[acceptance]

Hello everyone.

I just started seeing a Councillor regarding my depression and anger.

I have had 3 appts. so far. i find it going pretty slow..so much to cover and so little time..

who decides twice a week sessions..under what circumstances?
would insurance have a problem covering it?
would T feel i am taking over other ppls appt by seeing him twice a week?
how can i just gently drop a hint, vaguely...to see his response.
i asked randomly ...how often should appts be...he said lets start with once a week, then we can taper down to once every 2 weeks?
i was like huh? i was thinking opposite. but didnt say anything ofcourse.

another thing ...can u request a therapist NOT to write something down.
I.e. i am very fond of my parents..extremely. but if there is something negative i wanna say..i would prefer it to be not written down..i would never want anyone to know about it...court orders..or wahtever..for any reason...i wouldnt want this info to get out...ever ! i understand its confidential..but still..just for my own sanity.

any input and tips would be appreciated.
thanks.

[stopdog]

3 appointments is not much and I think it does go slowly. Is there a time limit of some some sort?

[InRealLife45]

its up to you to ask, but ultimately up to insurance if they want to pay. i go twice a week, but i had to ask.

[musinglizzy]

early on, my T and I both agreed that once a week sessions was not sufficient, that there was too much time in between to get into things, get a relationship going, etc, so we mutually agreed on twice a week sessions.

It will depend on your insurance I'm sure. My insurance would cover me going 5 days a week if I wanted to...lol, so I got very lucky there!

I had to go once a week for a year before going twice wkly. That was to stabilise me.
T decided the time frame

[mira belle]

i would love twice a week sessions

[musinglizzy]

I really appreciate twice a week sessions. I've been seeing my T for 10 months, and the first two months it was just once a week. We were just starting to get to know each other, and I was learning how to actually TALK to someone at such a deep level, and we both agreed my sessions went SO fast. And for me, waiting a week in between was tough, and hard for me to get back into it, to warm up and get to work. So now, seeing her twice a week feels sufficient. There is no warm up time really... I see her on Mondays and Thursdays. And believe me, I feel the pain of having once a week sessions, last week and this week I didn't have/am not having my Thursday session, so two weeks of seeing her just once a week is something I'm definitely feeling! Makes me more appreciative she was willing and able to get me in for two regularly scheduled sessions per week. When she offered it, I jumped all over it. I don't know how long we will continue twice a week sessions, but for now, there's no sign of changing. Been twice a week since the beginning of July.

Originally Posted by acceptance

who decides twice a week sessions..under what circumstances?
would insurance have a problem covering it?
would T feel i am taking over other ppls appt by seeing him twice a week?
how can i just gently drop a hint, vaguely...to see his response.
i asked randomly ...how often should appts be...he said lets start with once a week, then we can taper down to once every 2 weeks?
i was like huh? i was thinking opposite. but didnt say anything ofcourse.

another thing ...can u request a therapist NOT to write something down.

Last question first: Yes, you can ask that something not be written down. Absolutely. You can ask not to talk about something. You can ask whatever you like. It's your session and your privacy.

First Question(s): I'm not sure it's a decision so much as it's something that you feel would be helpful. Therapists differ as to how they accommodate that. Some just don't have the openings in their schedules, others do but don't want things to move too fast, and others are like...whatever you need, let's do it.

My therapist told me early on that if I want more frequent sessions, that's fine; and if I want fewer, that's fine too. It's about whatever works for me. I go once a week, partly because of cost and also because of my own schedule, plus I benefit from a week of processing even if it means we go super slow. Slow can be very good, especially if you are working on really painful issues. Going fast can cause overwhelm and reduced ability to function. It's not a good strategy.

As for insurance, you'd have to find out what your plan allows first (there should be a number you can call to find out before asking your therapist).

If your therapist feels that you would be taking other people's appts by asking for a second, find a different therapist because that's way to judgmental.

I'm not sure there's a way to vaguely drop a hint about this, and even if you could, you need a clear reply and not a cryptic one that you have to come back here to decipher. Can you just ask him what his thoughts are on two appts a week if you feel you need it at some point?

Of course, he already sort of showed his hand when he said you would start at once per week and taper down, but he said that before he really even knows you or your issues. Just be prepared that this may be his standard practice.

[Soccer mom]

My T. and my brother, who is a T., feel that once a week is sufficient. I have asked my T. for twice a week and she said that 75% of the processing goes on outside of the sessions even as painful as it is. I can call for an extra session if I'm in a really bad place but otherwise it's once a week.

I also have the feeling that things are going slowly. My T. reminds me about twice a month that I need to slow down and realize this won't be quick. That it took years to get to the way I am so it will take awhile to go through it all and have a different thought process. She's never said how long and I've never asked.

As much as I hate the once a week sometimes, I do realize I process a lot in between sessions. I make a list of what I want to tell her and usually pick the top 2-3 topics to talk about.

My T. also mentioned spacing out sessions when I'm ready. BUT, that was early on and I think she now has a better understanding of what my needs are. Also, I think she felt I was the one who wanted to space them out because I was very guarded and wasn't telling her everything.

I'm not sure about T's not writing down things but that would be something to discuss with him.

[junkDNA]

ive seen my T twice a week since practically the beginning. it helps me. i pay out of pocket though so, i dont have insurance to deal with

Twice wkly isn't about processing. It's about containment and having the support there, like bookends enabling our unconscious to reveal more. It help keeps the momentum going.

i see my t twice a week and always have done, and it has been a godsend for me. it's sooo much better than once a week.

[thepeaceisinthegrey]

I'm very lucky in this respect. I see my T 3x a week (every day that she is in the office) and my insurance does not put a limit on visits. They said that if I need it I could go every day (if only she worked more than 3 days ).

[Lauliza]

Its possible your insurance may only pay for a certain amount of sessions within a specific time period. You can ask for more sessions of course, you might just have to pay for one yourself (if the T has time in his schedule). You absolutely can ask a T not to write something in your file and in most cases they should comply. Also, the session notes are technically yours, so if there was ever a court order, the T should go over everything with you before they release anything (that's how it works in my state anyway).

[divine1966]

It does go slow.

I went twice a week on one occasion. If you pay out of pocket it won't matter I think. If you use insurance they might not pay? You could ask. I had times when I needed/wanted to go more but I do not have the time. You could maybe ask?

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[Leah123]

"who decides twice a week sessions..under what circumstances?"

Client and therapist must agree. In my case, I asked and she said ok.

"would insurance have a problem covering it?"
Often yes, depends on your plan. Some cover XX per year, so as often as you want, but no more than the limit. Mine doesn't, I pay out of pocket.

"would T feel i am taking over other ppls appt by seeing him twice a week?"
It's their responsibility to decide. They may have open slots or not.

"how can i just gently drop a hint, vaguely...to see his response."
I hope you will be direct and ask clearly, but one way to hint would be to ask what if he thinks therapy is more effective done more frequently, or if he's ever had clients who needed to see him more often.

"i asked randomly ...how often should appts be...he said lets start with once a week, then we can taper down to once every 2 weeks?
i was like huh? i was thinking opposite. but didnt say anything ofcourse."

That's typical, partly just because of how insurance functions, partly for scheduling purposes, partly because some like that pace, but it's definitely not the only way to do it. I see mine twice a week, and traditional analysis often occurs 3-4 times per week, long term, it's just expensive.

"another thing ...can u request a therapist NOT to write something down."

You can ask anything! Seriously. Worst case is he'll say no, and then you have the information you need to decide how you want to proceed.