[healed84]

I HATE being late.. seriously, it is almost impossible for me to be late for appointments. I was always taught that to be on time is to be early.. anywhere from like 5-10mins early.

Well, I have been showing up like 10-12mins early for my appointment. I don't mind waiting, I actually enjoy the time that I don't have kids hanging all over me.. However, I have come to find now that I have been seeing T for 2 months now, he runs probably 10-20mins behind schedule. I honestly don't mind.. although.. One time that it was 20 mins he did apologize more than usual and said it was a crazy day in the office. Well, anways I showed up I think 10mins early for my appointment on Wed and the receptinist looked at me, looked down at the clock and had a weird look on her face... I am wondering if I should start to show up right at the appointed time instead of early?

So, anways.. I wonder how early you show up at your appointments???

[SoupDragon]

My T has a message on his door saying not to be more than 5 minutes early so that I don't accidently bump into the previous client. So I arrive betwen 1-5 minutes before my appointment time. Sometimes this means I sit in my car for 10 minutes before hand. Soup

[pbutton]

At least 15 mins early. One time I walked up to check in at the desk, told them I had an appt with T and she said "Oh! he's standing right behind you." AAAAH! It was like a horror movie, I swear.

[pbutton]

Also, the recorded appointment reminders ask that we arrive at least 10 minutes early for payment/paperwork/check-in.

[Chopin99]

I have been everywhere from 10 min early to 20 min late.

Usually I am 5 min early. My T's office doesn't seem to care if we clients see each other, but we tend not to make eye contact.

[crazylife]

I turn up about 10 minutes early and my T is usually a few minutes late. He gets annoyed when i show up bang on time as he presumes i'm not coming lol.

[Screenager]

My appointment is always scheduled for 4 pm, but I've learned that T apparently always runs a bit later, so at 4 the last client will usually still be there (albeit getting ready to leave). So I try to time my ring at the doorbell to exactly 4:05 T doesn't seem to mind, and I'd rather show up then than bump into the last client.
Also, if I were really early, T would have to interrupt the session before mine to open the door for me, and I wouldn't want that. (And that would again include seeing the other client as they leave, which like I said I don't really like. )

[lostmyway21]

I take a bus, a ferry, and then two trains to get to one of my T's offices. Now that combined with the fact im super paranoid about being late because of transit delay's... I usually end up there like 30 minutes early. If its nice out I will wander around for a good 15 minutes. But I do need my time to decompress, and get my thoughts together in his waiting room after all the travel.

[Mike_J]

I'm always early everywhere so I show up 10 minutes early, normally waiting is difficult for me but my therpist's office is the one place I don't mind waiting, enjoy the time to gather my thoughts. Once a few weeks ago I thought about showing up almost an hour early and using the time to read, I mentioned this to my therapist and she said to feel free to do that.

[stopdog]

I am usually dead on time or a minute late. If I am early or have to wait my anxiety gets worse so I arrange to avoid doing that to myself.

My T has a separate exit for people who are leaving. That way, his clients never bump into each other -- well except for the time this other woman showed up at the wrong time and we were hanging out in the waiting room at the same time. So, I usually tend to show up a few minutes early (5-10). This last appointment, my watch was slow and I was exactly on time so he was opening the door just as I was sitting down in the waiting room and it rattled me a little.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Waiting rooms are a huge anxiety trigger for me. Since my T is nearly always on time or just a minute or two late, I try to get there about 5 minutes before my appt. Sometimes, that means I sit in my car for 5 or 10 minutes, but I don't want to be late because of traffic either.

[OneRedRose]

I sometimes show up as early as 30 minutes, its also the same time as my T's lunch so sometimes I see her trotting through the waiting room sandwhich in hand she always gives me a smile and if im only one in waiting room then a wave.

I like getting there early, gives me time to read paper, listen to some music, but its kinda a gamble really 50% of the time the waiting room is empty or pretty much empty, but the other 50% its packed, I get uncomfortable then.

[vanessaG]

I'm usually 15 min early for my appt on tue. I can compose myself & gather my thoughts.
On fri though, I come straight from dropping the kids at school (on the opposite side of town btw) AND driving slow on the freeway I get there 45 min early! I withe sit and play on my phone or stop by CBS before.
One morning I saw my T getting stuff out is car! And he looked at me like I was crazy! &&& he had a girl in his car that she got out n got in her own car next to his. Ummm not fun. I just LAYED my seat back in my car n felt like ****!!!

I am almost always 30 - 45 minutes early. I LOVE coming early and relaxing for awhile. Usually I'm getting there after a day with mobs of teenagers, so I find the waiting room really relaxing by comparison. I take a book and read, or sometimes I take a nap. T's had to wake me up more than once to start my session.

There are two psychiatrists and I think 6 therapists in their practice, so there are always other people in the waiting room. That doesn't bother me though. Seeing other patients really isn't any big deal to me. There are two tv's in the waiting room set to oldies channels, so most people are quiet and watching the boob tube anyway.

i have never been late in 6 years. LOL. Always annoyingly (probably) early.

[granite1]

i show up about 5 min earlt to right on time and my T seems to always be about 5 min late i dont know if it is because of the clocks are differnt or not but i dont think so

[ECHOES]

Well, anways I showed up I think 10mins early for my appointment on Wed and the receptinist looked at me, looked down at the clock and had a weird look on her face...

My guess is that the receptionist was absorbed in her work and unaware of nearly an hour having passed and when you arrived, she was surprised at what time it was. Have you ever done that, been jolted into reality and thought to yourself, good grief where did that last hour go!

Crosstown traffic can vary and one small traffic incident can cause huge delays. I only travel 10 miles, according to my odometer, but distance doesn't mean much here I usually arrive very early - sometimes 30 minutes early, but usually 10 -15 minutes. I always have a thermal cup full of hot tea and a book with me. I don't check in with anyone, so I'm just there when T is ready.

[greengrasshopper]

So this seems like a good place to get this out i've been thinking about it a little.

Usually i am there just a couple of minutes before my time once i was late because i had to get one of our sheep off the road but it was only maybe 10mins late.

However last time i was probably 10 to 12 minutes early. There is a sign saying to ring a bell so they know you are there. I pushed the bell and heard the receptionist say to my T "Do you want me to go?" To tell me T would be with me shortly.
I heard my T sigh and say "No i will go" She came out clearly not ready for me and said im just going to get a drink. Then we went in. Usually the time lasts about an hour. Within 15 mins she was like is that enough for today? I had things i wanted to ask her so i just stayed in my seat. She answered my questions and then got up a couple of times like she wanted me to leave.

I left after about 30mins with her. I have no idea if i pissed her off turning up early or if she had other things she needed to do or if she is trying to get me to deal with things myself more or if she is sick of me being silent and its her way of saying im not going to sit here and listen to nothing or if there is no meaning in it at all! :-) Ahhh the joys of needing someone else to help you through the crazy!

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by healed84

I HATE being late.. seriously, it is almost impossible for me to be late for appointments. I was always taught that to be on time is to be early.. anywhere from like 5-10mins early.

Well, I have been showing up like 10-12mins early for my appointment. I don't mind waiting, I actually enjoy the time that I don't have kids hanging all over me.. However, I have come to find now that I have been seeing T for 2 months now, he runs probably 10-20mins behind schedule. I honestly don't mind.. although.. One time that it was 20 mins he did apologize more than usual and said it was a crazy day in the office. Well, anways I showed up I think 10mins early for my appointment on Wed and the receptinist looked at me, looked down at the clock and had a weird look on her face... I am wondering if I should start to show up right at the appointed time instead of early?

So, anways.. I wonder how early you show up at your appointments???

sometimes Im minutes, hours early sometimes Im late sometimes Im right on time and sometimes I call and say unless you want to meet me at the ER and talk between my schedule I wont be in.. it all depends upon my work schedule that can change from second to second.

[mcl6136]

Once, just once, I want to be late and blow in like I don't care. Or it's just no big deal.

There's still time to be late, I think.......

[Screenager]

Originally Posted by mcl6136

Once, just once, I want to be late and blow in like I don't care. Or it's just no big deal.

There's still time to be late, I think.......

I was about half an hour late once (traffic problems). I was so scared T would be mad, but she said it was no big deal, not my fault etc. Thankfully there was no client after me, so we were able to make up for the time lost.

[retro_chic]

I always try and arrive 10-15 min early. I have to fill out a quiz thing before each session so I like to make enough time for that and not feel rushed. It also gives me time to compose myself before each session.

[Nightlight]

At the beginning I was always 5-10 minutes early. My T is almost always 5-10 minutes late and occasionally even later than that. I show up right on the dot now. If I'm early I usually wait in my car.

[shoez]

I show up 10 minutes early. almost every time. because I have complex about being late...and my T...even if I get there on time, always makes me wait 10 minutes..and I find when I come 10 minutes early..she starts on time.