[JayneJohnson49]

I was tossing this around in my head today and wondered if T's have a dominate session topic that happens with the majority of their clients. Not T's that specialize in an area but the run of the mill LMHC, MFT, LICSW.

My T has 40 clients and routinely sees 8 a day. So of those 40 how many sessions are on;
* depression
* suicide
* anxiety
* anger management
* communication
* relationships
* dysfunctional family unit (childhood or present)
* anything else

I realize most of topics are intertwined but I'm assuming some get brought up more than others. I rarely discuss communication or relationships, it would be out of the norm to be my session topic that week even though it is related to my social anxiety.

This came up as we discussed the theory of whether life is worth living and whether suicide is a choice every person has a right to make. As I left it dawned on me what if of her 40 clients a percentage are discussing suicide every week and how down that must be! To sit there and tell every client there's hope and it gets better then when you think phew, that client is done the next one walks in and brings up the same subject!

[stopdog]

I don't think everyone struggles with suicide necessarily. I have definite ideas about my right to not remain alive or to choose how and when I die, but I don't discuss it as suicide with the therapist. I don't think therapists pay a lot of attention to specific content. But I would think there are more common topics that people are more willing to pay a therapist to sit there for and so repetition is usual.
I think it happens in every job. As an attorney - my cases are not all that unique from each other. They are generally going to kill my guys on death row regardless of the arguments I make. And as a teacher, I deal with my students generally going through the same stages every year.

[unaluna]

Wow. My topics tend more towards:
1. Eating, exercising, pooping
2. Sleeping, seeing friends
3. Watching tv - old movie star sightings, anachronisms, memories
4. Life goals
5. Hoarding problems
6. Progress not perfection
7. Depression and anxiety are kept at bay unless real life comes knocking at my door or ringing my phone or shows up in my mail boxes. Then life tends to go down the toilet for a while.

[HazelGirl]

Depression is almost everyone. Anxiety is almost as common. Childhood wounds are also pretty common. And marital strife is another common problem.

[Petra5ed]

My T and I discuss anger a lot, I've always felt like it was one of his specialties, like a personal favorite topic... but maybe he just sees a lot of anger in me... I on the other hand like to work in a little sex, attachment, a little OCD, a little hoarding, a bit of anxiety, and a touch of raised by TV and needing to get off my butt and do something.

[Victoria'smom]

* current mood
* meds
* family mood
* episode damage control
* crisis issues

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by HazelGirl

Depression is almost everyone. Anxiety is almost as common. Childhood wounds are also pretty common. And marital strife is another common problem.

Yup. That's what I figure.

[Mactastic]

My T mentioned to me his most common thread in his practice is trying to control what we cannot. He has a little statue in his office to remind his clients of that. He has a little backstory to go with the statue and he sometimes asks me look at it

[JayneJohnson49]

Yeah, I figured most in therapy experience(d) depression, anxiety and childhood wounds. I guess I wondered more in what way are they discussed in specific topics. I am not suicidal yet death is a topic we discuss maybe 30% of the time. There's meaning I'm searching for that comes up using death as my topic driver. So I wondered if patients are struggling with a certain thing is that one subject brought up frequently and in what ways.

I agree Stopdog it happens in every job. I work in HR and no matter what the discussion is started with or about the underlying issue is one employee not getting along with another employee! Of course the specifics are unique to each situation but boil it down and 9 hours I day I deal with employee disgruntlement.

[nottrustin]

How about Financial situations and work

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by nottrustin

How about Financial situations and work

I started with trouble at work, but of course it turned out to be much bigger than that.

Originally Posted by nottrustin

How about Financial situations and work

My work is very closely tied in with my identity, it is one of the most important topics for me to discuss. I had a therapist before who could not understand this at all - she made vague noises about one's job not being who one is (generalising in a very inappropriate manner), and spouted general platitudes about finding what is really important in life, completely ignoring that I was actually telling her very clearly what was really important in my life. (Yes, I am a little annoyed with her, still - mainly for taking so much of my money for so long, which is my own fault for not leaving earlier...) Unfortunately, I was still seeing her when I had to change workplaces - I think the transition would have been much less painful if I had seen a T who understood me, at that point.