How do you know when to terminate therapy? I'm not using insurance (paying out of pocket) so it is not like the insurance company is telling us how many sessions are covered. We didn't have therapy goals when I started (learned about those here)..Its hard to know...I used to feel very connected to my T. I've been in therapy 6 months and have made great strides (which T. agrees with). Recently, I haven't felt too connected to my T. and I"m having difficulty even coming up with things to discuss weekly. I've basically spent all the money that I have for this and need to stop soon. What is a reasonable exit plan? I told my therapist I needed to stop and he was not too happy...he thought we should discuss it more, the reasons (he told me most people say its the money but it is not the money) and then cut back to twice a week then monthly or go to group therapy. I know I could just stop after next session but I want it to end well....just in case I need to go back.

[SoupDragon]

I am up for quitting most weeks - and almost wriggled out of it once I too pay for myself and it is an issue with me.

I don't know how to answer your question, others on here might - but I trust for me, that I will know when it is the right time to stop and it won't be through fear, but it will feel beyond doubt the right thing to do.

What do you think about what your T said?

Originally Posted by SoupDragon

I am up for quitting most weeks - and almost wriggled out of it once I too pay for myself and it is an issue with me.

I don't know how to answer your question, others on here might - but I trust for me, that I will know when it is the right time to stop and it won't be through fear, but it will feel beyond doubt the right thing to do.

What do you think about what your T said?

Is there any truth to there being "other than financial" reasons for wanting to stop therapy? Yeah, I feel like we've discussed so much and feel like I understand myself so much more...I just feel ready to live my life with all the new information that I have and see how it goes...I'm not dependent on him as I once was and its difficult to come up with things to talk about..

[SoupDragon]

I guess there is a chance that in our "resistance" we may use the financial reason as an excuse to run away. At the moment for me, I think my weekly "fix" with my T is as important as food and water and I need to find a way of funding it as a priority - like I wouldn't say for financial reasons I can't drink water this week -I would find a way.

My life is pretty full on at the moment and for me, sometimes the pressure I experience in T is just too much and I want to quit as I can't deal with the added burden it places upon me psychologically - so like a sinking ship I look for what I can off load and therapy is the only thing I have any degree of control over right now - so for me to quit now would be a non-financial reason.

It sounds like you consider you have gained a lot and now need to practice it in real life - I wonder if there is any sort of compromise that may benefit you - for example just reducing the number of sessions at the moment? That would mean you could still check in with your T to make sure things continue to go well - good luck

[Fartraveler]

I feel like we've discussed so much and feel like I understand myself so much more...I just feel ready to live my life with all the new information that I have and see how it goes

Tell him what you said in that quote, and tell him that you really appreciate everything he's done, and that you want a therapy break for a month or whatever. And then you can either set up an appointment for in a month, or just call if/when you want an appointment.

I take therapy breaks a lot, often for three or four months. I definitely find them to be useful -- as you say, they help you consolidate and integrate whatever you've learned in therapy.

[jazzy123456]

Take a "break" and check back in later... it gives you a chance to figure out if what you are saying is really true. Decide on the amount of time but, make sure you tell your T your taking a break. You could cut back on the number/frequency of sessions you have too... but, just talk with your T about it all and be honest. hope this helps!