[HealingTimes]

I know that some Ts say that you can only call them if there is an emergency..so what constitutes an emergency?

[jacq10]

Well, my T gave me her cell number after my Dad had a stroke. I texted her the next day when I couldn't get out of bed... and then a couple days later after I landed myself in the ER from SI

Otherwise, I'll sometimes email her when I feel like it would be helpful... not that often, usually when I feel like I'm going to SI or am feeling myself spiral downwards.

It's different for everyone though... might be a good talk to have with your T?

[Leah123]

Well, I expect that many therapists are referring to clients feeling suicidal or with an intent to commit serious self harm or harm others.

My therapist and I don't discuss our relationship in those terms though: she wants to hear from me if I think it would help me feel better. This makes working with her so much easier: less guilt, less stress, less uncomfortable dilemmas about whether I'm feeling unbalanced *enough* to warrant contacting her. Ours is on the less common end of the spectrum though I think.

Ha. I just asked a similar question in another forum. After over a year of working together, my therapist and I have kind of worked out our own thing, I guess. I imagine it's very individual for the client AND the therapist.

For me, feeling suicidal is usually pretty serious. (I say "usually" because there is a spectrum for me...sometimes it's just ideation, other times I've had a plan, while other times I have had intention...) Luckily, I've only had one incident where I could have/should have been hospitalized but was able to get some help before it went that way.

Now that I take meds, that happens much less frequently so I know that when it does, it's a big deal. I touch base with my therapist every day and that really helps me check in with myself and also hold myself accountable to let her know if things are escalating. She will ask for another check-in if she is concerned and it helps me remember that she's there and she cares. I believe she trusts that I will tell her and I have to honor that trust by not withholding information that she needs to help me.

If I am crashing (I go downhill fast) and feel at all impulsive, he wants to hear from me immediately. He says what is scary about me is that he can see during the day and while I may not be doing great, I'm not in danger, yet within a few hours I can crash into a severe, impulsive, suicidal state. My pdoc expects exactly the same from me.

I think what defines an emergency probably varies from client to client and from therapist to therapist.

[SkinnySoul]

Before going on his summer vacation(4 weeks), T said to me "If there's a problem you can always email or call me". I even asked "Are you sure? I don't want to bother your time off." and he replied saying that if he didn't want me to call he wouldn't have offered this.

So, one day I was feeling very depressed and thought I'd call. I did, we talked for about 5 minutes and I felt a tad better.

Then the next session he told me that my calling him was manipulative, that there is no point in calling him when my life isn't in danger and that calling is appropriate only if there's medical stuff involved(low potasium for instance).

I just can't get this man sometimes...

[ECHOES]

My T leaves that up to me. I can contact her anytime by email or by leaving her a voice mail on her office phone. I also have her cell phone and that is for emergency/urgent situations. I have asked often what that means and how to define it and she doesn't. lol. She shrugs in an easygoing way and says whatever is 'urgent' to me. I think she's as interested in what is going on at that time as she is in seeing what I define as urgent. I called her cell phone one time for an extra session when I was really falling apart and one other time, at midnight and on Christmas Eve of all times, by accident when I accidentally hit the speed dial button after falling asleep with the phone next to me in bed... oops.

[BlessedRhiannon]

I think it varies from client to client and therapist/pdoc to therapist/pdoc.

For me, major emergency is feeling suicidal or even like I just really need to hurt myself. However, my T is trying to get me more to a point where I can reach out to her before I get to that stage. So, my T prefers me to contact her if I'm just struggling, and speaking to her would be helpful. That might mean I'm having high levels of anxiety, an actual panic attack, feeling hopeless, dissociating, experiencing more OCD symptoms than usual, etc.

[Victoria'smom]

If others or myself feel I need to be hospitalized but they can't get me to requires a call. Also anything in my crisis plan requires me to at least give her a note with the option to let her call me.

[sunrise]

My T has never told me what an emergency is. But I did call once after I was in a really bad car wreck and my car was totaled. I was injured but not seriously. I was kind of in shock. He was fine with my call. Another time my father died, and I did not call T, but at our next session he said I could have. I guess I would say if something really traumatic happens, it should be fine to call. But always good to check in advance with your T if you have doubts.

Skinny Soul, that sounds really terrible how your T pulled bait and switch on you.

My T has told me to call instead of prolonging the agony.... so I guess I should be in agony before I call.... But for me personally, I would have to either be sitting with a bottle of pills in my hand or on the edge of a bridge with my feet dangling before I would call him and really if I had got that far I doubt I would call then either... So I guess basically for me I will not call my T...it makes me feel too needy although once I did text him because I had to see him on a different day/time so I had to confirm time and that was difficult enough... even with it being 2 years I don't do it...

[HealingTimes]

Thanks everyone for your feedback

[Lexi232]

i think im kinda alone on emergencies.
but i had this thought today while i was getting help to find my ENT's office... if ever i feel suicidal then i will walk to the ER (same area as the ENT and hospital-where i walked today lol) and if im still not well by the time i get there, then i'll think about going in to the ER.(and it seemed to help today so i shouldnt ever have to goto the er if it works in the future lol..) and if im feeling better then i'll go and buy something from the vending machienes over by the ENTs office.
then head back home.

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