I'd like to hear some experiences on twice-a-week therapy. I have some difficult material to cover and she has mentioned it several times now. I'm just mulling some things over...

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)
2. Work schedule
3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
5. Your general experiences of continuity
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?

Thank you!

[stopdog]

I go to two different therapists once a week - so it is two therapy appointments a week but not with the same person. I realize some of what I think about twice a week is related to seeing two different people, but I think the concept is the same.
It works well for me. Just seeing the first one once a week left me frustrated and enraged and confused for several days after each appointment. Going a second time helps curb that for me. I do not discuss either therapist or appointment info with the other one. I think seeing the same one twice could do the same thing, but the first one I see only works Mon-Wed. I pay out of pocket. I did see the first one twice in a week once and it was helpful that one week.
Seeing two different ones has kept the dependence down for me.
I have a fairly flexible work life, so time is not much a deal for me.

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)
2. Work schedule
3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
5. Your general experiences of continuity
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?

Thank you!

1. My insurance covered it and I paid 2 co-pays, depending on your OOP cost perhaps a policy would be cheaper.
2. I usually went on lunch breaks or would work through lunch and leave early to catch the last appointment they offered at night. The lunch times I reserved for discussing less severe issues, so I wasn't a hot mess coming back to work.
3. I went 2 times a week about 70 percent of my 2 years
4, 5 and 6 . Two times was sometimes too much, as it helped me to keep the connection but also left me very therapy focused, to the point of obsession and it began to affect my work, my home life and general sense of balance.

In closing, I say sometimes I needed 2 times a week , especially when I was hanging by a thread... yet when things started to equal out... I should have dropped back to 1 time a week. After all Therapy should help us to learn to eventually become therapy free and live happily and adjusted , not make us dependent on the process and too much of anything can be a bad thing.

There are times I wish I could see my T twice a week - but my main issue with that is cost as I pay out of pocket. During times I've really struggled I have paid for the occasional extra session.. and felt better for it... but my T is good with me in that she'll talk to me over the phone when she can if I need it, and email some, therefore reducing the need for extra sessions somewhat.

I'm not sure it would make me more dependent, I think if I saw her twice a week in session I wouldn't need to contact her outside of that. I feel it would help more with continuity and that I wouldn't be left 'hanging' from one week to the next.

But, my T is one for saying that most of 'the work' happens between sessions, and that there needs to be time to process... so I'm not sure she'd be for more than one session a week on a more regular basis even if I could afford it. And I wouldn't want to do it all the time - I think there would be times I'd be stuck for things to say or talk about.

My T suggested in September, after I'd been seeing him for a little more than a month, that I should start seeing him twice a week instead of once. He did not have another regular slot open until November, so I have been going there twice a week since then. It does not affect the cost of therapy, and I don't work full time (and have a very flexible schedule which I mostly set myself) so having two mornings a week instead of one with T appts is not a problem.

Twice a week feels like enough, I think. I often wish each session was longer, but I don't think it would be useful for me to go more often. I need to live between sessions, too. It became markedly easier for me during the rest of the week when I knew that I would never have a whole week to wait. The gap between Thursday morning and Tuesday morning does feel long, still, and T has remarked on that, too. But he doesn't work Mondays or Fridays. All in all, only a positive thing for me.

[Perna]

I had nine years of therapy, paying out of pocket, where I saw my therapist for 100 minutes at a time. I found it very effective and would not have wanted to do it any other way. It was quite intense but that is part of what I found effective.

[Moodswing]

I was seeing a therapist once a week because I paid out of pocket and it left me feeling the same way as Stopdog. Worse than I came in, needy, frustrated, confused. Then I starting seeing another T covered by insurance along with T1. It helped so much. Now I see T1 every other week and T2 twice weekly every other week. I am so impressed with T2 and want to just see him but I am so attached to T1 because he was with me from the start and he gives me a break from Trauma work and we just workout current event issues and faulty thinking styles.

[Willowleaf]

I see my t twice a week and pay out of pocket. I am very attached and wish I wasn't but think the same would have happened if stuck to weekly. I was finding it difficult to stay safe between sessions and twice a week makes this easier. I work full time so appointments are in the evening. Part of me would like to say this is still not enough but actually I think it is. I need to have time to learn to cope. Just about to go into a months break so a little worried.

[angustios101]

1. Cost -my insurance covers both visits plus med eval by pdoc. Cost is copays.

2. Work schedule- I don't work

3. How long- old T twice a week for about 6 months. New T twice a week for a month so far.

4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
Not really but I think anymore visits and I'd be an emotional wreck the whole week. I react strongly to T sessions, I usually cry during T and then I'm left with feeling emotionally raw and vulnerable and having to leave the Ts office and go back into the world. I don't like it.

5. Your general experiences of continuity
Both Ts said I should come in twice a week given my instability at the time but I don't know how much I get from it given that I am unstable and so unable to think rationally about what is discussed during the session.

6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?
I'm actually happier I don't go more often and even though I'm in a bad place right now I'd like to cut it back to once a week. I often think of "having" to go to therapy rather than "wanting" to go to therapy (hmmm perhaps good topic for next session!) Maybe Therapy is just not for me even though I've been doing it off and on for 15 years.

[Leah123]

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can
add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)

I pay out of pocket also, $80 per hour, and often have double sessions + extra email sessions, so, we're looking at hundreds a week, not long-term sustainable in my case.

2. Work schedule
I work from home, so, I'm able to manage this part easily.

3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)

I've been doing multiple sessions for maybe 3-4 months so far, no end in sight.

4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?

Sometimes, it feels like it will never be enough. I'm struggling right now, very intense issues, but after a period of tons of contact, am trying to pare back some, and give myself some processing time, and not overwhelm myself. I do appreciate my therapist's willingness to have lots of contact though, and that in therapy, she says, it's ok to let things ebb and flow naturally.

5. Your general experiences of continuity
It's excellent to have the continuity, for her to remember recent details and follow up with me is very affirming.

6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?
I manage my work, college and family, but I do get obsessed with therapeutic topics. It is very hard work, but I believe it is good, to have the goal of my "therapy" life and "day to day" life become one and the same, where I'm honest about my issues and struggles, and empowered by my therapeutic work in all areas of my life.

Originally Posted by Mastodon

My T suggested in September, after I'd been seeing him for a little more than a month, that I should start seeing him twice a week instead of once. He did not have another regular slot open until November, so I have been going there twice a week since then.

I should add, perhaps, concerning the "how long", that I've asked my T a couple of times how long I'll be allowed to come twice a week - I was feeling rather better back in February and thought maybe T was thinking of cutting down on my appointment frequency. T, however,

and said that if weekly wasn't often enough and biweekly (in the sense of "twice weekly") seems to help, it would make very little sense to go back to the less effective regime.

[wotchermuggle]

I just wanted to share two benefits of twice a week therapy.

a. You spend less time in get-to-know you talk of how are you and how was your week. You just jump in easier.

b. You feel more connected to your therapist and it makes crises easier to deal with because you have so much contact.

[refika]

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

I'd like to hear some experiences on twice-a-week therapy. I have some difficult material to cover and she has mentioned it several times now. I'm just mulling some things over...

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)
2. Work schedule
3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
5. Your general experiences of continuity
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?

Thank you!

I've been seeing my T 2x a week since the beginning of May. Our sessions are 75 minutes long (an hour and a half in "therapy" hours). That's down from 3x a week. When I started, I was in full blown crisis mode, and I'm still dealing with a lot of stuff going on.

1. I'm self pay, so I've had to give up other things to pay for T, but to me it's worth it.
2. I work from home so I have a flexible work schedule.
3. I ask T all the time and T says "as long as it needs to be". I figure I'll know when I can scale back to 1x a week, if I ever get that far.
4. At first, coming off of 3x a week, 2x a week felt like it wasn't enough. But, I've settled into the routine now and I actually like it. It gives me enough time to process what we talked about early in the week while still giving me the connection to keep a handle on things so I don't slip into crisis mode again.
5. I find it's easier to pick up topics that we can't fully address in one session when I know I'm going to see T again in a few days rather than a full week.
6. At first, it was very consuming, where I was thinking about T and our sessions 24/7. Now, I've settled into a routine and it actually makes things more manageable for me by telling myself that it's only 2 days between seeing T rather than a whole week.

I have always seen my t twice a week. Things are a but hectic now that she is out of the country (the past two years) but even when she was here in the same area as me, we met 2-3 times a week. We are doing trauma therapy and its very intense, and also i have DID (multiple personalities) & there are approximately 20+ of us so to give us all inside a turn it takes a lot of time in therapy to do that.

1. Cost -- insurance doesnt apply for me, but i pay out of pocket and t has a sliding scale that i can afford. Which is good because our sessions are 2-5 hours long 2-3 times a week
2. Work schedule- t and i work around it, and she has always had odd hours. Our sessions have sometimes run til midnight.
3. How long -- always
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?- it depends on what is going on in our lives.
5. Your general experiences of continuity- it helps a lot.
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?- makes the rest of my life much easier.

[Miswimmy1]

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)
2. Work schedule
3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
5. Your general experiences of continuity
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?

1. I don't know anything about insurance as I am a minor. But I know that my insurance covered 3-4x a week sessions.
2. I don't know what you mean (your t's work schedule or yours?) i think if you really need it, both of you will be able to find a way to make it work.
3. I was in therapy 3-4x a week for over a year. I was in for very serious OCD so that may be a bit different than why you want 2x a week therapy, but I found the amount of sessions very helpful vs. the typical 1x a week. You can always try it out and then reevaluate every month of so to see if you still need it.
4. I felt like mine was never enough, but i was very attatched to my therapist. I think it will be different for everyone.
5. I don't know what you mean
6. It made my schedule busier, but it also gave me structure and helped keep me on track knowing that i only had to wait a day or two between sessions. I was also quite depressed and it gave me some hope knowing that I was getting help and that i had something to look forward to.

Thank for the good info so far, everyone! I am still mulling it over but there are a lot of good points made by all.

Hi, Siiiiggghhh, this one is always a dilemma. I have been in therapy for quite a few years, I have gone once a week, then twice, back to once , then twice. I felt twice a week was lot better to be honest, but also hard to cut down on once you start it. Time and money (I pay privately) has meant I no longer go twice a week, but I now go once a week for one and half hours. This works really well, it always seems plenty of time whereas one hour seemed too quick. Is still costing a fortune though!!!

[tinyrabbit]

I go twice a week when I'm struggling. I'd ideally like to go twice a week, every week, but it's not practical.

1. Cost: I'm in the UK and I see a private therapist, so I don't know about insurance and things like that.

2. Work schedule: this is a big issue for me because I'm self-employed and it costs me work time as well as the session fee. What with travelling to and from the appointment, then taking some time out afterwards (as I don't feel able to dive straight back into work), going to T can take a huge chunk out of my day. That's part of the reason why I don't want to make it permanent.

3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
I basically ask for a second session when I feel I need one. I go through phases of asking every week for a few weeks.

4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
It does feel enough actually, because it breaks up the week so I only have a few days until the next appointment. The fact it takes a chunk out of my working day and disrupts things stops me wanting to go even more often, ie counteracts the potential feeling of it never being enough. And I don't want my whole life to become about going to therapy. Well, sometimes I do!

5. Your general experiences of continuity
It doesn't make a difference really. My T doesn't ask: "How are you?" or "How was your week?" He either sits and waits for me to say something or, if I've emailed him, he might say something about the email.

6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?
It makes it easier to cope but takes up a lot of my time. I don't think it's made me think about therapy any more or less, though, and I think it works really well having a second session when I feel I need it.

Thank you again, everyone. I am also wondering, to those of you who struggle with fear of abandonment, how was this affected by seeing your therapist twice a week? Did it help? Did it hurt? Did it matter? I have a massive problem with this and don't want to make things worse.

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

I'd like to hear some experiences on twice-a-week therapy. I have some difficult material to cover and she has mentioned it several times now. I'm just mulling some things over...

1. Cost (I am self-insured but pay out of pocket for therapy, wondering if there is a policy I can add on to what I currently have or maybe I'll just find another policy all together...)
2. Work schedule
3. How long (I get that this is totally dependent on the person, but I'd be curious about other personal experiences with this, too!)
4. Does it feel like enough, or will it never feel like enough?
5. Your general experiences of continuity
6. How does it affect the rest of your life during the week?

Thank you!

I needed to see Madame T twice a week, and I did for maybe a year. It was expensive and I was aware of that, but my wife was OK with it so I did it. Twice a week was enough. I work from home so it was never a problem to fit her in.

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

Thank you again, everyone. I am also wondering, to those of you who struggle with fear of abandonment, how was this affected by seeing your therapist twice a week? Did it help? Did it hurt? Did it matter? I have a massive problem with this and don't want to make things worse.

It hasn't hurt, and it may even have helped, partly because it has helped the actual therapy move forward which has perhaps made my abandonment issues smaller. I know that before I started going twice a week I often found it physically difficult to leave the chair at the end of the therapy hour, which I think may have been related to fear of abandonment. And that problem has definitely become less severe.

[MoxieDoxie]

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

Thank you again, everyone. I am also wondering, to those of you who struggle with fear of abandonment, how was this affected by seeing your therapist twice a week? Did it help? Did it hurt? Did it matter? I have a massive problem with this and don't want to make things worse.

Seeing a T twice a week really helped with the abandoment issues along with being able to have contact between sessions. It helped ease my fears and neediness. I am able to cope better between sessions also.

My therapist reminds me that as I attached to her more and more, and filled up the emptiness inside me. I would not need her as much. She was right. I had free reign of appts. and before I left on vacation I was down to once a week. She told me to use what ever I needed to get through my month plus with parents. I did. I'm working on terminating therapy, and my confidence of flying solo does not seem so daunting at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.

Try not to deny yourself what you need or what you want as long as you are not hurting yourself or others. It's like my pediatrician told me that my toddler would not be going to college nursing or in diapers. Tranquillo; relax. Like healthy children if we get our needs met in therapy we grow, and move on - even as adults.

[tinyrabbit]

Originally Posted by PumpkinEater

Thank you again, everyone. I am also wondering, to those of you who struggle with fear of abandonment, how was this affected by seeing your therapist twice a week? Did it help? Did it hurt? Did it matter? I have a massive problem with this and don't want to make things worse.

My T's willingness to see me more often helped a lot. Then one time I asked for an extra session and he didn't have any free. I briefly freaked out... then he contacted me to say he had an opening and I actually turned it down as it wasn't convenient for me (genuinely wasn't, I wasn't just being petulant). It made me realise I could survive him saying no, and I could survive not getting the extra session.