[dismantle.repair]

Before you ask: No, switching Ts is not an option... Not that I want to, because it took me over a year to begin to trust her. Her insights are deep, she's easy to get along with, and she seems to understand, most of the time. She also has this uncanny ability to frustrate the living daylights out of me- and until recently, I'm pretty sure she'd probably need to go for therapy after sessions with me- that's how frustrating I am as well.

Recently, she's been saying I've been doing well... and that there isn't much more she could do with me. But the thing is, there are so many things that I need to talk about- it feels like I need to revisit old memories- and it feels like I've just begun to accomplish anything in T.
I have no idea what to do....

Tell T. "I feel like I need to revisit old memories", "I feel like there's so much left to do". It depends on the type of T and set up they have. Ask to review the treatment plan - that you still have additional goals to meet and you can work on it together. Sometimes if it appears original goals are met - T's start thinking about discharging. But make sure you are heard that you feel there are more issues to work through with her.

[Xeneon]

I totally like what stormy said I think its important that you explain why you don't think you should stop therapy. ((crash&burn))

[ECHOES]

Anytime we disagree with our therapist, we need to speak right up and let them know.
Perhaps she is saying this as a way of wondering where you would like to go next in your therapy with her.

[dismantle.repair]

She's said in an email she only needs to meet with me a couple more times... To make sure I'm still doing well...
My next meeting with her is in a little over 2 months.

But I definitely will try to bring this up with her..

Why so long between sessions??

[dismantle.repair]

Because I'm supposed to be done, I think.

And she sees clients based on priority I believe. It was just supposed to be a review.

[PTSDlovemycats]

I agree with Stormyangels. Tell T how you are feeling. Maybe even email T since it is so long until your next appointment. That is what I would do. Hope things work out well for you.

[dismantle.repair]

I don't think I will email her... I want to, but I don't think I can... I'm going to be busy for the next month or so anyway, and then after that it'll just be to wait it out.
I just hope I don't hesitate when I DO see her.
Thank you for your replies.

[eskielover]

I know having a good T gives us a sense of security, knowing that when we have something that bothers us, we have someone that we can talk it through with......then inbetween things coming us, we can touch on other issues that bother us throughout our life.

I know that loosing that sense of security is really difficult. It seems like you might be in a good place being as busy as you are and are seeming to be feeling somewhat ok going without therapy while you are busy.....but I know that I went several years while trying to find a new psychologist when I moved, I when I finally found one who is better than any I have had in the past......it's a wonderful feeling to have T again even if it's every few weeks. She got me started in their DBT group every week & when I couldn't go to that every week, I was really feeling lost.......there is just a sense of security that being able to talk through & analyze the things going on in life now & some of what happened in the past really does help & leaves a lost feeling when it isn't there.

[Indie'sOK]

Kudos to you for dealing with this so well...this sort of thing is a major trigger for me, and I would be off the wall with panic by now. You sound very calm when talking about the month ahead and that's great.

I really like what Stormy said.. But I'm wondering, did she even ask your opinion on ending therapy now? Sounds to me like she's saying "nope I see improvement so I'm going to start spacing out sessions...", you know? I'd definitely bring this up with her.

[dismantle.repair]

hehehe. I've been sending myself crazy over what I'm going to tell her... I've planned it out in my head already. Just... unsure if I have enough courage to.
If she thinks about ending it, I'm not arguing with her.

[Indie'sOK]

But the decision is ultimately up to you, not her

[dismantle.repair]

Thing is though, she's a CBT. So I've already been seeing her longer than most people do.
I'm fine with ending- once I'm convinced that I won't slip back into my depression As far as scheduling goes though, pretty soon, it will become damned near impossible to see a T.

[Indie'sOK]

Ohhhh, yeah tell me about it. I personally don't much care for CBT - I mean, I know it's helped a lot of people, but I just don't see how deep change can occur after so few sessions. My T is a CBT therapist too, and when she asked approximately how many sessions I'd like, I told her I really wanted to keep it open-ended. Termination is a trigger for me, big time, and knowing that the number of session is up to me helps a lot. Of course, there's always the chance she'd wish I would end after a certain number, but that reflects my insecurities, not her true feelings.

Hope this helps some...what about scheduling will make seeing a T again impossible?

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by crash&burn

But the thing is, there are so many things that I need to talk about- it feels like I need to revisit old memories- and it feels like I've just begun to accomplish anything in T.
I have no idea what to do....

Defintitely, tell her this! Otherwise, she will think you are fine and ready to end therapy. If you don't tell her this, she will end therapy, and it sounds like that is not what you want right now.

Good luck. Hope you can say what you need to say to her.

[dismantle.repair]

I don't argue with people though
The first time she brought up ending, I told her I didn't think it was appropraite at that time... The second time, I figured, "well she knows my side of this, and she IS the professional- so maybe she's seeing something that I'm not. I just hope she isn't wrong."
The 3rd time? I just agreed. And said... SURE.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by crash&burn

I don't argue with people though
The first time she brought up ending, I told her I didn't think it was appropraite at that time... The second time, I figured, "well she knows my side of this, and she IS the professional- so maybe she's seeing something that I'm not. I just hope she isn't wrong."
The 3rd time? I just agreed. And said... SURE.

This pattern of behavior would be excellent to work on in therapy. IF it is too hard to tell her directly, maybe you could just print out some of your posts and show her? You could also try reframing to make telling her easier--telling a person your opinion and reality is not arguing. It's just stating how things are for you. It's not an argument. If she doesn't know how things are for you, she won't have accurate information on which to base her treatment. Most T's love to get information on what their client is thinking and feeling as it helps guide their approach. When you get worried about seeming to appear to argue with her, just think--if you don't express yourself this one time, you will terminate therapy. Is it worth it to end therapy because you didn't want to appear argumentative? Good luck. It's hard, I know.