Dear Kay:

Reads like your therapist did not prepare between sessions, did not study her notes and plan for the next session. She should have. For many therapists, maybe most, a patient or client exists only within the fifty minutes of the session and not in between. When I attended the first quality therapy of my life, in 2011, my therapist took notes, then reviewed them and after the session, he emailed me homework to do before the next session. In the next session, we reviewed my homework and took it from there. If there was a pressing issue, we started with the pressing issue. Our sessions often exceeded the hour, way beyond at times, no extra charge. He also didn’t charge for emailing me homework or for other phone/ email communication between sessions. He was very thoughtful, very organized and approach therapy in a scientific way, presenting me with objectives for the therapy and strategies as to how meet stated objectives.

His specialty was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a heavy touch of Mindfulness.

You wrote: “last year, I became so anxious about wanting a relationship. I feel like before at least I was safe from everyone”- we are social animals, naturally and instinctively we crave relationships- it is our nature. We may feel safe temporarily when alone, and every social animal has its alone time, but not for too long. When alone for too long, we feel “just empty and without energy”.

Key to healthy living: at least  one relationship in which you are safe!

anita