[dolphingirl]

It seems like almost everyone's T has a different way that they prefer to be contacted from something informal such as text to an office phone. I'm curious what the most common way is.

[stopdog]

The therapist has not really told me - she has called, emailed and texted me for things such as schedule changes. Usually email. I find it the least intrusive.

Email. I probably could text message but I prefer not to, and my therapist does not like the phone. I'd only call him in a real emergency.

My therapist has offered phone calls, but I feel that is too invasive of her privacy, so we keep in touch through email.

[dolphingirl]

Or which way is most common. Some Ts may not outright say that they want to be contacted in x way, but if a client starts receiving phone calls from them T probably prefers that way or that way is most convenient for them. That could happen with anything. Mine never said a certain way, but T started emailing me and the only phone number I have is the one with the secretary.

I prefer to text my T.

As a T, if they allowed me to email I would, but they don't, so it's they leave a voicemail then I call back. Blah.

[northgirl]

Only ever relied on the office phone/receptionist for scheduling issues. Almost emailed T when I was in a crisis, but we've never discussed communication boundaries and didn't want to have to if that wasn't allowed :/

I use the phone for any contact with my T. During office hours I just leave a message with the secretary and he always gets back to me very quickly. After hours there is an answering service number and they get hold of him right away. He doesn't offer email, and even if he did, he'd probably be horrible about it. He doesn't access him computer at work except only occasionally (usually it's packed away in his briefcase).

[crazylife]

I'm not allowed to contact him outside sessions unless it's requesting a change of appointment which then i email but i usually get a few cheeky 'i need to vent emails' through.

[healed84]

My T has never told me what he prefers, but I know if it is for something more informational.. Schedule changes, co-pay, etc, his receptionist would be much more help than he. So, I would call his receptionist. I call and leave a message with her if I need to talk to T, T has texted me once before and e-mail has never be discussed.

email is all she will allow the rest is forbidden

[WikidPissah]

I can contact him several ways: email (which he only checks in the evening), Office phone, wireless phone, text. The easiest way is text, he likes that because he can just see it and doesn't have to go thru voice mail to find out if it's urgent.

[Fresia]

I think it is helpful to ask upfront how you can reach them, whether it be for appointments or in crisis as you never know what might come up.

Per T, the only way to reach her is by phone but there are options... sometimes she does actually answer (rare), voicemail (more typical), or can select the option to page in an emergency for immediate counseling within an hour. I have used this option once and she did call back in an hour which appreciated her following through as she said she would. This has not always been the case with other T's.

[granite1]

i can call and leave a message and she will call back

[carly011]

She allows me to email her, she is the one who actually asked me to start and encourages it. She says i can email her however often i feel like i need to, no limit. We haven discussed phones or texting because she knows i hate phones!!!

[childofyen]

We've never had a conversation about communication between sessions. The few times I've called and asked for a return call, she has called me back right away. I'm not sure if I would like to email her... I'd be afraid I wouldn't stop emailing her.

Email is the most frequent way. Howeveri also text her. I have her cell phone but only call her on occassion.

[pbutton]

I am allowed to email or call and leave a VM. I have banned myself from doing either, but as far as I know I am still technically allowed to do so.

[BlessedRhiannon]

My T has encouraged phone calls, email, and text. She knows I won't abuse it, and she just wants me to reach out to her in whatever way I feel most comfortable. She has used all 3 methods for contacting me regarding scheduling changes. When my T asks me to send her a quick update, I text. If I need to process something or just tell her something, but don't really require a ton of feedback, then I email. If I'm really struggling and need feedback or just to talk to T, then I call.

When I've needed to call for something, I've left a voicemail. ONE time she actually answered and I was so shocked I could hardly speak. LOL!

[SoupDragon]

I use e-mail, but know my T would prefer that I telephoned.

[lostmyway21]

My T doesn't seem to have a preferred method. We email or text interchangeably, and I can call I can call whenever I want if needed. If it was an emergency I'd call.

[Thornsandroses]

My T allows phone or email contact. But she doesn't prefer one over the other. If I need to get a message to her really fast, I need to call the receptionist and they will contact her ASAP. (like if I need to cancel that days appt) I go to a Mental Health Clinic, so the contact rules are not really set by her. I was told by her that HIPAA rules do not allow her to answer my emails. Something about encryption. But I can email her and ask her to call me or give her a heads up about somthing I would like to talk about in our next session.

[Sunne]

I have a new T who encourages e-mail. He actually emails me out of the blue which is thoughtful. He also responds very fast. This works well for me as the phone kind of freaks me out. I mostly email administration stuff and once because of a bad flashback, hopefully he encourages me to process by email if I'm having a real hard time. That would be a helpful avenue for me!

[BonnieJean]

Email seems to work the best. I can leave a message on the office phone for a call back. She gave me her personal cell number but I've never used it except for a test call we did to be sure she'd get back to me. she doesn't text which is probably better for me.