[cherryleaves]

Hello,

I have an upcoming appointment with a counselor I haven't seen in a while. I stopped seeing this counselor because in my last session, she asked me if I felt like I still needed counseling & for what reason. I took this as a sign that I was fine and I never went back without even a call. I feel bad about that.

Also, I see this counselor in public all the time & I feel as though this has been a really awkward situation. Whenever the counselor sees me, they turn & haul ***** in the other direction. If they're speaking to someone that I'm with, they don't acknowledge me at all. That leads to the a horrible feeling.

I feel really weird and scared about having to see this person again and I'm wondering if I'm over doing it. Can these issues be talked about so that we can hopefully move on or should I consider not seeing this counselor?

In my country, (para)medical professionals aren't allowed to acknowledge their (ex)clients in public unless the client acknowledges them first. So it could be that.

[Petra5ed]

Originally Posted by cherryleaves

Hello,

I have an upcoming appointment with a counselor I haven't seen in a while. I stopped seeing this counselor because in my last session, she asked me if I felt like I still needed counseling & for what reason. I took this as a sign that I was fine and I never went back without even a call. I feel bad about that.

Also, I see this counselor in public all the time & I feel as though this has been a really awkward situation. Whenever the counselor sees me, they turn & haul ***** in the other direction. If they're speaking to someone that I'm with, they don't acknowledge me at all. That leads to the a horrible feeling.

I feel really weird and scared about having to see this person again and I'm wondering if I'm over doing it. Can these issues be talked about so that we can hopefully move on or should I consider not seeing this counselor?

Do you want to go back to the counselor? If so then I would do that and talk about it, if not then I would find one you can and do want to talk to. I doubt she would run you off in that fashion. You can always be direct too and ask her if that is what she was thinking, my guess is she just wanted to know how to help you.

Many therapists won't acknowledge clients in public, because if someone you know sees you interacting and asks you who they are it may be awkward for you, they may unintentionally breach your confidentiality. Does that make sense? Most I would say, would not initiate contact with clients or ex-clients in public on that principle.

I don't know why you would feel so weird and scared to talk to her unless maybe it's a self-esteem issue or something along those lines? It could be the therapist just wasn't a good fit and you don't feel comfortable around them, or it could be a general thing, any idea?

[AllHeart]

I would venture to say that since this counselor has the appointment scheduled on her end, s/he is willing to see you, so s/he is willing to work out the situation. I also think that your situation is minor, and T's deal with it often. Your T may have just asked you that question to gauge how you felt therapy was going for you...just as a periodic check-in.

As for her/him avoiding you in public, it is very common for most T's to not initiate contact with the client first. Not even as much as a hello. Many offices make their T's sign a code of ethics contract stating such. It's for the client's privacy and well-being.

I wouldn't feel weird at all. Did you have a good rapport with this T otherwise? I understand your fear, but I'm willing be bet everything will go well for you.

[cherryleaves]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I feel better about this appointment. I don't have a preference as to which T I see but I figured it'd be easier to stay with the one I already saw. T did say that she wasn't trying to run me off but I figured that was her way of trying to terminate or something. Also, the confidentiality thing makes sense.

I feel weird about having to talk to her for several reasons. She saw me when I was at a very low point at my life and after abruptly stopping sessions with her without even a call, I see her very often. I have no idea how she feels about all this or maybe it doesn't bother her at all. No idea but I'll give it a try and I'll let y'all know how it goes.