How Many Vacations Are Too Many Vacations?

We would "take" more if allowed. Employers here run employees into the ground. Many jobs only allow 1-2 weeks of vacation time a year.

I think my T is the king of vacation!

He takes 2-3 weeks off at Christmas, 2 weeks off at Easter and 10 weeks off in the summer. During this time no contact is available since he doesn't even have a mobile phone or internet connection. He is 75 by the way. You can only reach him during office hours when he is working.

It was very hard, almost intolerable at times, but I got used to it.

Mine took 2 weeks this Christmas (as in, 3 weeks between appointments), but all of outpatient psychiatry @ the hospital is closed. She also took 3 weeks in the summer, but it was split into 2 weeks + 1 week.

It's been really hard for me this Christmas though. I've been struggling so much, but the vacation time isn't even her choice so I can't be frustrated or anything.

My last one took 3 months off in the summer which was really hard until she started seeing me free at her private practice in the summers. That felt amazing at first but I ended up getting my heart broken.

Yes I know that people in the US would rather have more vacation than less.
I figured.

For a therapist to take a month of vacation in the summer is normal to me, but apparently for a lot of people here it's a deal-breaker or something. That just seems rather selfish. Therapists, like everybody, deserve some time off.
And one week here and there isn't much.

Selfish is to demand the T doesn't take much time off. It's not selfish to search for a T who doesn't take much time off. Different people with different needs fit different T's - that includes vacation schedules.

With the exception of the extended summer vacations where you are located,
this is how I remember it in the mid 70's in my tri-state area. Looked up first therapist that is still practicing (79 y.o.), and she does not state she's a psychoanalysis. We met 1-2 times per week, and she "abandoned me in August. Checked in with a childhood friend, who's father did modified psychoanalysis 2-3 days/week and her mother a psychologist confirmed they took the mont of August to Labor Day to go to the cape, ski week in late January/February, plus a week or more during holidays. Maybe, this was a regional thing or a transitioning period from The Freudian setup. Either way, for me, I could not do it this way if I needed intensive therapy.

Good for you harvest moon, forgetting use to it.

And to, SkyscraperMeow, the OP, I hope something can be worked out between you and your therapist that meets your needs and wants, especially because we have so many media devices that make contact mush easier, and cheaper.

Actually, many Americans don't take all the vacation days they are alotted. Though, I have no specifics for therapist. I do know my ex therapist would not take vacation during the holidays, because that is a difficult time for many. Given our culture, sometimes needs are not so easy to bottle up and put away and then rolled out again on a therapist schedule.

I've never had a therapist take more than a couple weeks off at a time (I think anyone taking more than a couple of weeks off at a time in the U.S.A is probably unusual). Now, my T's and Pdoc might take more than one two week vacation off during a year, or several one week vacations. That's pretty normal for anyone who has been at their job for a length of time. Even my husband with his low-level job has been at it so long that I think he gets something like 6 weeks off in a year (again, never takes it all at once though).

Of course, you're right. But I think it's unrealistic to expect a therapist to not take more than two weeks off at a time. My doctor takes two months during summer and I'm sure he has many patients who still need him during the summer. That doesn't stop him.
I don't know, it's probably a cultural thing. Americans don't have many holidays vs Europeans do. If I had to choose based on holidays, I'd have no therapist at all.

Most are pretty good. Current one has two months off at my worst time.

So I have another one to see in the meantime, but it's still 6 weeks