How do you know when you should stop therapy?

In mid-January, my therapist and I reached the decision that I no longer needed to continue therapy for social anxiety. Hoorayyy!!! I’m not excited because I feel like therapy is unnecessary or because I didn’t like my therapist. In fact, just the opposite. Therapy was very necessary for me to add the right tools to my toolbox that I could use to manage my symptoms; my therapist helped me identify those tools that worked best for me by getting to know me and by a little trial-and-error too. She told me she felt as though I was thriving. I was doing things like meeting students from the freshmen class – answering their questions about ultrasound and showing them around; I was very comfortable at my new workplace and even looked forward to spending time with my coworkers (egad!); I also had an interview coming up for The Bipolar Writer’s mental health podcast! A podcast, y’all.

Of course, my therapist stressed that if I needed to get back on her schedule, then, by all means, do so. But otherwise, she said instead of meeting in two weeks, we could push it out to three. I ended up calling to cancel that appointment because I felt like (and still do feel like) I am in a great place. I sent her a quick email with some life updates: 1) Upon graduating and becoming a registered sonographer, I was offered a full-time position as an ultrasound tech at the hospital where I am currently a student tech, 2) I passed my OBGYN registry (which means all I have left to do to be considered registered is graduate), and 3) I’m engaged!

Everyone’s mental health journey is different. I stayed in therapy this time for almost 6 months. Some people may need more or less time – and that’s okay! There is no magic number. My therapist brought up the idea of discontinuing therapy, but I was thinking it too. I am so glad that we were on the same page and that she recognized how well I was doing. Now I am in pre-marital therapy. More to come on that at a later date.

Signed,

Lai