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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
Me: One therapist, 2 years, really like her. Not always helpful, but helpful enough. Now I'm feeling better and don't feel the need to go.....but I'm actually *scared* not to!
How do you know when you can leave?
Susan
Posted by Penny on October 21, 2003, at 13:09:01
In reply to How Do You Know When You're Ready to Leave?, posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
Have you gotten all out of therapy that you feel you need to? Do you not feel you 'need' her anymore? If so, then it's probably an okay time for you to stop. You might try taking an extended break at first, to see if you are truly ready to end, but I certainly wouldn't recommend ending without some kind of closure with her. Talk to her about it and see what she says.
P
Posted by Dinah on October 21, 2003, at 16:12:10
In reply to How Do You Know When You're Ready to Leave?, posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
"When to Say Goodbye to Your Therapist"
It's a pretty good book. I also think I read somewhere that when you start thinking of ways you might prefer to spend the time or money, it's a good sign you might be ready. And of course, asking the question you just asked is a good sign as well. :)
Talk to your therapist and see what she says. And you don't need to be terrified about it. Many therapists keep their doors open in case you need them again in the future.
Posted by judy1 on October 21, 2003, at 17:37:21
In reply to How Do You Know When You're Ready to Leave?, posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
I take breaks of about a month when I feel this way, and I'm really honest about it. Basically I say I want to see how I'll do on my own for a while- this keeps the door open for my return if I feel the need to. Some therps really don't like their clients to end therapy and will try to convince you to stay, that's why I like the 'vacation' approach. If you do decide to terminate, then you should schedule at least 2 appointments to say good-bye, and remember lots of people come back for 'tune-ups' every year.
best of luck-judy
Posted by coral on October 22, 2003, at 5:51:37
In reply to How Do You Know When You're Ready to Leave?, posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
Dear Susan,
I'm one of the lucky ones who got out of the depression abyss. I've had two minor relapses and I sincerely believe they were minor because of these boards. The boards, due to their time/dates, gave me a chance to read where I was a month ago, a week ago, or even six months ago. During the second relapse, which REALLY was an itsy-bitsy relapse (thanks to the people here), I thought I was doing just dandy and was planning on stopping meds/therapy. Friends here said, "Whoa!!! You're pushing it! Just a month ago, you were feeling...." I re-read my month-old posts and realized they were right. For me, it was like starting to hang pictures on a wall that I thought was dry from being freshly painted. Too much, too soon. Looked dry, felt dry to the touch.....but ..... Unlike the first relapse, when I'd pushed myself too soon, the second one was ended because I didn't quit meds/therapy prematurely -- again, due to the sage advice of people here and re-reading. (Hadn't listened during the first relapse....) Anyway, you might want to re-read the posts and see "if the wall is really dry or just looks dry."
Good luck,
Coral
Posted by Susan J on October 22, 2003, at 8:22:38
In reply to How Do You Know When You're Ready to Leave?, posted by Susan J on October 21, 2003, at 12:58:02
Interesting. thanks for the book tip, Dinah.
I guess I'm scared cuz I was feeling better last December, and stopped going. Then I started feeling bad again but thought that was just the Christmas blues, which I get each year,and that I could get through it myself (still on meds). By January I had tanked again.
And I just don't want to go back to that misery if I can help it. And it's also an interesting thought to look back at my old posts. Just as recently as this August, I was in HORRIBLE shape, crying every day all day. I don't know how much my posts reflected that, though. But yeah, I'm nowhere near that right now....
Thanks again. I almost feel dependent on going, and don't need another dependency issue in my life. :-)
Susan
Posted by fallsfall on October 22, 2003, at 10:51:21
In reply to Thanks, guys, posted by Susan J on October 22, 2003, at 8:22:38
Susan,
I would be cautious of setting yourself up to crash again at the holidays. Maybe you and your therapist could talk about stopping in February, and cutting the frequency in half in the meantime?
This is the end of the thread.
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