Posted by Quintal on July 24, 2008, at 12:53:18
I had my second assessment session today. I wasn't feeling up to it this morning, but it went really well once I got in the room. I mentioned some of the things I forgot about last session; intrusive thoughs, social anxiety, borderline stuff. I also admitted to hearing voices. She decided to offer me ten sessions, so I know where I stand for the next ten weeks. I don't know what happens if we're not finished at the end of that. She's already made it clear that this therapy isn't just about support.
We talked about quite a lot of things, but the thing that stands out most is that she lost half an hour. I thought it was odd because she made it clear at the beginning of the session that we had an allotted time of 45 minutes, and after a while I looked over at the clock and saw we'd gone over that by ten minutes, but I assumed she was aware of this and just giving me extra time. We were in the middle of discussing my fear of public speaking. I was explaining that one of the outreach workers had suggested I give a talk to the mental health team about my experiences because he'd found it very engaging listening to me. This is when she looked at the clock and did a double take "Goodness! You do have a knack don't you? I thought it was only 2:30 (it was 3:05)!" She seemed a little peturbed that she'd lost such a long chunk of time like that. I'm quite surprised myself, but it was good to know I hadn't bored her to tears droning on about my problems. I wondered if this happens to anyone else, and if it might be a reflection of some sort of bond forming or something. I suppose there are psychoanalytical theories about this kind of thing happening in the patientent/therapist relationship?
It has made me feel more open to the idea of giving a talk, but still the idea is so terrifying it's beyond my imagination. She is going to make this one of my goals in therapy.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:841789
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080709/msgs/841789.html