Posted by mair on March 1, 2002, at 16:43:49
In reply to therapist on maternity leave, posted by Penny on February 28, 2002, at 15:40:15
Penny - I went through the substitute therapist thing only a few months after I had started being treated for depression. In those days my pdoc was my therapist and he went off to Europe for about 2 months. Obviously I wasn't in the situation you are in since I hadn't been seeing him all that long, but it still didn't feel great. I didn't want to see anyone else and couldn't see the point, but I did pretty much because my pdoc insisted on it. I don't know whether his insistence was an unspoken commentary on how he thought I was doing - maybe it just made him feel better about leaving.
Anyway - it wasn't that disruptive at all, and probably was a better thing to have that back-up. I know I was able to pick up pretty seamlessly when my pdoc came back. Having said that, I now see a therapist I've been working with for a few years, and I've been trying to imagine how I'd feel about having to see someone else for a few months. On the one hand, it would seem ridiculous to just pick up with someone else. On the other hand if you've been in therapy for awhile and deal regularly with depression issues, it's a very secure feeling to know that someone is there to help you process things and to monitor how you're doing. If you weren't going to be seeing your pdoc pretty regularly, I guess I'd give serious thought to seeing someone else - just to have that lifeline. As you've pointed out it's comforting to have that hour when you can feel that you don't have to be solely responsible for your own well-being. Sometimes, I've been able to derive a lot of comfort just from knowing that there is someone else who knows how I truly feel.
Let us know what you decide.
Mair
poster:mair
thread:19023
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020223/msgs/19073.html