Posted by Dinah on July 12, 2013, at 15:49:20
In reply to Re: Therapist closing his pratice, posted by winsome on July 12, 2013, at 15:29:26
Well, pragmatically speaking, I'd take what he has to offer right now and be as gracious as possible. Try to be as understanding as possible, and as cooperative as possible. I would mention any concerns I had about less face to face contact fairly judiciously and trying not to be confrontational.
After all, you don't know yet what will happen. You just fear the unknown.
As it happens, things worked out far better for my therapist and I than we thought - after a period of time. But during that year or so when he moved three hours away, I agreed to drive there on occasion, and whenever he was in town, we met wherever and whenever he had the time. I tried to show my commitment to making it work. Mind you, I probably whined and moaned some, and annoyed him to death when he thought of himself as going well out of his way to accomodate me.
But eventually the dust cleared, and things weren't as bad as we either of us feared. He even moved back to commuting distance from town.
Not all dependence is bad. My therapist, for the most part, didn't make me feel as if it was. But there is no denying that there are instances when therapists *do* think maintaining contact might be not in the best interests of a client, in that it might hinder their developing a relationship with a more available therapist. Apparently your therapist doesn't feel this way. The pragmatic goal (which may, admittedly, conflict one day with the therapeutic goals) is to keep him in that frame of mind.
poster:Dinah
thread:1047059
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20130309/msgs/1047077.html