[clairelisbeth]

I know that a lot of our T's are going to be leaving for various amounts of time soon. They deserve time off. They SHOULD take vacations.

But it still totally SUCKS!

How long is your T going away for this summer? How do you feel about it? How do you plan to cope?

[growlycat]

Main T -- 3 or 4 weeks
CBT T -- 7 weeks---eek !!

I have no idea, but I don't really worry about it. I see him fairly rarely anymore (last appointment with him was mid-April), so whatever the case, it will be fine. He's never been one to take more than around a week off at a time anyway. He prefers several shorter vacations throughout the year to one really long one.

[jenniy122]

Next week and a week in July. So only 2 appointments for me. Not bad.

[HazelGirl]

My T hasn't told me about any time she is taking off yet. I'm sure she will eventually take a week or so off, but she has said she tries not to take more than a week at a time off because she doesn't want her clients to feel abandoned. She said that even when she was younger and went on maternity leave, that she only took the absolutely minimum amount of time off.

[coolibrarian]

She hasn't said, yet, and I am afraid to ask. She usually goes to Maine in August, for a couple weeks, though. Even after all these years, I still get anxious when she's away.

[RTerroni]

I know, I just hope that my next Therapist isn't planning on taking an extended vacation this summer.

[Amandasmom]

My T takes off 6 weeks - mid July to end of August. I hate it. I count the days until she comes back. I try to keep busy but it doesn't help. Any suggestions?

[clairelisbeth]

Amandasmom-6 weeks! That's so tough!

It's really hard. For me-I'm not sure about T. She takes a lot of mini breaks over the summer. I see her tomorrow and I'm going to ask.

The part that's the most difficult for me is my pdoc because she takes more time off at a time. One summer it was 6 or 7 weeks. After that it's been 3 weeks here, 2 weeks there.

Summer feels like such an odd, in-limbo time to me. I don't like schedules and routines being disrupted (not just with Ts, but generally too). It leaves me feeling unsettled. I always look forward to fall .

As for coping, I'm not sure.....keeping as busy as possible, I guess. I have yet to tell either T or pdoc that their being away is hard for me. I probably should....

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My T takes nine weeks off this summer, and I'll be away the first week he's back, so I get a ten-week break. Next week is the last week before he leaves. It's tough. But it would be tough even if he only took the absolute minimum vacation, especially since I see him twice a week. (To forestall the obvious comments: no, seeing another T during the break would not be possible, and no, I don't think it is at all unreasonable - I would expect a T in this country to take at least six weeks off during the summer, and nine weeks is a long but not outrageously long vacation.)

I have made a plan where I have something different happening each week: a trip, or a work project, or a hobby/personal project. I plan to brush up on a couple of languages that have receded to the back of my head, and I have some work things that I would really like to do over the summer. I'll be working in July, and will certainly be alone in the office, so I'll get a lot done I hope. I'm aware of the danger of planning to get too much done, though - if I plan to do fifteen things and only succeed in doing five I'll feel like a complete failure, even though I know that a year ago I wouldn't have been able to do even three of those things.

Other suggestions from other people (which don't necessarily appeal to everybody but have worked for other people in the past) include doing something nice for yourself at your normal appointment time, exercising (but be aware that exercise is not a mood booster for everybody, and if it doesn't work for you it doesn't make you abnormal), keeping a journal. Some people find that being around others helps, some people prefer to withdraw - whetever works for you, and makes you feel better, is probably good.

[AllyIsHopeful]

My T is sort of a workaholic and in the past year the only time off she took was for conventions and seminars that were out of town. Her "break" is in a couple weeks and she is only extending her weekend.

I am grateful she is not big on vacationing because I'm sure it would be quite difficult to cope with (right now, anyway). I don't know how she does it! Pretty sure I would go crazy.

[someone321]

my T's husband got retired at the beginning of this year so my T takes more holidays than in previous years (at least that's what she has told me ). Additionally she trains other Ts in Asia so she goes there few times per year... Thus, breaks for this year:
- 4 weeks in July,
- 1 week in August,
- 1 week in October
- 5 weeks in December/January
And of course plus my holidays and business trips - I hope that I'll take them when my T is not around and not just before/after her absence... I still feel quite lucky though in comparison with Mastodon, 4-5 weeks are still not 10; however, in my case always first two weeks are the worst... And that's true in US people do not take as much holidays as in some European country. In my homeland people do not take almost any holidays because they cannot but here 4-6 weeks are normal and some even go for 1-3 months every year (e.g. to Australia during the winter)...

[Wysteria]

GO AWAY!!!!

*puts head deeply in bucket of sand imported from Africa*

JK....but NO will not ask right now..just cannot..
*pouts loudly*

Hugs,
-WB
"says one who always deals with problems head on and in a direct manner.."
NOT!!!!

[Jordy]

T will probably take a week off here and there to go away. Also last year because so many clients were also vacation, she tried to reschedule the remaining clients so that she would only work in the mornings, or get some days off. This is fine with me as I don't have a regular slot anyway.

[sweepy62]

Wow those are long times OMG my t will take a week.

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[Lauliza]

My T and P doc only take a week or 2 in the summer, but both have reduced hours (like Fridays off). I only go 1 or 2 times a month, so it doesn't really affect me. But for those whose T's take of a month or more at a time- that must be so hard!

I think it is a cultural difference though. I know some people do, but overall I think it's unusual in the US to take that much time off at once.

[junkDNA]

T went on vacation once in feb for a week and a week in march. i dont know if he will go on vacation this summer. its probably no more than a week, week and a half. i usually meet with a diff therapist when hes gone, just to check in

[Rzay4]

2 weeks in June

1 week in July

Doesn't really affect me as we only been seeing each other for less than 2 months

[RTerroni]

Originally Posted by sweepy62

Wow those are long times OMG my t will take a week.

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I really hope that is the case with my new Therapist

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by Mastodon

My T takes nine weeks off this summer, and I'll be away the first week he's back, so I get a ten-week break. Next week is the last week before he leaves... (To forestall the obvious comments: no, seeing another T during the break would not be possible...)

Hey mast - i just found out that my t will be vacationing in your country later this month. I told him he should visit you. Anyway, im excited he will be there for the midnight sun.

[Parley]

We've had a few mini breaks but she's about to go away for a month. I'll vacation for a little more than a week of that and we only meet every other week at this point. I figure I'll miss her more than I should or want to.

[ThisWayOut]

my T just took a vacation, and she took 2 weeks over the holidays, so I am not sure if she is finished with vacations till the holidays again, or if she still has another week (i have found some agencies will give extra floating holidays, while some will give more vacation time. I had 4 weeks at one agency, plus minimal holidays, but we were a 24/7/365 care facility, so we were expected to work at least some fo the major holidays and all of the smaller ones). A former T once took 3 months during the summer to bike across the country. It was really difficult, but she had left me with a colleagues number for support and she had a "private" blog about her travels so her clients didn't feel so abandoned. It was still a really long time though. I'm glad this T seems to scatter her vacations throughout the year. I really hope she doesn't go again before we terminate. The closer it gets to my move, the higher my stress gets o_O

Originally Posted by hankster

Hey mast - i just found out that my t will be vacationing in your country later this month. I told him he should visit you. Anyway, im excited he will be there for the midnight sun.

Oh, like we talked about, where I get to see your T during my T's holiday!

But if he's going to see the midnight sun he'll be far north of where I live. It's only visible borth of the polar circle - I live down at the 60th latitude. I've never been that far north myself but would like to, some day. It's supposed to be really beautiful up there.

[teamcure]

End of June. Ugh! She just told me too.

[ThisWayOut]

well, I think at this point I would have preferred another vacation... my T is leaving the agency at the end of the month :/