[suzzie]

do ts ever put anything on their doors. or lock them. so others know they are in a session. just wondering because at my last session. the next client walked right in. in the middle of my session. no knocking. just opened the door. and walked in. she thought her session was earlier than it was. t told her it was later. and she left. it was quick. but surprising. and the remaining time was a bit off. its never happened before. but took away a bit of safety. which i already have trouble with. her practice is an office next to her house. maybe thats why a client would just walk in without knocking.

[rainboots87]

Nothing on the door. If the door is closed, occasionally someone (who works in the office) might knock to grab something or tell T something important. Clients all wait in the waiting room and T comes to get us when it's time. That goes for both of her offices. In fact, my previous Ts offices were set up the same way. Sorry about that girl walking in- it was have been unsettling.

[CantExplain]

The Good Group had a notice on the door.

I have a little sign that I flip to say in session, or please knock. Cients have to be escorted where I work. But one time a client barged in thinking his wife was in there without him... Yeah she was in the bathroom. I was quite pissed. It caused my teen client, whom was FINALLY opening up and disclosing important stuff, and she totally shut down for good. Argh

[likelife]

The cleaning service at my T's office just walked in once. That was disconcerting. My T was out of her chair super fast to tell them to leave, though

[BonnieJean]

No lock, no sign. In 15 months, 2 people have walked in in the middle of my session. t got them right out but it disrupted everything.

[sittingatwatersedge]

T1: no sign, door not locked. The door had a window in it, which would tend to freak me out now and then.

T2: Door has no window, but a sign "Counseling in session: Do Not Disturb". It's nice to know that it's there, whether door is locked or not (don't know)

interesting question. thanks!

[Dreamy01]

Gosh how awful to have the next client walk in your session

I see my T in private practice (at her house) so fortunately it is very quiet and she doesn't need anything on her door. However, I saw both prior ts in noisy environments and even though both of them put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, with first t someone knocked on the door (t went and spoke to her, which annoyed me) and with second t someone actually walked straight in, realised their mistake and immediately went back out. It was enough to disrupt me for the rest of the session though.

It is important that the environment is secure but not all ts would probably be happy with a lock on the door.

[healed84]

At my Ts office door closed me don't interrupt. I have seen the receptionist knock and go in when the door was shut, but she knew that there was no one in session. So, nothing on the door. There is a room next to my t's office that has a sign on it that says do not disturb testing going on, but is the only office I have ever seen a sign on. Also, there is a waiting room all the patients are supposed to sit there until their T comes and gets them. I would def. be thrown off is somebody walked right into my session.

My T works in a practice/clinic with a number of Ts. They all have signs on their doors saying (in approximate translation) "Conversation in progress", but the signs are always there even when the doors are open so they seem more like decoration than anything else. As far as I can understand they never knock on each others' doors or enter when the door is closed, though.

What I really like is the fact that there's a ceiling-to-floor portiere covering the entire wall where the door is, and which the T draws shut as soon as she has closed the door. That means that nobody could possibly barge in (they'd get tangled in the curtain!) and it also feels more secure and sound-proof.

[critterlady]

T and I are usually in his office suite alone. All his clients know to wait in the waiting room until he comes to get them. He leaves new clients a note about filling out their paperwork and waiting for him to come get them. Occasionally, his partner (who is also his wife) will be in her office next door, but she's never interrupted us.

[WikidPissah]

That would totally dislodge me and shut me down. Sorry it happened to you.

My T is in a fairly large practice, so there is a waiting room and the doctors and therapists come out to get their clients. In fact, the doors from the waiting room to the offices are locked to prevent people from just walking back through the offices uninvited. It keeps things very quiet and private, and the secretaries never interrupt.

[sconnie892]

I'm sorry you had someone walk in. That would completely throw me off.
My t is in a group practice so there is a waiting room and t comes to get the next client. T runs a white noise machine by her closed door when in session. No one has ever knocked or walked in. It does bother me when t has the windows open however. Her office is right next to the parking lot and I wonder if people can hear our conversations.

[Screenager]

There's never anybody in my T's office besides her and the client, so it's not necessary.

[Honeybun]

Wow, really sorry that happened to you. Is the security of the session room something your T will address as an issue?
I think that would be it for me. I shut down if I hear someone walking outside the door (old stuff). T1 is secured entrance, as well as a sign on the session room. T2 always locks the door but have had people knock several times which T has answered, although keeping the door so nobody can see in. I wish some T's better understood what a delicate space the session room is. In my mind it is part of the safety they should be providing. Privacy both in terms of identity and information disclosed are HUGE.

[sunrise]

My T's door is always locked. That way we know no one will walk in on us. I am a very private person, so I really like this. It would be hard relaxing and expressing hard emotions if I knew someone could walk in anytime. Yikes! Suzzie, I hope your T can find a way to make her office more secure for you.

[Silent_tsol]

I think if be pretty off balance if someone walked in. t has a sign there and a bell on the door to the waiting room so maybe she goes on extra alert if/when she hearts it. I think she spaces us out 15 minutes or so apart because theres only someone before our after me 50% of the time. And the other 50% she had a habit if letting things run long

[lostmyway21]

My T shuts door but doesn't lock it and no sign. I stragically picked my sessions to be his first appt one day and his first appt after break on the other. He normally has free time after me, I never see a client and I always run over.

ONE time I had a different time slot and a client came barging up to the door knocking to start. (I hadnt even went over) It was unsettling. T was visibly annoyed.