[retro_chic]

Do any of you guys find that? My last session with T was really productive but we only got to discuss two of the topics that were on our agenda. I see her once a fortnight and I was thinking maybe if I saw her once a week I would be able to cover more of issues. What does everyone think? There is actually a topic I have been wanting to discuss with her for the past two sessions but something "more important" usually comes up and it gets pushed forward to the next session.

[lostmyway21]

I see my T twice a week and the hour still flies by. II sometimes wish I had longer session times. We go for walks so about time we get back it's already over, and I had no idea where the time went.

[Dreamy01]

Yes I see my T for just 50 minutes a week and it's never long enough.

[sittingatwatersedge]

We meet once a week and an hour is usually not enough.
Just a thought, you could write yr T a letter about whatever it is, email it or hand it over, and say that you want this to be addressed in next session or two. It will probably happen

[sconnie892]

retro_chic - i often feel this way too. Either what I wanted to talk about is pushed away by something more important or it takes me a longer time to warm up on difficult topics and we don't get it all discussed. I only meet with t every two weeks also.

[sunrise]

retrochic, when I first switched from doing weekly therapy to once every 2 weeks, we had trouble reconnecting and getting much done. I said as much to T, and he had the brilliant idea to have 90 minute sessions since we were meeting infrequently. We did this for quite a while, meeting every 2-4 weeks for 90 min. Worked great!! Now we don't do this all the time anymore, as we've gotten better at reconnecting in just 50 min, but do it just from time to time when we think we'll need a longer session. For example, next week we will meet for 90 min, which we haven't done for a couple of months. It is nice to have the flexibility to choose a longer time. Do you think you might be able to have longer sessions?

[Sunne]

We meet once a fortnight for 1 hour. It's really not enough but it's all I can afford at this point. T asked if I was having money issues. I said yes, and he said... He can't work for free but if he has to, he will.
Hmm.

The closer together the appointments the better, I think.

[Perna]

I met every week for 100 minutes and it was perfect for me, especially when we were meeting on Fridays and I had the whole weekend to process it before going back to work.

[SeaSalt]

Originally Posted by sunrise

retrochic, when I first switched from doing weekly therapy to once every 2 weeks, we had trouble reconnecting and getting much done. I said as much to T, and he had the brilliant idea to have 90 minute sessions since we were meeting infrequently. We did this for quite a while, meeting every 2-4 weeks for 90 min. Worked great!! Now we don't do this all the time anymore, as we've gotten better at reconnecting in just 50 min, but do it just from time to time when we think we'll need a longer session. For example, next week we will meet for 90 min, which we haven't done for a couple of months. It is nice to have the flexibility to choose a longer time. Do you think you might be able to have longer sessions?

This is something I am gonna ask T next time. Fifty minutes isnt enough for me either and I wondered if she ever did a 90-100 minute session.

I saw her on June 7th and now cant see her again till early July because of vacations and holidays. It sucks. We havent got into anything therapeutic in my opinion, just me yakking. She has thrown a few things out there but our last session was kind weird so I dont know what July will bring. I am still in a cynical mode, thinking this whole long, drawn-out expensive process is a bunch of crap.

Plus I am reading waaaaaay too much. I wonder if I would have thought about this-or-that (mainly negative stuff) had I not read it here? The money, the time, the dependence.....all of it is beginning to make me feel that therapy isnt for me. Anyone else every feel this way?

[crazylife]

I see mine for 50 minutes once a week and it's not enough either but the NHS won't let anymore, you end up with some care helper for extra help, i don't want extra help, i want to do more work with T but there we go

[Mike_J]

My therapist has offered to see me twice a week but I would rather have a two hour session once a week. Haven't really talked to my therapist about that, know my insurance company wouldn't go for either option.

I see T once a week for 50 mins and yeah, it's not really enough time. It takes me a good 15-20 mins to get into what I want to talk about, and I can't seem to do it any faster. But insurance wouldn't cover twice a week, so I'm stuck with the single session.

[rainbow8]

I used to feel the same way about 50 or 60 minute sessions. My current T offers 90 minutes so that's what we do. I love it! There's usually enough time for everything and I never feel rushed. If at all possible, that's what I recommend. I pay a little more, but it's definitely worth it!

[SeaSalt]

For those of you in the U.S., when you have more than an hour session, do you have to pay two co-pays?

[rainbow8]

No, I don't pay two copays. This year the copay went up but it seems to be only about $5.00 more for 90 minutes than 60 minutes.

[northgirl]

Most of the time, 50 minutes once a week is enough. Of course juggling school gives me less time to deal with emotional issues. Although I do find us actually just getting into productive talking in the session about 40 minutes in so sometimes I feel like I'm leaving before we get a chance to finish things up and then don't resume it next week

[healed84]

I feel the same way as well.. I think that if you feel like you need to see your T more than once a week, then it couldn't hurt to ask.

THere is no way we could handle only a 1 hour session. Our 1st T tried that, and we were constantly frustrated and overwhelmed. There's just too much inside.
Now we have 2-4 hour sessions twice a week. One day last summer (when my T was still home) we met for like 6 hours one day and it was wonderful. (I do private pay, not insurance.) Even with 6-8 hours of thera py a week it still doesn't feel like enough somtimes, because there is just so much to talk about.

Yes - I see my t once a week for 50 minutes and it's never enough! I hate the stupid clock on her desk pointed at us and I often tell her I am going to shoot it. A lot of the time it's like right when I totally GET something she's explaining it never fails, it's 10:50 and I have to leave. Especially yesterday. She figured something out that just astounded me and left my mouth hanging open even as I was walking to my car. And mumbling to myself about having to save it for next week. Even though I whine about it, it actually works really well this way, her sticking to the 50 minutes and all, because I go home and ponder and write about whatever it is, I end up doing a lot of work on my own between sessions and it all just fits together beautifully. I save the tough stuff to work on with her though, I don't try to work through those things I'd rather not think about on my own.

p.s. And now if somebody could just make the hours at WORK go by as fast as the 50 minutes with T - now that would be something!!!

[Wren_]

it never seems long enough to me; however long or however frequent. Once a fortnight would be very hard though I imagine and a lot of that time would be spent just in getting comfortable with your T again before any hard work begins

[retro_chic]

Wow. This has been a super popular thread! Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions! My T doesn't offer longer sessions because her schedule is already quite hectic (7 back to back sessions apparently!). I was going to call the receptionist to see if I could get in to see her next week but I have decided to discuss it with T first. She might have some other suggestions I am in Australia and my public health insurance will only cover 6 more sessions this year. I have private health insurance but it doesn't cover as much. So annoying! It wouldn't be a huge issue if I weren't in between jobs though.

Also, to who ever mentioned emailing T my issues that I want to discuss, I do that already but last session a situation happened a few days prior to the appointment that took priority. That seems to happen all the time because so much can happen in two weeks!