Organizing Sessions and Topics

I doubt I'm the only person with several issues and topics in therapy, but it frustrates me that it gets very disorganized. I sometimes leave frustrated over the fact it was a "wasted" session because it just spread things around further.

The problem is that I have quite a few "things" to address, and a lot of the methods or techniques are different for each. Yes, there is some overlap, but not enough to be doing double duty.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me any feedback or suggestions on how to organize things to get the most benefit and not feel overwhelmed the messier it gets...

For example:
The most important issue right now for me is finding employment again and relocating. So I address the problems I face with that: anxiety, reading disabilities, self-confidence, etc.

But the day before therapy, something may happen that will bring up painful memories from my abusive past that have me at the heels of depression and hate. Those obviously are pretty great things to address for my own health and wellbeing. But then I'll leave not having addressed something important beforehand.

I think that writing things down helps a lot. If something comes up that I want to talk about in therapy, I will write it down, and bring the list with me. That way, I can show t the list and she can help prioritize, and if its quick, we can go over everything. I guess I prioritize by solving the ones that are most influencing my life at the time.

Some therapists want to keep you "in the moment" and deprecate structure and agenda. And for some of us, that's a problem.

I do the same thing as Swimmy...I make a list and keep it in my phone. I don't always get to everything. Sometimes it's good to go with the tangents, and sometimes it's good to stick with the list. If you really want to focus on just one thing one session, you could ask your T to help you stay focused on that.

Talk to t about it, maybe T has a thought on how it can be better organized? At least maybe if you express your feelings you can work something out.

I make a list on my phone. Also, if I have some stuff I really need to get to, I tell my T so he knows I don't want to go off on a tangent the whole time.

I don't think you are disorganized as much as trying to work on two levels? Finding a job and relocating is, in many ways, a straightforward, practical, literal goal. You can do "steps" like job searching, going on interviews, reading about locations to see which you might prefer, etc., arranged any way you like.

But looking at why finding a job and relocating may be hard for you is a wholly different problem, based on your past experience and thinking/perceptions. Your anxiety, reading disabilities, self-confidence, etc. are based on those past experiences so "what" comes up (painful memories, depression, etc.) is not out of place at all if you are not focused on the practical?

Being able to see how/"that" your past influences your present (triggering your negative response to the "something may happen") is probably a good first step. If you can tie your past negatives to your present thoughts/feelings, you can better override those thoughts/feelings with "Oh, that's just left over from when I was 7 and my father left us" allowing you to complete the circuit again instead of remaining short circuited so you can get practical things done.

I had the same problem as the OP when I started seeing T. I'd have an agenda, then get there and find more important things to discuss, then leave being annoyed at myself that I didn't get to address the things I REALLY wanted to discuss. I learned to work around that though.

Since T doesn't want me to bring my phone in session, I write down things I want to talk about and bring them in. Sometimes in the car on the way to session, I'll keep thinking about the things I want to talk about so when I see T, I"ll start with that.