[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

T just switched therapy to every two weeks instead of once a week... I'm kind of worried.

He says that all I have to do is call and he will squeeze me in or at least make a house call to my home but...

Just a week in between appointments seems like an eternity, I count down the days every week.

He says he wants to give me space, to be able to enjoy life a little while I can. Since things are going pretty alright at the moment, and the next time things go downhill again I'll need therapy much more intensely, I suppose he thinks the in between when I'm not in such rough shape, that spending less time is better. So I can focus on fun and living or something like that...

At first I refused meds with my pdoc so she dismissed me as a patient. I have general anxiety disorder so of course medicine makes me anxious. She gave me the option of returning, well since I decided I want to quit smoking cigarettes soon, and apparently am going to see t less now, I asked to be able to see her as my anxiety is constant, always has been, it just spikes when bad things happen.

He got me an appointment with him next Tuesday and with her the following Friday... I don't know what to do for two weeks. I have night mares almost every day, I have tons of episodes. Although I'm better than I was when I started therapy with them, I'm still on edge quite a bit and still having all of the problems I had when I started, I'm just able to cope with them a tinsy bit more...

idk... What do I do? I'm worried about this time gap... Two weeks seems like so long when literally many mornings I get anxious when I wake up about how long the day ahead will be... Two weeks....

[Wren_]

does he know how concerned you are about all of this? ... i can understand his reasons if he thinks you are ok with the longer distance between sessions, but maybe he needs to hear or hear again that you don't think it's a good idea right now

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

I didn't tell him... I'm a people pleaser, I don't disagree and I don't argue, I'm completely non confrontational and I don't stand up for myself. So when he said it, I started to panic but said "OK sure" when he asked if it was alright... Hoping he knows best what I can handle... And I don't want to be that dependant on therapy, but it looks like I am...

[Wren_]

It really seems like it is what you need and what is helping right now; and maybe that makes it a healthy dependence that is good for you to keep pursuing Please let your T know that you'd prefer to stick with the once a week ... and if possible explain why

[anilam]

IDK I'm generally against ppl (even Ts) telling me what's best for me. It's my life, my choices and my mistakes.
So no, I don't like it. Not saying that going twice a month can't be helpful (obviously I don't know your situation that well) but your attitude towards it is what I consider unhealthy. You have passively accepted a proposal that is directly influencing you just to please that person which you've said is stg that you do often. Therapy is a great place to challenge this behaviour.
You really should try and talk to your T about it. Raise your concerns, be active...

I think the only way to solve this would be to tell T that you are not comfortable with skipping weeks right now. I know you said that you are a people pleaser, but you can't work done and find inner peace if you don't speak up. If you can't speak up to T-can you journal it and give it to him to read? Or perhaps do a pros and cons list which contains staying in therapy 1X a week vs every other week-then show that to him?

I went to my threrapist this morning.
She just cut me down to every 2 weeks today.
I was every week for awhile.
It already was a long week, plus
I had a long questiner to fill out, so we didn't
have that much time together.

I wish it was everyweek for more time also,
instead of 45 minutes, which really
isn't set by the clock.

I know how you feel.
Just left her office a couple hours ago, and i wish i was going back tommorow...

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

Y'all are all right... I can say I will bring it up with him, but I wont because I likely will chicken out. But writing it in my journal is a good idea, as once it's done it's done and I can't turn back and he has me bring my journal in to read each session so I'm sure he will read it.

I'm just worried about voicing my concerns...

[Wren_]

It's good you know where your limitations are and that using the journal will still allow you to get what you want to say, said What are you imagining will happen if you do voice your concerns?

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

That they will be denied, that he will think I'm weak, that he will think I'm pathetic or say I am, that it will change his view on me, make me look dependent, that I will let him down because he thinks I'm doing better than I am... Basically I'm just afraid of negative reactions, letting others down...

But I'm in therapy for me, not for them so I have to find a way to get better. He and I have been working on being more assertive, I just kind of assumed it's to others and not in the office

[Wren_]

sometimes with your T can be just the right place to practice being assertive
for me, recognising that dependence can be a healthy thing helped a lot but also took work to get there (and takes work to keep knowing and growing in that recognition)

[eskielover]

What I find is good for me is that the place where I have therapy also provides DBT groups which meet weekly......I have always seen my psychologist every other week or sometimes longer. She says if she has a cancellation inbetween when I'm in a bad place like right now, but there never seems to be a cancellation when I'm in a really bad place like this. The thing is that the DBT group helps me process some of the stuff on the every week basis even though we don't talk about any heavy things, some of what I'm going through right now, is still ok to bring up in the group.

If there is a DBT group available for you, that might be a good way to handle the things that come up in between for you also......just a thought.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

What is DBT? I've heard it and have been explained it before but I forget what it is.

T was talking about me joining a couple of groups, but hasn't mentioned it in a couple months, and I'm afraid to ask, I feel like he will think I'm too wishy washy, saying no before and now asking about it.

Gosh I'm a coward about everything

[Sannah]

Working on all of these issues that you have described in this thread would be a really good idea. If you aren't speaking up this means that you need therapy to work on this.