Therapist Sprung Termination Date on Me, Should I Skip It?

Was there any kind of understanding when you began therapy with your therapist that the therapy would end when the semester ended?

Did you know your therapy ended during the summer 8 months ago when you started with him..given that he's tied to school & many leave school during the summer he probably never had enough clients there during the summer to make it cost effective to stay...you didn't talk ti him about the summer months when you started with him. Is this what he dous every summer?

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I have just left therapists and never gone back. I had no need to let them try and have their idea of a good ending. I would hate wasting my money on such a thing. I think it is more for the therapist than the client.

Considering you pay as little as you do, I'd go with what Lauliza said. You could also consider posting honest reviews of him online if you want. You could post them anonymously but, if you prefer, let him know you are doing so, or planning to do so, or do it without telling him. It may be that not many people read the reviews, but some clients do google their therapists a lot.

No, there was never a mention of him being unavailable for summer. In fact, I was referred to him due to a non-romantic relationship that I had with my previous therapist and the therapist referred me to him rather than an on campus counselor with the understanding that he would be able to see me for longer. I feel pretty betrayed because I was blindsided by this. He has remarked that I am his favorite client (whatever that means) and I often feel like he just wanted to keep me on as a client and knew he couldn't help me the whole time but figured he could wiggle out of it come summer. Unfortunately for me, I am in the middle of a big transition and I am now without a therapist.

I tend to kind of walk away from losses like this. For whatever reason I struggle with calling therapists out on stuff. I think I fear that they could pad my records or something and/or I just feel they have a little bit more power than me in these situations.

No, there was no mention of his summer travel. In fact, I was referred to him because he could see me longer as a therapist external to my school.

He says he travels every summer. Our insurance covers me 90% for visits and lasts through summer. I was really looking forward to doing outpatient during the summer without the distraction of classes and work since I will be on break but that is no longer an option with him and I was referred to him following a relationship with a former therapist so I am not very eager to find another therapist and start all over. I just feel sick. I really feel so alone and like I have no support system- I never felt he was the best but I counted on at least being heard once a week. What's more is that he has recommended that i contact my former therapist who I had a non-romantic relationship with and I have expressed how unhealthy that would be for me to him.

I feel extremely alone and blindsided and I am not sure where to turn. I apologize if I seem to dramatic but I am really in a tough spot as I am preparing to make a big change and was counting on having support in therapy with that. Now, I will have to deal and emotionally I am struggling and in the middle of finals and more.

Can you find a new T?

I could but I would only be seeing that person for a month. I am from out of state and had planned to see my current therapist for intensive outpatient for four weeks before heading back to my home state until the next semester starts.

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Oh, okay. So you would have had to terminate with your current T in four weeks anyway?

Maybe you could just do dbt for the summer? Or find somebody to do dbt with for these next 4 weeks? Sounds like he owes it to you to help find you someone if he can. Even an intern type person. Just throwing out some ideas here.

Curious why you were planning something in your own mind without talking to the person you needed to make the plans with to even make sure they were possible? I never make plans to do something until I have talked to the person I'm thinking about doing it with & make sure the plans are even reasonable for both.....ASSUMPTIONS in life are NOT WISE.

I'm not sure what you mean by intensive outpatient treatment as that's usually done in a group outpatient hospital setting at least all the outpatient treatment places I've been involved with.

Sounds like DBT would be very good therapy for you....it has to do with mindfulness & being in touch with what really is.....along with learning skills for distress, & how to better handle your emotions along with interpersonal effectiveness....which means communication & discussing things that you need & making sure that other people can & are willing to provide the things that you communicate are your needs.....

Definitely skills that would be very practical for you to have....skills that most people don't have even those who don't have mental illnesses.....they are common sense skills that everyone needs to learn to function in life....but those of us who struggle with mental illnesses definitely are in need. Might be a good direction for you to aim your next therapy in.

You are very presumptuous. I spoke with my therapist on several occasions about my plans and he was on board though always future dating action. Hence me feeling blindsided ( you would do well to read for context clues; blindsiding is not possible where there was never mutual expectation).

Furthermore that you experienced one form of outpatient treatment is pretty irrelevant to what I'd planned to do and to this thread. This thread is about my therapist's decision to terminate without sufficient notice. I think I've made evident how this has impacted me in light of what led me to his practice and with regard to how it relates to my work.

Lastly, I didn't need the DBT synopsis or to be preached at. I'm a graduate student at an ivy and I'm pretty bright. I should add that the act of planning is integral to DBT and that you believed me to have premised everything on some hypothetical action on the part of my therapist makes you guilty of what you accused me of - unwise assumption.

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Thank you, Hankster. I really appreciate that. I hadn't considered that he might have an intern or resident who I could see.

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Sort of. I would have returned home for the remainder of the summer and resumed session at the start of the fall semester.

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So maybe you can do that with a T who is willing to stick it out with you? Or spend your last four weeks therapist-hunting to find one you like whom you can work with when you get back?

I'm sorry, rouge. I think it's ******** that he sprung termination on you like that; it's disrespectful to your relationship. I consider it a betrayal, myself I'm sure you know what practical steps you can take already, but just wanted to give you some support because I know that's what I would need right now if I were you