hangingon, what would you think of telling your current therapist you need a break from therapy? You could take some time off from her, perhaps a few months, see the new T a few times, and then make your decision. I agree, it is a hard decision to make when you have only seen the new T once and you have a history with the old T.

When I began seeing my current therapist, I did not have to start from scratch with him. I started from where I was. I did not need to work through some of the things I had gone over with the first therapist, because I had done that. I just began where I was, and we went from there. You don't have to go through your whole history again. Just start working on whatever you need to TODAY, and also start building the relationship.

The single most important predictor of success in therapy is the relationship with the therapist, not the length of time you've been in therapy with them, their approach, or whatever. It does not sound like it is completely clearcut for you, which is the best relationship and which is the best opportunity for therapy. I think taking some of the time pressure off of yourself by taking a break from therapy with your first T would lift some of the pressure and allow you to make the right decision at a more leisurely pace. A therapist does not have to do "anything to hurt me" in order to terminate with them. It doesn't mean she's a bad therapist if you leave her, maybe just not what you need at this time. I hope you give yourself some time to make this decision, if that's what you need. I have also found that doing therapy is a bit of a skill, and if you have 11 months under your belt from the first T, you may move more speedily through the early stages with a new T, and build the relationship more easily (if they are a sufficiently good match).