- Hey everybody, happy Thursday.
Now today's topic is all about
dealing with an abrupt stop in therapy.
But before we jump into that question,
Are you new to my channel? Welcome.
I put out videos on Mondays and on Thursdays,
so make sure you're subscribed and
have those notifications turned on so you don't miss out.
But let's jump in to this question.
"Kati, how do you deal with an abrupt stop in therapy?
Let's say my therapist leaves, moves, is transferred, etc.
I just don't know what to do."
Now first, I just have to say this
'cause as soon as I read this I was immediately frustrated:
this situation shouldn't ever really happen.
Now I know that things can come up
in life that we can't plan for.
But as a therapist, I know ethically
this should always try to be avoided.
And avoided on the side of the therapist,
not the patient, okay? And here's why:
you have rights as a patient.
I don't know if I've talked about this enough.
It's really important for you to understand
that you have rights in therapy.
Now if I was to refer a patient out, or stop seeing them,
I need to give them ample time to meet a new therapist,
see if they like them, and get settled in and
feel good with the transition.
And usually, there's no set-in-stone
'cause this is ethics not legal,
meaning ethics are kind of this gray-area of what
feels right and what is really good for the other person.
Legal is like black-and-white. It's either right or wrong.
Usually, the minimum amount of time for
that is around one month. But I've seen patients
for two months or even more than that
before they found someone that they like
and they're ready to transition.
So know that you are supposed to be
given time to transition smoothly.
There shouldn't really be an abrupt stop.
You're also entitled to referrals.
And in the state of California, it's at least three.
And they have to be good ones,
meaning that they must be nearby,
so within a reasonable distance of
where your other therapist was, and taking new patients.
So they can't just give you a list of
people they Googled and leave you.
They need to give you some people that are similar to them,
that you'll most likely like, that are in the same area,
and are taking new patients. That's just good practice.
You also have the right to ask them
to speak with your new therapist.
Obviously you have to sign releases on each side,
because it's your confidentiality, right.
But this allows you to smoothly transition
without having to repeat yourself.
It can suck to start with a new therapist
because we feel like we have to retell our whole life story,
and it can be really overwhelming.
And you can even ask them to give
your file to the new therapist, or give you a copy.
But I have a whole video about your rights
to see your files and all of that,
so you can click the link in the description
if you wanna learn more about your rights
pertaining to your actual file.
And as a side note, just remember:
I'm in the United States of America,
I practice in the state of California, and your rights
can differ from state to state, and country to country.
So make sure you ask, and understand them.
I know at least in my practice,
and in the state of California,
we have to have certain paperwork that you fill out,
and have a copy of, and read when you come in for treatment.
And that talks all about your rights.
So feel free to ask and make sure you get your own copy
so that you understand what
your rights are and how they're enforced.
Okay, so now to get in to the question,
about how to deal with an abrupt stop in therapy.
If it happens, it shouldn't, but if it does,
you should get in to see someone else right away.
Since you weren't given the time to go through all
you had worked on with your previous therapist,
and all that's possibly come up since they left
because it was really abrupt, and it could trigger
all sorts of attachment issues,
and just stress and overwhelm,
take the first portion of your therapy
with someone new to do just that.
Grieve, be angry, do whatever you need to do to process it.
It's okay, and it's perfectly normal to be upset
when things have to stop so quickly.
That's honestly why it's not supposed to happen, ever.
Because it's really hard.
The relationship that we build is important,
and it's a part of our recovery process.
And when that just stops, and that person's
taken away from you without any notice,
can leave us feeling really vulnerable and alone.
And something that you can do on your own right now,
if you weren't given any referrals
and you don't know where to go,
is you can journal about all that you've accomplished
in therapy with that previous therapist,
what things you still want to work on,
and what you liked and maybe didn't like about them.
This will not only help you pick
someone who's a better fit for you,
but also help you keep on track towards your goals,
and remind you of just how far you've already come.
I hope that helps. I know this is so extremely difficult.
And like I said, this shouldn't happen for good reason.
It's really hard for us to manage and process it through
when the person that we've been
processing things through with is gone.
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click the link in the description, and check it out.
So please let me know in the comment down below,
are there other things that you did to help
move past an abrupt stop in therapy?
Are there things that I left out?
Let me know in those comments down below,
and we will keep working together
towards a healthy mind, and a healthy body.
And I will see you next time. Bye!