Have you recently found yourself contemplating, “Is it time to break up with my therapist”?
Here are some signs that it is likely a good idea to take a break from therapy:
- Before going into session you feel more anxiety about what you’re going to talk about than the actual challenges in your life.
- You begin to come up with a list of potential negative topics to discuss in therapy just to make sure you have content available for your therapist.
- Your relationship with your therapist fear feels more like one of a friendship than a mental health provider.
- Your overall functioning is at an acceptable level to YOU.
- You are worrying about hurting your therapist’s feelings, so you keep setting up sessions in order to not offend.
- You find yourself worrying that you don’t have enough distress and challenges in your life to effectively capture your therapist’s attention.
The bottom line is there’s absolutely nothing wrong ( and in fact everything right ) with arriving at a place where your therapist is no longer necessary. I do have a bias, as a psychologist who offers Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, towards short-term, action oriented work. Nonetheless, no matter the theoretical orientation of your therapist, you need not feel guilty about telling your therapist you’re ready to take a break and practice coping on your own. ย Any reputable therapist will be happy for you and will be available in the future, if and when life gets messier. But for now, it may be a good time to practice self soothing and independent life management.
