[JayneJohnson49]

How does your length in therapy compare to what you envisioned it would be when you started?

I started during after a family death and assumed I’d have 3 – 5 sessions to become stable, learn coping techniques then be on my merry way. Little did I know 25 sessions later I’d still be sitting in that chair! I told T this recently as my one year mark is end of June so I laughed at how what I thought I was signing up for wasn’t what I needed. She and I never discussed what my session length expectation was just we’d evaluate as time passed and since it was my first foray in T I had nothing to compare it. I wondered how often this happens or if it is spoken more clearly at the start of T so each person is aware of the expectation.

[snakeskin07]

26 years 3 companies and I don't know how many therapist later tell me about it and mostly cause I am bi-polar and the psychiatrist require it for me to get my meds. doh!

[Raging Quiet]

I thought about a years worth in 2010.. And I'm still here!

[likelife]

I didn't really have any expectations going in. Or at least I don't remember having any. But I've been in therapy off and on for 15 years, mostly to manage chronic depression, and also related to events going on in my life (e.g., H's infidelity).

[wotchermuggle]

I had no idea going in about anything related to therapy....still in it...I think it's been 4 years. I'm kinda losing track

[harvest moon]

I always thought -for some strange reason- that it would take me more or less 5 years of therapy to learn how to cope by myself. I've been going for 3.5 years, so we'll see if my instinct was right

[tinyrabbit]

I thought maybe I'd go for six months. Five months in and I'm barely even getting started!

I thought it would be a waste of time even going for one appointment. I'd seen a couple 'therapists' for CBT and had felt patronised and was full of contempt for the whole idea. But then she was lovely to me, and smart, and seemed genuine, sincere, and like she 'got' me. Then I had thoughts of maybe half a dozen sessions or so. But a few sessions in I think I realised it would take a while, but felt okay about that. Therapy felt good. Then it got painful. But then it got good again! Almost 2 years now and counting - still stuff to work on and work through, I'm 'complex' - and of course now I hate the thought of letting go of my T, whom I feel incredibly close to.

[QuietCat]

I thought a year, but did expect some major improvements by 6 months at least. This didn't happen. About six months in I told T that I just thought I would be further along. I always remember his reaction. He paused, glanced down at his notes, then slowly said, "Well, you have several thorny issues to work through."

I think that was one of only two times I cried in T.

So I'm going into year three now.

I thought eight months or so to address a severe and long lasting depression. It'll be three years next month (although the depression was mostly gone at the eight month point).

[Eliza Jane]

Haha, I can so relate to this thread! I started therapy May of 2001. During the first session she mentioned her cancellation policy and made reference to when it snows. I thought to myself, "I'll be long done with therapy before it starts snowing!"

Um...it is now almost 12 yrs later. Omg, have I been in therapy that long?! It has been with 2 different therapists (I moved) and some times I was in crisis and others it was more for personal growth. I guess I liked therapy more than I thought I would!

No plans to stop anytime soon. I think I have things still worth working on and an assortment of new life challenges.

EJ

[~EnlightenMe~]

Not counting time spent with maybe three therapists for a short amount of time, basically for supportive therapy, I saw one therapist for seven years, and I have seen my current therapist since August. Eight years and I have awhile to go. . .

[photostotake]

I went in expecting a few sessions and I'm outta there. By month 3, he told me it'll be many years before I'll be done with therapy and I was devastated. One year later and I can see why and I'm now okay with that. Now I'm starting therapy with another therapist at the same time for my eating disorder that I've had for 20+ years. I have no idea how long that might take. Baby steps

I came into therapy too distressed to think about that, second session I was diagnosed with bipolar and the therapy trip has been such a roller coaster ride I've never thought about it. Though 3 years later I'm beginning to wonder how long and how often I'll need it.

[Nightlight]

I was dragged along to one session. I knew I was just going once to rule it out. I knew I was beyond help and talking to someone about any of my issues was the very last thing in the world I wanted to do because I never ever talked to anyone about myself, I never ever asked for help, and I wasn't planning on changing that.

Met T and she turned out to be one of those people that I felt an instant connection with. I went back because I liked her so much and trusted her right from the start. Still seeing her four years later. I've changed a lot in that time, so there's no question in my mind about how much I've needed these years of help. I wouldn't have managed a single step forwards without the help and I'm not sure how many months longer I would have managed to hold on for, without some support.

[ShaggyChic_1201]

My T told me how long she expected me to be in therapy. Based on her 30 yrs of experience, my symptoms and intrinsic problems, she said I'd likely need 3-5 yrs of therapy. I'm at 2.5 and think I'll be done at/about the 3 yr mark.

[velcro003]

i figured a few months, a year at MOST...5.5 years later and i still feel like i have SO much to do

[tinyrabbit]

At the start, I asked my T how long he thought I would need and he basically said how long is a piece of string. Five months in and I think that was absolutely the right answer. I didn't tell him much at the start, and I regularly freak out and worry that he is going to get sick of me or reject me or make me stop therapy or whatever.

So a time estimate would not have been particularly helpful. Maybe I could get one now, but I don't want one. My T said I can come to therapy for as long as I want, so long as he's alive, and that's more important than having any kind of timescale in mind. It has taken me a long time to believe that he will listen to me for as long as I need, as my parents didn't listen to me (I could be crying and begging my mum to listen and she would just talk over me and ignore me).

[learning1]

Originally Posted by Rect0pathic

I thought about a years worth in 2010.. And I'm still here!

ditto, except I've had several therapists and breaks in there.

Many years before that, I had gone to therapy a number of times but never stuck with it more than 1 to maybe 5 visits. I never thought about how long it would take back then.

I never talked about how long with any therapist except my current one, who I've been seeing about a month and a half. My last therapist shoved me to quit, so with this therapist, I was trying to find out if she would do the same thing, and I was glad she said she's okay with people staying as long as they want. But I was sad I was glad at the prospect of being in therapy indefinitely. I haven't seriously considered how long I'll continue with her. I haven't seriously hoped it will help me improve; I'm just trying to get along from week to week after the nastiness of the last therapist. However, I've never had a therapist say they thought I needed to be in therapy, or that there was an amount of time I'd need to do it for. I don't think I have to be in therapy, but my suicidal thinking would be more intense now without it.

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by JayneJohnson49

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]How does your length in therapy compare to what you envisioned it would be when you started?

Don't get me started on that! I figured three months. It's been over a decade.
And none of my therapists was ever honest with me about that.

[mixedup_emotions]

I had absolutely no idea how long I would be in therapy.....but I never imagined it would be more than a few visits.

....then, I was majorly triggered by witnessing a traumatic event...and was flooded with awful memories, flashbacks, etc....And disclosed to T early on in therapy.

I must have asked him how long it would take...or something along those lines...because I remember him saying quite clearly, "We're going to be working on your issues for a LONG time"....4 years later, and we've barely scratched the surface.

[JayneJohnson49]

These posts are great, I admire everyone’s experiences. I thought I only needed 3-5 visits as I wasn’t in crisis or trauma rather unsure of how to handle my experience with firsthand grief. What I didn’t know is I’d been pushing down emotions for years so felt wonderful talking to an unbiased, neutral party who was also trained and knowledgeable! Minus an extreme dip a month back where menopause caused out of whack hormones with sui thoughts I don’t need to be in T regularly but instead could do check –in sessions. T and I’ve discussed switching to that at my one year and I think it’s great she and I can approach the session length proactively.

[skysblue]

It's almost embarrassing to admit how little I knew about the therapy process and how little I was aware of my own dysfunctional thinking/feeling. I thought possibly a month or even two months in therapy but now entering my 3rd year. I am especially grateful that I lucked upon a really good therapist.

Judging from my last 2 attempts at therapy I really didn't have any expectations as far as length of time going in. After a few appointments and knowing I really 'click' with my current t I thought, oh 6 months maybe? Here I am a year and a half later and doing really well and attempting to stop (my idea but my t supports me in it) but I just texted her a few days ago and scheduled an appointment for today cuz I don't wanna wait until may 1 which had been our next appt. I have made such huge progress working with this t I just don't wanna let it go even when i wanna let it go. heee so I guess I am back to the place of not having any expectations again.

[EllieBear]

My first T told me I'd be in therapy for a couple months and then I'd be fine. It's been 9 years now. I thought at first that I was going for one thing, and then in dealing with that one thing, realized my whole life had been full of abuse. I just thought it was all normal and there was this one teeny tiny thing that wasn't ok. I had no idea what I was getting into by telling someone about that one teeny tiny thing. I don't really see an end in sight as far as therapy goes either. I really may need therapy for life, and I think I'm okay with that. If I had a physical ailment that required medical attention for life, I would accept that and not question it. So if my emotional ailments require the same, then so be it.