Does My Therapist Think About Me Between Sessions?

You see your therapist weekly, or maybe bi-weekly. Some sessions are tough, others you may have a breakthrough. Perhaps your process is moving along with a mix of frustration and hope. At the end of each session your therapist may give you homework, or maybe a plan is made to address a particular issue at your next session.

But what about between sessions? Do you wonder what, or even if your therapist thinks about you between sessions? I remember thinking about this when I was in therapy.

The answer is a resounding YES! I do think about my clients in between sessions.

In a more formal setting I may ask for feedback regarding my cases from other professionals during a peer supervision meeting. In a more casual setting I may ask a friend who is also a colleague to help me work through a case in which feel I need direction or suggestions.

Every client at one time or another has a session that remains with me giving me something to ponder or celebrate. For instance I get to relive that moment when you recognized your own strength rather than hearing it from me. What a great feeling that is! The moments I see a client score a victory, big or small, are the times I feel most alive in this world because I know that I have made a difference in someone’s life.

There are also times I fret and wonder why progress in therapy has stalled. I ask myself if I’m meeting you where you are, and not where I would like you to be? Am I using the right interventions for you? Do I need to listen more carefully to know what direction we should move in? These times are tough because it makes me wonder if I am giving you what you need.

Sometimes my own activities reflect what is going on in a client’s life. I think about the family celebrations you have talked with me about and I hope you are finding joy in them. I hear the baseball game on the radio and think of you because you shared your excitement about having tickets for the game. When you had a difficult session earlier in the week I am concerned, hoping you have been able to move into a better place.

Do I think of my clients between sessions? How could I not?! I love my work and derive great satisfaction from helping people find a better way to live, to learn to love themselves, and to help couples heal and find a new and better way to love one another. It’s part of who I am, and it doesn’t shut off because I’m not physically present with my clients. I’m grateful for that.