[Cinnamon_Stick]

How much outside of session contact do you have? How much do you email? How often do you talk on the phone?

Very little. Only when an emergency comes up and using my healthy coping skills isn't working. I save our talking for our sessions unless the situation is one of the above. We do not text or email. All contact is via phone (and I like it that way).

[stopdog]

I have called the second one 4-5 times in 4-5 years for something other than appointment changes. I have probably only called the first once or twice.
I never email the second one, but do sometimes (every few months or so) email or mail the first one - more to get something away from me than for any response from the woman.

[atisketatasket]

Almost none. A few emails to one while I was traveling, a voicemail exchange with the other about something I was supposed to bring to session. Neither were a crisis or anywhere near.

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[maykins]

Scheduling (if there's a change) is done by text or phone. I never called for therapeutic reasons. I can email her for that, and I do so very rarely, if I really feel the need to.

Only if I have to cancel or reschedule. Nothing outside of that. That is how I think it should be. Too much confusion and pain seems to come from outside contact.

[Salmon77]

So far, only a couple short emails for scheduling purposes. We've never discussed anything else. It's fine with me.

[Ellahmae]

Text a couple of times daily. usually only one from me and one from her, unless I am in a bad place she have a bit of a "conversation", mainly reminders of coping skills. I can call if I need to but not sure when that would be appropriate and I never have, probably never will.

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[CameraObscura]

It varies. I am allowed to email and encouraged to do so if I feel the need, and sometimes asked to if things are rough - asking for help is very hard for me, and my t wants me to be able to trust that I can without backlash.

Sometimes 3 emails a week, sometimes none for months.

[Chummy]

Not much. I''ve email her a few times, when I couldn't say something to her in person.
Maybe 2-3 calls this year, but those were about an appointment change.
I never reach out to someone when I'm in ''crisis''.

[divine1966]

Never email. Call or text for scheduling only. T gave me her cell phone early on and said I can call any time. I see no need unless to schedule appt. Two times I called asking for emergency appointments. And I got it

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[Petra5ed]

I can call in a crisis, maybe done this twice. We text infrequently, usually about schedule but other things as well. I haven't emailed in a couple years now.

[eeyorestail]

I never email. Never had a T that gave me their email.

If I am running late I will text.

For calling, I only call if I need to cancel or if I am having a serious emergency and want to schedule a session to discuss hospitalization or outpatient. This happened more often with one of my old Ts but has really only happened once or twice with my current one.

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[LonesomeTonight]

I've called my T maybe 4 or 5 times within the past 6 months or so (didn't call her much the 3 years before that), when I've needed extra support because of something that just happened. I have her cell but have always just left a voice mail on her office phone (I've been told I could use the cell for emergencies or a last-minute appointment change). She's called back each of the times (usually same day) and talked to me for anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour (most of her drive home). Also in that time period, I tend to send her 1 or 2 e-mails a week, often just processing something from our previous session, sharing how a session with our marriage counselor went, and/or mentioning things to talk about for next session. She only responds occasionally, and it's very brief, but she will mention the e-mails in session.

With MC, I've left him probably 6 or 7 voice mail messages on his office phone when I felt the want/need to talk to just him and/or was upset about something from the session (also over the past 6 months or so). He generally takes a day or two to call back, but a couple times, he talked to me for a half hour, another time about 15 minutes. I recently got his cell number, but am saving that for an emergency (confirmed it's OK to call in that case). I've sent him maybe a dozen e-mails if I was upset about something or just wanted to tell him something without having to discuss it in session (generally transference-related stuff). He'll respond if I specifically ask him to let me know he got it, but that can also take a day or two.

(I'm not counting calling for cancelling/scheduling appointments.)

[healed84]

Outside of session contact just depends on what's going for me. I only text if I am starting to have bad thoughts and need a some encouragement. T does text if he is running really late, needs to cancel or reschedule. Emailing, I have emailed up to once a week to once a month. This summer it has been I frequent.. It is just good to know I have all of these options open to me if I need them.

[Lauliza]

Rarely. I've called my pdoc probably 6 times in 8 years and my T twice. Both calls were very brief as well and weren't for support so much as specific questions. Calls are always brief (less than 10 minutes). More can turn into a session clients can be charged. I don't have either' cell number so there is no texting or calling in off hours.

I've emailed a few times but again for specific questions, not for support or anything like that.

[MusicLover79]

We talk on the phone once a week in addition to our session and text pretty much everyday. Don't contact her through email unless it's to show her something therapy related.

[Leah123]

We do 90 minutes of phone sessions a week, it's long distance therapy, and I Skype her at length most days, with most weekends off. We used email instead of Skype prior. I pay for that use of email, whether she's spending time speaking or writing, I'm receiving the benefit of her experience, so it only seems fair to expect to pay for it.

[aetheorist]

I prefer to limit contact to the session only. Outside of it would just be occasionally for scheduling, payment, etc. Phone or in person only, never email/text. Just how I prefer things regardless of what the therapist is OK with, though most I've encountered work this way.

[junkDNA]

i can text T whenever and send emails. he responds to texts most of the time, but usually not the emails. we talk about the emails in session. there were lots of phone call check ins before and he would call to help me take my meds at night if the voices were bad since they didnt want me taking meds. i havent talked to him on the phone in a long time. we did a skype session last winter when the roads were bad and i showed him my new apartment with my webcam lol

[AllHeart]

T and I email each other often during the week. We talk on the phone on occasion, but I can call her whenever I need or want to. When I first started seeing T, she allowed just 1 email per week, and then a phone call if there was an emergency. A year later, you can see how that wound up.

[Gavinandnikki]

I'm not in therapy anymore but when I was I found that emails and texts lead to more hurt than help.

Phone calls were more helpful than hurtful, but not always.

I found that, aside from scheduling issues, out of session contact was fraught with potential perils.

Proceed at your own risk.

T and I live in diffeent countries, so maybe that is why wehave so much email and lhone contact. Its all we have to keep in touch. Lots of emails every week, some texts, and several phone calls.

[magicalprince]

I used to text my T once or so every other week though on some weeks it would be as much as every day just depending on need. I tried to only txt when I really needed it.

Calls... Only every so often but I wrote kinda long texts. There were no limits per se I just felt bad because she never charged me the fee for calls even though it was the policy.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by Gavinandnikki

I'm not in therapy anymore but when I was I found that emails and texts lead to more hurt than help.

Phone calls were more helpful than hurtful, but not always.

I found that, aside from scheduling issues, out of session contact was fraught with potential perils.

Proceed at your own risk.

I've found with e-mails, that my T and MC, if they respond, just write a few sentences. And sometimes I'll end up reading the sentences again and again, trying to figure out exactly what they meant (Yes, OCD is one of my issues!) A couple times, I've misinterpreted and been worried about something needlessly.

Phone calls have generally been positive, except for one awful call with MC that started out fine, then basically ended with me sobbing and begging for something (another individual session with him) and him shutting me down, in what felt like a harsh way, which led to me leaving him a rather upset/angry message on his voicemail, then once I'd calmed down, sending like an 1,000-word e-mail explaining why I was upset. I think part of it was the fact that we were on the phone, so I couldn't see any sort of body language or facial expression, and took his words as harshly as possible. Where if we were in person, then both of us may have reacted differently. Took a few sessions to work that all out, but it's OK now.