Above and beyond.....

Yes, all of my therapists have done things that were, what I considered, beyond the usual call of duty. I was extremely grateful to have caring therapists willing and able to show that level of caring and attention at times of crisis. That’s what competent therapists due. I’m glad you received that kind of support when needed.

T did in many ways. Some I will not talk about because to many they would seem extremely inappropriate. We worked together a long time and had pretty lax boundaries.

One I will discuss. About 5 years ago. I was really struggling to sleep. I was exhausted one say I took a small handful of my sleep medication. Shortly after I deeply regretted it and told my husband and since he disnt know how to handle it he called T. I was awake and told her it was okay to talk to him. I explained why I did it. We have 2 hoapitals near my house. 1 I work at and 1 T use to work at. She told for confidentiality reason go to hers. Also she knew moT of the Drs there and was al to tall to them since she knew it wasn't a suicide attempt. The doctor called her twice and had pretty long conversations. The dr told me because he trusted T from working with her and she was certain I was safe he would discharge me. Plus she offered to see me that evening and he wanted that. T and I had also talked to her on the phone throughout the dsy This happened on a Saturday and it was like 8pm when I discharged. I was exhausted ( I still hadn't slept). We agreed it would be better if I went home and slept and went to her home office the next morning. When I got there I realized her boyfriend was there for the weekend so I felt horrible. But she told me I didnt need to worry about who was at her house and who wasnt.

That was really kind of your therapist. I am glad she helped you.
My therapist goes above and beyond all the time. She has a very big heart.
The latest time was last week when a dear friend of mine died. I had no one around so two nights in a row she stayed on the phone with me until I cried myself to sleep, and two other nights she called to check on me.

That was very kind of your t to do that for you, my t had gone above and beyond. Im pretty sure other clients where ok with it and it is up to your t what she does for you and other clients. This was a health concern and it was nice she took you to er. Hugs

I work with people who need a lot of help (not as a T) and have been pretty surprised over the years how much help it takes for people to be able to use your help. People definitely need, much of the time, more help than just doing your job. I've been the recipient of "extra" help from my T's.

I think a lot of time people just use the word "boundaries" as a way of not getting involved in actually helping people. There's a big difference between boundary crossing or even breaking that harms people or takes advantage of them, such as paying your clients to do your laundry or clean your house or "investing" their money, and those that are just helpful to people, like giving them a ride or babysitting their children when it's not part of your job. When I used to mentor young professionals, I often suggested they do the "nonprofessional" helping but never the other.

My T made multiple phone calls for me to see how the process worked into getting me to go inpatient somewhere. She also visited me twice (the second one i only asked for a phone call, and she was just coming back from vacation), talked to my therapists there, and was really available for me the few weeks I was there. I appreciate it very much.

I was suicidal one session and my T let our appointment run 30 min over, and then went to the hospital with me. He stayed with me in the ER for about an hour and a half and it was past 10 pm by the time he left. That was definitely a turning point in my therapy, as I realized that he actually did care for me.