[therapyishelping777]

I was talking to friend who goes to therapy and her therapist is part of a big group and its first come first serve, whoever schedules with receptionist for that time gets it. the T has no control. so my friend has been unable to get in for 5 weeks because her T has too many clients to fit everyone in. That would super trigger me.

My T is solo and you get you time , same time every week, and if there are any changes its just him saying, hey I have an appt , (which is super rare) can you do this time.. Its super consistant and I feel really safe that way.

Wondering what is everyone's T doing for scheduling,, through themselves, just regular time, through receptionist. , random times?

[atisketatasket]

Mine have all been private, so they schedule themselves, though No. 2 has an assistant to do it. I guess I could have the same time every week if I wanted it (No. 2's assistant appears to be trying to do that as much as possible), but I've never wanted it and I'm flexible where other clients' work schedules are fixed. The reason I don't want a fixed time is the variety helps me - I would find being the 10 am Tuesday stultifying.

[AllHeart]

Wow! I wouldn't last a minute with your friends t scheduling system.

My t and I set the schedule at the end of each session for the next week. During really busy times (mine or t's) we will schedule out a couple to few weeks but usually it's just week to week.

[Pennster]

I have a regular time and my therapist does all scheduling himself. My therapist has no intermediaries.

We are both really flexible however, so if either one of us needs to change time, it's no big deal at all. We tend to change fairly frequently.

I wouldn't last long with that kind of scheduling either! My t is in private practice and it's just her, she handles her own scheduling/billing etc. We confirm the next session at the end of each one, same day/time slot but sometimes weekly, sometimes every 2 weeks. Occasionally she texts me between sessions if she needs to change it for some reason. She's always so flexible when I want to make changes, so I try to be flexible too when she does!

[SoConfused623]

My T keeps her own schedule and I have a set time every other week. She has had to change this set time 3x in 2 years but it's not a big deal to me. In fact, if she wanted to change the time every appointment I'd be OK with that too. However, I definitely prefer mornings as I like to get anything potentially unpleasant over and done with early so that I don't dread it all day.

[junkDNA]

Same two times on the same days every week

[rainboots87]

My current one is at a small private practice, but she does her own scheduling. I can generally come at the same time and day, but we only book out a couple appointments at a time. Sometimes, like this week, she'll be unavailable (going out of town for a conference, etc.) on my normal day, so I switched to a different day when she's back in town. I've also scheduled a couple extra sessions last minute, because I had been trying to do every other week due to finances, but have realized I need more support than that. Even though it kinda stresses me out to not always have "my" time slot, she's usually pretty flexible in that I've been able to schedule extra support sessions on short notice (like 2 days notice) with several options available.

Previous Ts have usually always had the same day & time slot open for me, barring extenuating circumstances.

Receptionist handles scheduling. No set time or day. I wouldn't want it that way though; I need the flexibility to work around my crazy schedule. It was never a problem. Receptionist and I set up appointments several at a time several weeks ahead of schedule. On the other hand, my husband needed a set day and time because he was notorious for forgetting his appointments, so she made sure to schedule him very regularly.

[stopdog]

The therapist keeps the schedule. Neither of the two I see has an intermediary. I have a set time each week.

[Waterbear]

My T does her own scheduling. We normally meet on the same two days a week in the mornings but times do vary. This isn't a problem for me and I kind of like the flexibility because I have a crazy schedule at work and sometimes need to change. She is limited privately to two days a week and recently had to change one of those days but it is OK. We work a week or so in advance normally.

[musinglizzy]

None of my Ts have a receptionist. T1, I have two regular session times each week, never changes. T2, I could have a regular time every week, but I don't see her regularly. I only call on her when I'm having a particularly rough go of things. T3, I schedule sessions via her website. You can pick days, times and session length. So unfortunately I don't have regular days/times with her, it varies. I try to schedule Tuesdays and Fridays at 12:30 when they are available.

[annielovesbacon]

I see my T through a university clinic, so I always just get her next available appointment. I get to see her about every 2.5 weeks and it's a different day/time each time. I wish it were more regular, but I understand why it can't be.

[SoupDragon]

Same day and time every week. My T says it is important to be consistent.

[waterlogged]

My T does her own schedule, and I have set appointments. She has been somewhat flexible if I have to miss a session. We re-worked the schedule this fall, and she asked if I could switch times for one session. She schedules her vacations out months in advance. She had to miss 2 sessions when her mother passed away, and she was out sick for a week, but those have been the only short notice, unplanned absences in 2.5 years.

My T is like yours, set time each week. I said I needed that in the initial email I sent him because my first therapist's scheduling was all over the place and it was very triggering.

[ScarletPimpernel]

My T handles her own scheduling. She has both saved time-slots and first come/first serve. Right now, I have a set time-slot. If I want to see her again after we terminate, she'll have to it me in somewhere or I go on the waiting list.

[doogie]

My T is in private practice, so I schedule directly with her. We usually schedule appts weekly for several months at a time. At the end of that series of appts, we will schedule for the next few months. I generally have the same time/same day each week, though, unless one of us has a conflict. My psychiatrist is in a large medical practice, and my appts. with her are even scheduled directly with her. We schedule the day time together, then she messages the front desk and it gets put in the schedule that way. I wouldn't like dealing with a receptionist, though to be fair, I've never had to. Might be different if I had started out with a T who used that system. I do like the consistency of same time/same day. I might have a hard time not knowing from week to week when or if I was going to have an appt.

[1stepatatime]

I have a set time for every Tuesday. I wouldn't be able to go at various times each week but I certainly am flexible enough to allow for changes when things come up for either one of us. My therapist has a new policy where if you cancel a session you still have to pay for it.. no matter what. Fortunately since I've been with her for almost four years this doesn't apply to me, guess I was grandfathered in. But if it did apply to me I wouldn't like it. I can see if someone habitually cancels sessions or is always trying to change the time, then yes.. inconsistencies drive me crazy but let's say someone is in a wreck or has strep throat.. I don't think it is fair to make them pay for a session missed that they had no control over.

[laxer12]

I've seen 3 different T's and they all do their own scheduling. Two of the three worked within a small practice but neither had a receptionist or anyone else I had to work with.

After having that experience with all of my T's, I don't think I would ever go somewhere that had a receptionist who did scheduling or took payments. That makes it feel more like a doctor's office which is exactly what I don't want.

[nottrustin]

I have a set day and time and she will not schedule anybody for that slot. There have been a couple of times she contacted me to see if I could see her at a different time due to unforseen circumstances. If I can great if not it is okay.

[calibreeze22]

I had a set day and time with the three Ts over the past six years, but last week was my first set time with current T. For a full year we figured it out week by week. Sometimes I wondered about when we skipped a week here and there, like I wasn't important or liked enough to earn a spot. For the most part, though, I was fine with the flexible schedule, so it actually weirded me out when she finally offered a set time. I thought, "Is the latest stuff I've shared that messed up? Did she need a year to see if she wanted to or could help me? Should I be flattered or frightened?"
Probably silly, but I plan to ask all of that on Monday.

[kecanoe]

Two of the ts that I see are quite busy. If I want the same time/same day I have to schedule ahead a few months. I scheduled December and January today. They are first come, first served but to be first, I just have to stay on top of my calendar. There is a receptionist at the practice who does the scheduling. Occasionally one of them has told the receptionist to schedule me in a time slot that is usually not available. I assume they do this for clients who unexpectedly need to get in.
The other t never schedules anyone for my time slots. Occasionally one of us will have a conflict and we schedule for a different time. I try to be very flexible with him because he is so flexible with me.
It would not be a big deal for me to see any of them at more varying times, it's just easier for me to have a set schedule.

[MBM17]

I'm one of the folks here that need to have a very consistent appointment that I can rely on and predict. I wonder - you folks who say that you prefer the flexibility and always changing appointments (which I can't fathom), do you struggle with anxiety, or not really? My therapist has said before that he thinks with anxiety we need more information, and that helps the anxiety. I have issues with anxiety all across the board, and knowing that I can rely on a weekly session with my therapist helps my anxiety to be less overall. When he cancels a session or I have to postpone it for a few days, I fall apart. I spend the interim constantly trying to stay calm. That's why I'm wondering if the people who don't mind the unpredictability don't have anxiety.

[BrazenApogee]

The time and day was set a few sessions in. T said he was trained that it was best not to change it during the course of treatment if possible. Thought we were going to have to change it due to my job problems once, but it was fixed and no change was made.