I hope you don’t mind me responding. The longest therapeutic relationship I’ve had before L was 4 years, so I’m not sure if one of my experiences count. But it’s similar. So two experiences that I’m relating with:

A therapist I saw when I was 18. It’s been so long that my timeline isn’t perfect. But I saw her weekly for 3 years. After that it was determined that I no longer needed therapy. I don’t know if she decided that or the county/organization. But I was okay. I had gained a lot of support during that time. I saw a school therapist for a while because my boyfriend broke up with me. That wasn’t helpful. And then my therapist contacted me months later. She had decided to transfer jobs to another city and wanted to know if I’d like to see her before she left. I agreed. We had weekly sessions again for a few months before she left. I am so grateful she allowed me that time. I got to really connect and get a lot of closure. The last day she gave me two transitional objects and gave me her email I could send updates to.

My other experience is with L. She told me as soon as she found out this last time that she was pregnant (at 2 months). That gave us about 7 months to work through things and get closure. I am so thankful she let me know asap and gave me that much time to process. I really believe that’s part of what made her leave bearable.

So from my experience, having all the time I could get to spend with them before they left was so beneficial to me. I think I would have regretted leaving before my time was up with them.

Are you allowed any contact with her after retirement? Have you thought of things that you might need or want beforehand? Transitional objects, pictures, letters, voice recordings, etc? Maybe process some of what you might want/need. And maybe talk to her about the pros and cons of leaving early vs staying the rest of the time.