[ThingWithFeathers]

I've got some huge challenges and obstacles coming up, and it's going to take a lot of determination and courage to face them. What I'm about to embark on is an arduous journey through the legal system to try to seek some form of justice. My t is with me all the way, from making the initial phone call for me to offering to attend with me when I start the process. She's going to call me after the weekend to check in and see how I am and if anything has progressed. I'm just so grateful to have her active support during this process. I know it's her job, but it's still an amazing thing to have.

How has your t helped you out in a time of need?

[musinglizzy]

It sounds to me like you have an excellent T who is going above and beyond what her job is. I don't know if my T would do that stuff for me. So nice she says she'll call to check in too. I hope she doesn't forget, that would be very disappointing.

So glad your T is helping you through this.

Our T has also been really helpful in some pretty difficult times. When our son needed to be hospitalized, he took it upon himself to contact the intake personnel at the hospital to be sure our son was placed with the right pdoc; it made that whole process one bit less traumatic. And when my husband was in the ICU with lithium toxicity, he contacted my husband's pdoc about the situation. The pdoc called me personally to help with the situation, and T checked on us daily until he was out of the ICU.

Nothing. I don't expect or want anything from my therapist outside of sessions.

[junkDNA]

yes, i sued my former therapist in a civil suit. it went on for 2 yrs. T was with me the whole way. talking to my attorney, offering his official opinion on the matter. in 2012 he drove me 1.5 hrs away to a major city for the mediation. we spent all day in this huge building in a conference room. it was me, my T and my attorney. my former Ts attorneys were in another room and former T was on the phone bc hes such a ***** he couldnt show up in person. anyway i had never been involved with a lawsuit before so it was really scary for me. i didnt know a lot of what was going on, most of it was negotiating a settlement from former Ts insurance agency. it took all day but we reached a settlement and i signed some papers and this stupid contract saying i wouldnt talk about former T by name on the internet or with anyone else. only a mental health provider. eff him....i talk about it on here but i dont mention his name or any specifying factors. but yea, T was with me the whole time offering support. he drove me back late in the evening. that was almost 3 yrs ago now. i suffered a lot after the mediation...i thought my feelings would go away afterwards, but they didnt.

anyway ya thats just one of the times my T has really been there for me in a time of need

[stopdog]

I know the first one has gone to court with a client in the past because she told me about it. I can't think of anything where I needed the woman to do anything I would consider extra help. I do write a lot and send it to her at times when dealing with a particularly intense domestic health care situation.

[acceptance]

probably nothing...i dont even email..afraid T wont reply...as he did once..so never again.
no contact outside sessions !

That would be crossing too many of my own boundaries so I would never ask.

The morning I got the phone call that my dad had passed away back in 2013, t was who I wanted. Even though I was on a break from therapy at the time, I called her and she talked to me for a little bit no charge.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Ya know, I wanted to post about several things T has done, but suddenly I realized that they could be very specific and identifying things. I seriously doubt my T reads this forum, and I've never worried about it before. The stuff I post on here is all stuff I eventually talk to T about. But, today, I'm feeling a bit paranoid about sharing such specific things.

So, I'll just say that my T has made herself available when I've needed help the most. She stays consistent in her interactions towards me. She encourages me to reach out to her when I need to. I greatly appreciate all that my T has done for me so far.

[Ellahmae]

This is what I was going to say as well.

Originally Posted by BlessedRhiannon

Ya know, I wanted to post about several things T has done, but suddenly I realized that they could be very specific and identifying things. I seriously doubt my T reads this forum, and I've never worried about it before. The stuff I post on here is all stuff I eventually talk to T about. But, today, I'm feeling a bit paranoid about sharing such specific things.

So, I'll just say that my T has made herself available when I've needed help the most. She stays consistent in her interactions towards me. She encourages me to reach out to her when I need to. I greatly appreciate all that my T has done for me so far.

[PinkFlamingo99]

Everything... And then nothing. Including taking a week and a half to answer my call when I had surgery and a scary complication. Then yelling at me when she did call.

[JustShakey]

There's a decent chance I'd be in prison now if not for my T's support over the last two years. (It's frightening how many abused women do time because of their abusive partners)

[nottrustin]

One day I was so sleep deprived that I took a small handful of pills in an attempt to sleep. Then I freak and told my husband. He called T immediately to figure out what to do. She asked me to come to the phone long enough to give her permission to talk to hubby. Then she suggested we ask the doctor to call her as she knew it was a suicide attempt and she knew most of the doctors there. It was a saturday and she made herself available for most of the day and spoke to the doctor a couple of times while I was in the ER. She told the Dr. that she wanted to see me either that evening after discharge or the next day. I ended up going and seeing her for a couple of hours the next morning (she doesn't have weekend hours normally. She refused to allow me to pay her for the session (she did bill my insurance). If it weren't for her I would have probably ended up hospitalized.

Also she is always accessible by email even when she goes on vacation. She requests that I check in if we will miss a weekly appointment

[scorpiosis37]

I've never been in a situation where I needed that kind of extra help from a T. She has, however, gone out of her way to show me that she really cares about me and is committed to me. For instance, she gave me a small birthday gift on my 30th bday, she offered a Saturday appointment when she was booked up during the week, she has texted to check in when I was waiting for some big news, and she has promised that we will be in contact, in some form, "forever."

[woods girl]

My T allows my to text and call him whenever I need to, even at 3am if it's an emergency. He can't always respond immediately, but he's there as soon as he can be.

[Creative ToFu]

One T told me if my mom ever took me to court to get visitation of my kids (they are now adults) that he would testify for me in court, He said he knew what to say in order for her to never set eyes on my kids or get her hands on them. Now this guy was working past retirement age and it was funny at the time because he got so wound up about it.

Another T of mine allowed emails between sessions and that really helped me during the hardest of times.

[musinglizzy]

Originally Posted by Mastodon

I can't imagine that he would do anything like any of the things mentioned in this thread. I think that's because of who I am, rather than who he is. I don't come across as somebody who would ever need anything extra, I think. (I'm still a little jealous of those of you whose Ts remember their birthdays, I must admit )

My birthday is a week away...quite sure my T won't remember (or won't say anything.) Why do we secretly hope they would?

Originally Posted by musinglizzy

My birthday is a week away...quite sure my T won't remember (or won't say anything.) Why do we secretly hope they would?

I am absolutely sure my T would never remember my birthday. Kind of a typical man that way. I don't expect more from my T on that front than I do of my husband who is notorious for forgetting important dates like birthdays and anniversaries.

[rainbow8]

When my H was in the hospital last year, I emailed my T every day and she answered every single email. She even emailed once when I didn't, to ask how he was doing.

Originally Posted by lolagrace

I am absolutely sure my T would never remember my birthday. Kind of a typical man that way. I don't expect more from my T on that front than I do of my husband who is notorious for forgetting important dates like birthdays and anniversaries.

Interesting. I was not aware of that stereotype and from my experience there is no basis for it. I would have no different expectations based on gender when it comes to the likelihood of remembering dates.

[justdesserts]

My therapist has been willing to answer my calls and texts when things have been had. We doubled my sessions times as well. I have his cell number and can call or text him at any time, but I don't do it very often. I'd never expect him to remember my birthday, although In my dreams he might. I realize that I am one of 35 clients he sees every week.

Just Being silly, Mast. Mine wasn't a serious post, though my husband truly does have an awful memory that way so I do set the bar of expectation low and have a sense of humor about it.

[ThingWithFeathers]

My t also hasn't ever wished me a happy birthday. She helps me out in wonderful ways while, at the same time, she there are things I know or assume she would never do. I think hugging or touching is off limits. She's also never said directly that she cares about me, I don't think that will change.

I guess we all have ts with different boundaries, limitations and comfort. One will help out in one way while another might do something helpful in another way.

[LindaLu]

My T has offered extra sessions when some bad things happened in sequence. It was a frightening time and she was supportive. But that's it and she makes it clear not to expect more.

Her contract with clients details how she'll charge $ for work done outside sessions including phone calls, making copies of records, visits to home or hospital or (more happily) a family event under extraordinary circumstances that must be documented in advance. I assume there are more forms for documenting that work and logging chargeable hours.

In other words she makes it clear to her clients that the scope of work IS negotiable, but it is contractual and fee-based.

Ah well. If I wind up in the hospital or jailhouse, I have a personal network that would step in to help.

Anyway. Always interesting to see the range of responses among PC folks about thing therapists do/dont do for clients.