it all in hand, this was their plan for minimizing the effect on their work, or this was how they were going to be handling the situation as it pertained to their work; thus, I was able to trust they were taking care of themselves and their clients (me included).

I appreciated my therapists openness. I think sometimes therapists seem to try to protect clients from basic realities and that does the client a disservice. It seems infantilizing to hide the truth from an adult to in some way protect them. I guess that's the parent in me speaking maybe. I have always found my own kids to be quite astute and "on" to whatever problems are happening; we always have found just be straight with our kids was respectful and honestly less anxiety-making for them. As adult clients, I just don't understand the "need" to protect adults from basic facts about issues that might require adjustments and change (or anyone for that matter - even small children can learn to handle change if given the appropriate information in a timely and age-appropriate manner).