[skysblue]

Well, I have a friend who loves her T but her T will be moving further away - so it will take much longer to drive to see her and it will become more arduous.

She and I talked about the possibility of finding a new T to see weekly and then seeing her current T possibly monthly.

Has anyone ever done this? What do therapists generally think about their clients seeing another T?

[jkbob]

I know of people who see 2 different T's for 2 different reasons who then confer with each other when necessary. eg a couples therapist and individual therapist, an ED therapist and a general therapist.

[Elektra_]

hi. i dont think ur supposed to be in 2 at the same time. i did that for 2 times just to see if the new one was good for me to change but then i ended with my T. tc

[stopdog]

I see two. It has not been a problem for me. They know I go to other therapists. They do not specifically know of each other. I do not talk to either about the other. They are both so called psychodynamic but very very different from each other. I would never consent to them speaking to each other about me.
I have read and been told some therapists have objections to it. I have never heard a compelling reason against it. The reasons I have been told and read about mostly surround the therapist getting their feelings hurt if they think the other therapist is better, more well liked and such (seriously - this is a reason actual practicing therapists gave me when I specifically asked) and that the types of "treatment (which I do not believe they are doing to begin with - none have been willing to try and articulate what such "treatment" would consist of and why it would be the correct way to proceed or why they were approaching me like they did - I don't really think they much know) might interfere with the other one. I don't think it would work if I was inclined to try to play them off of each other or if I discussed one with the other. But as I do not, it seems to work for me. I know there are people who disagree with the idea of seeing two. And for them, seeing two would probably not be a great plan.

[Moodswing]

I see 2 different therapists. T#1 suggested I find one who does EMDR. He felt he could not fully help me. Abandonment feelings were triggered when he suggest it. I felt like he was trying to get rid of me. I am crazy attached to him. Several weeks later I decided to take him up on his suggestion to split the transference and help me ease the painful attatcment feelings I had for him. So I make an appointment and it turns out that T#2 is incredibly nurturing and EMDR works. They only talked once T#2,was concerned I was being re-traumatized from the exposure therapy T#1 was doing without making sure I had coping mechanisms in place. I now see T#1 every other week and T#2 twice a week alternating with T#1.

I see two right now...the details are too long to get into, but it's working fine and neither care. Plus their styles of therapy and how we interact are vastly different.
The other T knows I will eventually move on to the new T completely (it will be awhile) and agrees that it sounds like we have a great connection and thinks he has been beneficial for me so far. They both know why I am with 2 Ts and are supportive of the work the other is doing with me.
I tried 2 Ts one other time, and the triangulation was terrible...I had to pick one T. I was in psychodynamic therapy with both of those Ts, which is also what my new T practices, but not the other T. That might be helpful, in my case, for making it work.

Here's a quick breakdown of how triangulation works, even though therapy itself is not an example (and honestly I couldn't find a better source). You have to click the "Did you mean" link however, for some reason.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_(psychology)

[Syra]

I"ve done it. I agree with StopDog.
I didn't do it for two different issues. It happened by accident. But I told both of them. I got something different from each of them. Sometimes I didn't like having to repeat so much of the story, but if it was too cumbersome, I could have just chosen one at any time.
Some therapists don't like it. I think that's parochial and to protect the T, not the client.

[Elektra_]

if u have 2 people working on the same things what is gona happen? u will have 2 inputs about ur issues and how to solve them therefore ull be more confused. its what i think. tc

[Miswimmy1]

I am doing this right now. If u wanna pm me, feel free to.

Seeing one t weekly and the other monthly.

[Nightlight]

I saw two at the same time. I saw the second one once every two weeks at first, then once every three-four weeks. It was fine. If anything, it was helpful to talk to two different people about similar things. I find two different perspectives more helpful rather than less helpful. I don't find it confusing at all because it just gives me the opportunity to make up my own mind with additional information. However, often the two Ts came at things from a very similar angle anyway.

Originally Posted by Elektra_

if u have 2 people working on the same things what is gona happen? u will have 2 inputs about ur issues and how to solve them therefore ull be more confused. its what i think. tc

I am working on different things with the two different Ts. Generally speaking, that is...not like the lines don't ever cross, but when they have, each T's advice seems to compliment the other's as we go along, so they are not providing me with two different "inputs" and therefore I am not confused at all.

[Syra]

Originally Posted by Elektra_

if u have 2 people working on the same things what is gona happen? u will have 2 inputs about ur issues and how to solve them therefore ull be more confused. its what i think. tc

I wasn't confused. But I wasn't looking for them to tell me the answer.
I experienced as having two different people's perspectives and each had something different to offer.

[velcro003]

i see two, and it all started because my regular T thought i needed a different approach besides just talking as it wasn't really helping me past a certain point. She brought in an EMDR-T who sat in sessions with us for almost a year, and now i see regular T twice a month, and EMDR T once a month. It is two totally different approaches, and I know my regular T loves it when I see my EMDR T because I usually have a lot to say

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by Nightlight

I saw two at the same time. I saw the second one once every two weeks at first, then once every three-four weeks. It was fine. If anything, it was helpful to talk to two different people about similar things. I find two different perspectives more helpful rather than less helpful. I don't find it confusing at all because it just gives me the opportunity to make up my own mind with additional information.

I agree with this 100%.

[photostotake]

I see 2 different Ts for 2 different reasons. One for general therapy (my 1st t) and one for my eating disorder. I see each of them once a week. I've only had this setup for a couple of weeks, but it's working for me so far.

Plus, I believe I start an Intensive Day Program for my eating disorder this week too (I find out on either Monday or Tuesday). That means 2 more therapists will be involved, with one as my lead therapist in the IDP program.

That means 3-4 therapists on my care team over 40 hours a week. The only one I want to see, is my 1st t. I trust him completely and can tell him anything. I should also mention, all of these Ts can talk to each other too. Should be interesting.

[skysblue]

Originally Posted by jkbob

I know of people who see 2 different T's for 2 different reasons who then confer with each other when necessary. eg a couples therapist and individual therapist, an ED therapist and a general therapist.

That would seem to make sense - to have different therapists for specific issues. But what about just the issue of travel time and needing more timely help than having to wait a month? Being very fond and attached to current T but not having such easy access to her.

Originally Posted by Elektra_

hi. i dont think ur supposed to be in 2 at the same time. i did that for 2 times just to see if the new one was good for me to change but then i ended with my T. tc

I'm curious why a person is not supposed to be seeing two T's at once.

Originally Posted by stopdog

I see two. It has not been a problem for me. They know I go to other therapists. They do not specifically know of each other. I do not talk to either about the other. They are both so called psychodynamic but very very different from each other. I would never consent to them speaking to each other about me.
I have read and been told some therapists have objections to it. I have never heard a compelling reason against it. The reasons I have been told and read about mostly surround the therapist getting their feelings hurt if they think the other therapist is better, more well liked and such (seriously - this is a reason actual practicing therapists gave me when I specifically asked) and that the types of "treatment (which I do not believe they are doing to begin with - none have been willing to try and articulate what such "treatment" would consist of and why it would be the correct way to proceed or why they were approaching me like they did - I don't really think they much know) might interfere with the other one. I don't think it would work if I was inclined to try to play them off of each other or if I discussed one with the other. But as I do not, it seems to work for me. I know there are people who disagree with the idea of seeing two. And for them, seeing two would probably not be a great plan.

SD - do you find yourself discussing different things with the different T's? Do you tend to see one of the T's being more helpful in a certain way and the other T being helpful in a different way? Do you ever wonder if you're repeating yourself? Do you ever get confused?

Originally Posted by Moodswing

I see 2 different therapists. T#1 suggested I find one who does EMDR. He felt he could not fully help me. Abandonment feelings were triggered when he suggest it. I felt like he was trying to get rid of me. I am crazy attached to him. Several weeks later I decided to take him up on his suggestion to split the transference and help me ease the painful attatcment feelings I had for him. So I make an appointment and it turns out that T#2 is incredibly nurturing and EMDR works. They only talked once T#2,was concerned I was being re-traumatized from the exposure therapy T#1 was doing without making sure I had coping mechanisms in place. I now see T#1 every other week and T#2 twice a week alternating with T#1.

Sounds like it works well for you. And having a specialist seems like a very good idea.

Originally Posted by sorta_fairytale

I see two right now...the details are too long to get into, but it's working fine and neither care. Plus their styles of therapy and how we interact are vastly different.
The other T knows I will eventually move on to the new T completely (it will be awhile) and agrees that it sounds like we have a great connection and thinks he has been beneficial for me so far. They both know why I am with 2 Ts and are supportive of the work the other is doing with me.
I tried 2 Ts one other time, and the triangulation was terrible...I had to pick one T. I was in psychodynamic therapy with both of those Ts, which is also what my new T practices, but not the other T. That might be helpful, in my case, for making it work.

Here's a quick breakdown of how triangulation works, even though therapy itself is not an example (and honestly I couldn't find a better source). You have to click the "Did you mean" link however, for some reason.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_(psychology)

hmmmm, the risk of triangulation. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by Syra

I"ve done it. I agree with StopDog.
I didn't do it for two different issues. It happened by accident. But I told both of them. I got something different from each of them. Sometimes I didn't like having to repeat so much of the story, but if it was too cumbersome, I could have just chosen one at any time.
Some therapists don't like it. I think that's parochial and to protect the T, not the client.

Yeah, I suppose it could feel cumbersome to repeat story but I'm thinking how I have repeated my story to my one therapist and how just the repetition has lead to some insights. So, there might even be value in that.

Originally Posted by Elektra_

if u have 2 people working on the same things what is gona happen? u will have 2 inputs about ur issues and how to solve them therefore ull be more confused. its what i think. tc

That might be a risk - being confused. I think many T's, though, do not give precise advice but allow the client to talk and come to their own conclusions, their own 'truth'.

Originally Posted by Miswimmy1

I am doing this right now. If u wanna pm me, feel free to.

Seeing one t weekly and the other monthly.

Do they consult with each other? Then the monthly T would be up-to-date on what's going on with you? Or do you have to stuff a month's worth of 'news' into one session?

Originally Posted by Nightlight

I saw two at the same time. I saw the second one once every two weeks at first, then once every three-four weeks. It was fine. If anything, it was helpful to talk to two different people about similar things. I find two different perspectives more helpful rather than less helpful. I don't find it confusing at all because it just gives me the opportunity to make up my own mind with additional information. However, often the two Ts came at things from a very similar angle anyway.

Did they know you were seeing another T? How did they feel about it?

Originally Posted by sorta_fairytale

I am working on different things with the two different Ts. Generally speaking, that is...not like the lines don't ever cross, but when they have, each T's advice seems to compliment the other's as we go along, so they are not providing me with two different "inputs" and therefore I am not confused at all.

Your approach seems to offer a clear division of 'duties' by each T.

Originally Posted by Syra

I wasn't confused. But I wasn't looking for them to tell me the answer.
I experienced as having two different people's perspectives and each had something different to offer.

Exactly - are T's always supposed to be telling us the 'answer'? I guess it depends on the issues we're working on.

Originally Posted by velcro003

i see two, and it all started because my regular T thought i needed a different approach besides just talking as it wasn't really helping me past a certain point. She brought in an EMDR-T who sat in sessions with us for almost a year, and now i see regular T twice a month, and EMDR T once a month. It is two totally different approaches, and I know my regular T loves it when I see my EMDR T because I usually have a lot to say

Again - an example of using a specialist T to supplement the regular therapy. I say a somatic T for a few times and my regular T had no objection because it was something so different.

Originally Posted by photostotake

I see 2 different Ts for 2 different reasons. One for general therapy (my 1st t) and one for my eating disorder. I see each of them once a week. I've only had this setup for a couple of weeks, but it's working for me so far.

Plus, I believe I start an Intensive Day Program for my eating disorder this week too (I find out on either Monday or Tuesday). That means 2 more therapists will be involved, with one as my lead therapist in the IDP program.

That means 3-4 therapists on my care team over 40 hours a week. The only one I want to see, is my 1st t. I trust him completely and can tell him anything. I should also mention, all of these Ts can talk to each other too. Should be interesting.

Wow! Congratulations of having lots of support. Having a care team must feel good - so many people who are on you side.

[Raging Quiet]

In a space of 4 months, I carried on seeing my long term T, plus a marriage therapist with hubby (one off session) and later a fertility counsellor at the hospital (one off 2 hour session) I found by the time my usual session with T came I was 'all spoken out'. She was aware and even positive about me seeing these other 2, however I still felt like I was 'cheating' on her. I couldn't do it long term..

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by skysblue

SD - do you find yourself discussing different things with the different T's? Do you tend to see one of the T's being more helpful in a certain way and the other T being helpful in a different way? Do you ever wonder if you're repeating yourself? Do you ever get confused?

The issues I bring up do go in different directions as the therapists do not respond the same way. I do find them different in terms of helpfulness.
I probably do repeat myself - but I don't think that is unusual in therapy.
I don't get confused - I am not sure what is meant by this - I don't know what I would get confused by. I talk to different people about the same subject in a lot of areas and am not confused - why would a therapist be different? I am not trying to be difficult here, I just really do not understand how I (or anyone) would get confused.

Originally Posted by stopdog

I talk to different people about the same subject in a lot of areas and am not confused - why would a therapist be different? I am not trying to be difficult here, I just really do not understand how I (or anyone) would get confused.

If you give the same seminar to several different groups of students, do you never feel temporarily unsure of what you have said to one group or the other? I know I do. (The worst part of it is when I can't remember whether I've told a particular joke to a group or not - actually, no, the worst part of it is when I realise I've told the same joke twice to the same group...) In RL I talk to very few people (I could number them on the fingers of one hand even if I lost a couple of fingers) about my personal life and problems. I can still sometimes be a little confused regarding whom I've told what, and who said what. I'm sure I'd be confused if I saw more than one T.

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by Mastodon

If you give the same seminar to several different groups of students, do you never feel temporarily unsure of what you have said to one group or the other? I know I do. (The worst part of it is when I can't remember whether I've told a particular joke to a group or not - actually, no, the worst part of it is when I realise I've told the same joke twice to the same group...) In RL I talk to very few people (I could number them on the fingers of one hand even if I lost a couple of fingers) about my personal life and problems. I can still sometimes be a little confused regarding whom I've told what, and who said what. I'm sure I'd be confused if I saw more than one T.

I usually have an outline and tend to repeat more than leave out. For therapy, I would probably err on the side of repetition and I think people repeat things all the time at therapy appointments, so repeating there does not concern me. The therapists repeat themselves too. I tend to stay on the same subject each week so I may tell the same thing differently to each - but with one I talk and try to get her to not talk as her talking is not useful, and with the other one it is more of a conversation.

[WikidPissah]

I have read on here about a lot of people having more than one T...and it works for most. Personally, I can barely handle the nausea, anxiety and stress associated with just one, so I couldn't handle two. That's just me though. It's kind of like the whole "sister-wives" thing that some Mormon's follow...H always says "I can barely keep one content, I'd be up sh its creek if I had more". LOL.

[stopdog]

I do feel that way about lovers, but I don't get as anxious about the second therapist as I do the first one any more. The second one will talk to me about the anxiety over appointments and it lessened then with her. The first just calls it resistance, told me she did not understand, and changes the subject when I try to talk to her about it = the anxiety about appointments with her has stayed the same level of high.

[Anne2.0]

I would not see two therapists, but that is about me, not because it is somehow a bad idea or improper, but because I feel that intimacy is a limited resource. It's the same reason why I only have one spouse and no other lovers-- I don't have any issues with people who choose otherwise-- and why I only have one child. I have just so much ability to share myself and what's going on in my life, so much openness I can tolerate, only so much interpersonal risk I'm willing to take. If I'm being as intimate as I possibly can in therapy with one T, I'm not going to have anything left to share with the other T.

[skysblue]

Originally Posted by Anne2.0

I would not see two therapists, but that is about me, not because it is somehow a bad idea or improper, but because I feel that intimacy is a limited resource. It's the same reason why I only have one spouse and no other lovers-- I don't have any issues with people who choose otherwise-- and why I only have one child. I have just so much ability to share myself and what's going on in my life, so much openness I can tolerate, only so much interpersonal risk I'm willing to take. If I'm being as intimate as I possibly can in therapy with one T, I'm not going to have anything left to share with the other T.

So, it may not be ideal in the arena of focused intimacy but let's say you're faced with the situation I'm describing - your current T is moving far enough away that it becomes a hardship to visit him weekly.

Do you just accept a less frequent contact with him without the support you're used to on a weekly basis or do you just dump him and start fresh with a new T?

Personally, I don't know how I'd do it. I'm very attached to my current T and to quit seeing her completely would be very difficult. Maybe a monthly visit to her would be a method to not grieve the loss of seeing her while attaching to a new therapist. idk

[skysblue]

Originally Posted by Rect0pathic

In a space of 4 months, I carried on seeing my long term T, plus a marriage therapist with hubby (one off session) and later a fertility counsellor at the hospital (one off 2 hour session) I found by the time my usual session with T came I was 'all spoken out'. She was aware and even positive about me seeing these other 2, however I still felt like I was 'cheating' on her. I couldn't do it long term..

That's a tough feeling - that you were 'cheating' on your T. Did you ever discuss it with her?