Posted by Racer on September 29, 2004, at 12:23:21
In reply to Re: Questions Every Therapist Should Ask » daisym, posted by mair on September 28, 2004, at 22:00:24
Absolutely! But I'm gonna take it a step farther than you did.
Not only would I want a therapist to be pretty clear about policies regarding calls between sessions, but I'd want it done in a generous, open-handed way. None of the "You can only call if [x]" or "No more than [x] calls per [time period]" More of a, "If something happens, or you feel the need, you can call" or, if the therapist is concerned about boundaries, "Here's how to contact me, and it is my policy to revisit this topic after [x] months." Something that tells me that I can call, but doesn't tell me up front that the therapist expects that I may abuse the priviledge. I've had therapists start out by saying, basically, "You might get so dependent on me that you call for every little thing, so I'm going to set firm limits from the start to avoid this." Well, all that does is activate my Stubborn Gene, which refuses to call no matter what's going on. Saying that standard policy is to revisit the telephone policy after three months, say, would relieve that sense that the therapist is already suspicious of me, right from the start.
Of course, any therapist who's suspicious from the start that way is also unlikely to form a good working connection with me, so it is a good way to weed out the also rans.
poster:Racer
thread:396496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040925/msgs/396830.html