[BayBrony]

My T leaves for a week vacation Monday am. I am trying not to be a baby about it but I feel like I am going to cry already. What will i do for a whole week? ? That is 3 sessions! She has gone on vacation before but this time we are deeper in trauma work than ever before

[junkDNA]

sorry you're so anxious about it. my T is leaving july 17 - 25. we meet 2x a week. so i will miss a few sessions. its not that i wont see him, but that i have this huge paranoia that hes going to die (i am particularly fixated on him getting eaten by a bear). he is going backpacking in the colorado wilderness and hes been doing this every year for 5 yrs ive seen him. he reassures me that he will be fine etc, but i know when he is gone its gonna be really hard. anyway, thats my T vacation story. what are some things u can do to help pass the time? for me, im going to work on my college homework, see my friends, maybe see mymom and sister. work on therapy art project i started. i think if i work on therapy related things during my session times it will help. im just so worried that he wont come back.

[stopdog]

Could you plan things to focus on yourself during the time when you usually have an appointment?
Massage, go to a movie, eat popcorn etc - whatever sorts of things that might be an indulgence for you.
I don't mind when either of them go away - or even the times when they both are gone at the same time. I like breaks.

[precaryous]

Does she have someone covering for her while she is gone?

I will be in contact with Ts cover, if needed, while she is gone two weeks. It may help?

[BayBrony]

No one is covering as far as I know. She said if I really need her to.leave a voice mail. ..but I don't want to be the client who really needs her!! I am hoping we are super busy next week so I can't think too much about it. I can work on my novel during session times. I do not usually write in the summer because work can be so overwhelming in the summer.
I don't want to be the person who NEEDS her BUT I don't want to get really upset and be self destructive either. I already have a lot of anxiety about our relationship when she IS here.

[precaryous]

You see her three times a week? I totally understand how that would create an issue when she is gone a week.

Have you talked with her about what else you should do while she is gone? Leave a voice mail?
Your feelings are valid. If you need her....you need her. That's just where you are right now. Do you think she will be understanding if you vm her while she is gone? I should think she would expect it.

I'm sorry it's so rough. I really empathize with you.

[BayBrony]

2 to 3 times a week. We both want it to be 3 because the trauma work is so deep now but her Monday schedule is a mess and so we usually go back and forth between twice a week and 3 times a week. We check in on the phone on Mondays if we don't have a session.

She will almost certainly be understanding but i still don't want to be THAT client

[BayBrony]

I am not good with needing. She gave me a book to read while she is gone but I am a fast reader

[BayBrony]

Also since gay marriage just became legal in my great state she suggested working on planning my wedding ceremony. My partner and I have been together for 17 years...However as I realize how expensive everything is wedding planning is getting less exciting all the time

[growlycat]

Originally Posted by BayBrony

I am not good with needing. She gave me a book to read while she is gone but I am a fast reader

My psychodynamic T once went on a vacation and I was struggling. He lent me David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest ---which at 800 plus pages I think was meant more of a distraction than anything else!

I totally understand how hard it is when your t is not around. I havent heard from mine for a month because she is having a family emergency, and i feel like i am losing my mind.