Great thread... The SPAM folder is a real problem. I have to continually warn my students that if they email me from their yahoo or hotmail accounts they will likely be blocked by our SpamGuardian program. I also have to remind them that ... I don't always know who peaches135 is so they need to put their name in the subject line otherwise I might not even open it.

I think overall I get a LOT of emails during the course of the day and I answer 90% of them. I think most people who email me would prefer a response whether it is explicitly stated or not. I view this as a part of my job, just like teaching class, holding office hours, etc. This doesn't mean that all messages get a 24 hr response time or that the response is alway in the form that they want. Some times a response might be.. 'you need come in and meet with me during my office hours' or 'sorry I can help you with that.'

As for why my T might not answer my emails:
1. I don't explicitly say I want a response. A lot of the times I am just writing to her hold for the next session.
2. I get easily overwhelmed by attention when she provides it during the sessions. Then feel embarrassed that I presented a need/want for attention.
3. I don't think she actually reads them until either right before or during my session.
4. I think she prefers oral (live) communication. I think this is where I also need the most help.
5. She has a high patient load and values her down time.