Summer breaks in therapy

[Crazy Cat Lady]

Hi,

I've been seeing my current therapist one a week since October 2013 and twice a week from March 2014; with about a month break when I was in hospital.

My therapist is away for a few weeks here and there over the next few months (as it's summer holidays) and she's going away.

Does anyone have any advice on how to manage the breaks in therapy? I'm quite anxious. I'm going to bring it up with my therapist this week but in the mean time, I was wondering whether anyone has any helpful advice.

Thanks,

K x

[whirlpools]

Hi there, I used to be in intensive therapy and know how destabilising this can feel. What really helped me was to develop a contingency plan with my therapist before each break, so I could know what things I could do for myself and what things other people could do for me if I was reaching/in a crisis. It helped to have this reaffirmed before each break, knowing numbers to contact as well as things family and friends could do (even if it was something simple, like a hug or going out for a walk together).

This is less concrete, but relevant in some kinds of therapy: it can be helpful to hear it stated that you won't be far from your therapist's thoughts. This may not be helpful to everyone, though.

I often used to find the last session before a break and the first session back quite difficult, as angry feelings about the 'abandonment' would come up. This is common in therapy but not relevant for everyone. So it can be a good idea to have somewhere safe to go after the sessions to ground yourself back in reality.