Mary Alice,

Congratulations on the job. It sounds like this one will be better, at least once you get past the being gone part and get a chance to settle into it. Getting away just might be a good thing for you anyway. I know Alex is taking it hard, and I wouldn't doubt that. He doesn't want to lose his Mommy and is still scared about that. Spend as much time with him as you can before you go - that dinner you were talking about sounds great! Don't go easy on the chocolate! He'll be okay and you will keep in touch with him. I'm glad that you will be able to stay in touch with us too.

I've only heard good things about Effexor. If I were going to try meds, that would be my first choice.

Group therapy is scary when you haven't tried it before. I did that once, and was so uncomfortable about it before it started. I thought it would be impersonal and I would just be lost in the crowd as usual, but it really was okay. It's really not all that different from here actually, except in real life. Since you have said that your T is the only person IRL who you can be yourself with, this sounds like a good way to expand your circle. I hope you make some new friends.

It might feel like your T is trying to speed you along so he can dump you, but I don't see it that way. Now that you are starting to get better, his job is to facilitate that. He's been so worried about you and doesn't want you to hurt so much. Of course he wants you to get better - that's the whole point, right? It's not because he wants to dump you. Part of his job, though, is to help you learn to find other people who can be your support system and friends.

About that fence that went up between you, you know which Mary Alice he was talking to yesterday. Who put the fence up?

Are you coming to Heidu's party? I'll toss you some chocolate. See 'ya there!



Wendy

<font color=purple>"The real problem of mental life is not why some people become insane, but rather why most avoid insanity." -Erich Fromm</font color=purple>