[Teddy:)]

Just interested to find out the differences in everyone's situations in regards to out of session contact. So I have some questions

-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?

-How often do you contact your T?

-Why do you find you contact your T?

-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?

[JaneTennison1]

I don't have her mobile to text her. I could call but it would be an emergency only which is my boundary as I hate the phone so much.

I can email and she will reply or wait until session which is her choice. I never email unless it's something that can wait. There has been confusion about emails (replying or waiting) but we have the boundaries worked out. Email can be useful because it holds me accountable to talk about certain things in session.

[JaneTennison1]

Oh as for why there are 3 reasons.

1. I want to verify or expand about something we talked about in session

2. I want to talk about something in the next session and don't want to chicken out.

3. Scheduling.

[musinglizzy]

I've never called my t but do text and email. Oftentimes she's the one who initiates it, just checking in. But if I'm feeling really low I know she's just a text or email away, and she gets back to me.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Texts: I can text her, but there's no point. She rarely checks them.

Phone: I call her when in a crisis or when I need reassurance/a check-in. We maybe talk on the phone once a month? It really just depends. I think the most was twice in one week.

Email: I email my T anywhere from 1 to 5 times a week. Usually, it's twice. I can email for any reason. There are "suggested" boundaries: 2 emails a week, no novels, sleep on it before sending it, no cat pictures (yes, my T hates cats that much), and no crisis emails. I haven't always adhered to those "suggestions"...except the no cats one. I do usually stay within those limits. It used to be a firm boundary, but I asked her to remove it and to trust me. She says I'm doing fine regulating my emails Oh, and I am never supposed to expect a reply. Usually her reply is "Don't worry. We will talk about it on Tuesday".

For scheduling: it's either phone or email.

Most of our out-of-session contact is through emails. I can reach out at any time, but she might not respond. She does tell me when she will be unavailable to respond if she goes on vacation or something. I need to know this because contacting her is part of my crisis plan. If I'm in a crisis, I'm supposed to contact her. I am not allowed to act on any of my thoughts until I hear back from her.

Sometimes she will initiate contact. It could be to check-in, scheduling, update with insurance or Pdoc. This Thursday she will actually email me just to provide me with extra reassurance because I'm struggling so much.

[ThisWayOut]

I just started with this new t. The agency has a hotline, and that was offered in case anything came up. T also gave me her vm extension. I know the agency doesn't do email as is not confidential... in the past, I've written to a t that used email about stuff that could wait till next session but I needed to be accountable for it. I've also called in an emergency where I needed support and guidance with how to proceed. I'm trying to be less needy this time around though.

[RTerroni]

Most Therapists that I have seen don't really have a way for me to contact them between sessions.

My therapist has a phone. I called one time.

She has an email address. I've sent a handful of emails.

I never asked, and she never offered, anything about boundaries or what's allowed. Honestly, I would not accept that kind of relationship. If someone has a phone and email, I assume the only rule around their use is that one is for speaking and the other for typing.

Texting,phone, email. Just about every day for email, every coupe days for phone and text. We are on opposite sides of the world so all we have are those things.

[Virginia1991]

I can text or email. She always responds (briefly). She will answer the question or give a few encouraging words. Some weeks this contact might be once or twice......other times it could be 5-6 contacts via text/email. I asked a lot about it before doing it. I asked if it was ok? I asked if it was too much? She said no and that she would let me know if it were a problem. I have a lot of difficulty "talking". I am very shy. I feel that this has been a helpful tool for me. I can say things via email that I cannot say "in person". It also helps me "keep a connection with her". Sometimes I text and just ask if she is still there.

-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?

I could call and leave a voicemail. No email or texting that I know of and I wouldn't be interested if I could.

-How often do you contact your T?

I have only called twice to reschedule appointments. I have seen her only since November though.

-Why do you find you contact your T?

Just to reschedule. (So far.)

-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?[/QUOTE]

No.

[roimata]

I elect not to but yes all forms of contact short of showing up at her doorstep are available to me.

Only for scheduling or when she initiates the interaction

Scheduling

Not that I know of.

[stopdog]

-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?
I could call or write the first one and I could call the second

-How often do you contact your T?
It depends - I write the first one every few months or so. I think I may have called the second one three times in 4 years
-Why do you find you contact your T?
I write the first one when I want to send something away from me - right now there is some illness in my immediate family and I sometimes write to relieve stress. The second has tried to get me to call more but talking to them is not all that useful for me. I don't contact them for them to respond - I contact them to get stuff away from me
-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?
Not from the therapist to me. I would not like it if the therapist contacted me unbidden.

If I have contact with my therapist outside of session, it is via phonecall.

I only contact him when I am in a state a crisis that I am unable to manage using the skills at my disposal, or if their is a major emergency in my life, so the contact is not frequent. If I really need that much contact, I schedule and extra appointment.

My therapist has no boundaries about contacting him in those instances. I am not one to abuse the privilege on contacting between sessions, so he has had no need to place any particular rules on me about contact. My pdoc has said the same thing. He knows if I call him, it is an emergency.

[Ellahmae]

Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text? Yes. Phone & text

How often do you contact your T? She likes me to check in once a week via text. I can also contact her if I'm not in a good place by phone or text.

Why do you find you contact your T? I only reach out if I'm in hysteria or cannot get myself out of dark places with the tools I have.

Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere to?
None that I'm aware of.

[catonyx]

Originally Posted by Teddy:)

Just interested to find out the differences in everyone's situations in regards to out of session contact. So I have some questions

-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text? Only for scheduling. Phone.

-How often do you contact your T? Rarely.

-Why do you find you contact your T? Only for scheduling.

-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too? i have never asked. I don't think I need to.

It's not necessary for me to contact T outside of sessions.

[ThingWithFeathers]

I do have out of session contact with my t and would contact her in a time of crisis or to follow up on something that is bothering me after session. I have gone months without contacting my t outside session times and have had weeks where I've had contact with her 1-3 times. It depends on how much of a crisis I'm in. Boundaries have never been discussed, but I'm very conscious of my t's time and space in making contact.

[ThingWithFeathers]

Oh, and contact is by email or phone. Sometimes text - but that's only ever been used for scheduling.

[GeminiNZ]

Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?

Yes. Email mostly, but also texts.

How often do you contact your T?

Often. Very often. He replies every time.

Why do you find you contact your T?

For support, to ask questions, to clarify things said in sessions, to continue a conversation, to check in during crisis times, to raise something i know i'll struggle to raise in session. Sometimes just to check he's still there.

Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?

T's not available evenings or weekends (so we have alternatives in place for crisis contact). Other than that, no boundaries except the ones I impose on myself at times. I often ask if the level of contact is too much or I'm overdoing it and he assures me he will bring it up if that ever happens.

[SoupDragon]

I used to have a lot of email contact. But my T gradually weaned me off of it. I think he has had a cunning plan to make me hold on to the next session so it doesn't become therapy via email for me. He values face to face interactions. However I think he waited until he knew things were more stable for me.

[Petra5ed]

I have minimal outside contact with my therapist. Aside from scheduling matters... I think we've had one phone call in 2 years that he initiated after I texted him that I was having a breakdown and unable to get out of my car to go to work. I have emailed him in the past, maybe 20 emails total in 2 years, and he usually responds within a day or two. Here and there I will text him and he will reply back. We might exchange between 0 - 5 short texts a week, and there have been times I texted and didn't get a reply back... including once when I sent 4 texts all without replies before giving up. Oddly, the un-replied to texts were when I was seeking support, most of my texts are not about my issues. We've never discussed the boundary specifically I think because I've never brought up anger about the un-replied to texts or emails, maybe if I brought that up I would get some kind of explanation. Whatever the boundary I don't think I've crossed it. I'm really afraid of being annoying to him so for the most part I bite my tongue and don't contact him.

[precaryous]

Originally Posted by Teddy:)

Just interested to find out the differences in everyone's situations in regards to out of session contact. So I have some questions

-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?

-How often do you contact your T?

-Why do you find you contact your T?

-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?

I can contact my T by phone or email. We do not text.

I contact her as needed...mostly through email...maybe three short emails a week. I only phone her if I would like a more immediate response. I think she would rather I phone than email, though, oddly.

Why I contact T? I contact her for many reasons: scheduling, if I'm feeling extraordinarily bad, eureka moments, info I've processed from previous session, etc.

I try not to contact her too much or take advantage of out of session contact. She's a busy lady!

Her boundaries around phoning and texting: "phone anytime, email anytime."

[junkDNA]

T and i text almost eevery day. we email too. sometimes phone calls but not as much . he used to call me every night if i was hearing voices to help me take my meds and go to bed.

i contact T for scheduling..comments abt sessions...how much i hate my job...random things..pictures of my cat. relevant articles and science journals he or i have found.etc

[clairelisbeth]

Originally Posted by Teddy:)

Just interested to find out the differences in everyone's situations in regards to out of session contact. So I have some questions


-Do you have any out of session contact with your T and what form of communication is it i.e email, phone, text?


-How often do you contact your T?


-Why do you find you contact your T?


-Is there any boundaries put in place that you have to adhere too?

Yes-I can email, text and call her.

I text most often-sometimes several times a week, sometimes not at all. I'll occasionally call or email.

I text because of scheduling issues, because I'm in need of extra support, to hold myself accountable to her for something, or to share good news.

There aren't any boundaries because I don't abuse the privilege of out-of-session contact. I know that she has some patients who do abuse it, and they do have boundaries.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gavinandnikki]

I pretty much had carte blanche when it came to out of session contact and occasionally crossed the boundary line - you know the boundary line you don't know about until you run right into it?

My therapist shamed me when I crossed that line. She'd say....

"Pam, really, this is too much. I don't do therapy over texts. You know this Pam!".

Ok, lesson learned, assume the submissive position.

One of the many, many reasons I(yes,me!) terminated after 5 1/2 years.