[turquoisesea]

I was wondering, what I should bring to this session.

I want to give her an accurate idea of what's been going on with me over a long period of time. I also want to deal with some current issues that have just happened and I need support with.


Another complication is that I am still "officially" meeting with another therapist. I've been trying to get a meeting with this other therapist to TELL HER that I am seeing this new one since she has better availability, but our schedules have not matched up for over a month which is to a large degree why I'm seeing this new therapist (and the fact I don't think the old one and I got much done together in a year of work).


Suggestions? Ideas? Do you think I should try writing something up? I just don't know what to do and don't want to waste time once I get there, I tend to have trouble TALKING in sessions.

Thank you everyone.

I don't know that you need to bring much with you. If you are on meds, a list of those and the name and number of your doctor might be helpful. Otherwise, I'd let the therapist lead the way. Any therapist worth their weight will be able to conduct an initial interview.

If you want to write up a quick timeline of events, that could be helpful. You could also write down a goal or two for therapy.

I remember I had to fill out a questionairre that addressed many of those points. He used that form as a jumping off point. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. You won't get to everything you want to cover in the initial session. It takes time. Good luck to you.

[ECHOES]

"Begin where you are".

I hope it goes well.

[deliquesce]

with old-T, i went in needing to deal with something immediately. so we talked about that first a bit, and he asked a lot of questions surrounding that issue (but which also helped him to learn more about me) and it didnt fix the issue straight away but it was enough for me to tide myself over until the following week. we finished up the initial interview the following week (he'd forgotten to get my address, pdoc's number etc) but it wasn't a big deal.

i think just a list of meds you are on and & dr's numbers would be helpful. if you go in and say you need help with an issue, they will usually attend to that and pick up history along the way.

re: old-T. you don't need to tell her it's over to make it official. if you are fine just moving on to a new T then maybe it will save you some energy (and frustration) to stop trying to make time to meet up with her. if you need notes or anything transferred to your new T (although my current T never wanted this - he likes to work from a clean slate) then you can just write a letter.

but if termination is important for YOU (i.e., for your sense of closure - not just to be polite to T) then by all means keep trying to get in touch. maybe if you leave a message indicating what you would like to talk about then she will be more accomodating?

[moonrise]

Good luck! When I switched from my old T to my new one, I had an overlap of times of transition, when I would see both. That really helped. As long as your new T is aware, there shouldn't be a problem.

[turquoisesea]

Thank you everyone for your input.

I went to the session, most of it was talking and giving history. She was very helpful in leading the discussion where she wanted it to go. Her schedule was also pretty flexible.

deliquesce, thank you for the idea with the old T. At this point I'm wanting to meet with her JUST to be nice to her, and respectful. But I may not have the energy to deal with it right now. I didn't want to end things over an email but maybe I'll have to.

Thank you again everyone, your words helped me collect myself

[ECHOES]

It sounds like you feel comfortable with your first session. That's great to hear.