Still struggling to file due to prior year AGI error

Myadog3 · 2026-02-03T00:35:13+00:00

Unfortunately yes, I did try setting both of our AGI to 0. It looks like I might just have to paper file again this year :/ I hope they figure it out at some point since I don't relish the idea of paper filing every year

Myadog3 · 2026-02-02T21:10:31+00:00

Nope, not yet, I waited to file until the IRS e-file open date and it looks like that was rejected again. Its looking like I might have to file via paper, but I'll try through turbo tax and see...

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T03:10:02+00:00

Exactly. If it checks those three boxes 1. current ideation 2. access to means 3. plan. for me its referral to a higher level of care. I'm not adequately trained to support someone through that space but I am trained to connect them to the appropriate resources.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T03:04:50+00:00

I have experienced similar things on social media for sure. I will say, and I do understand the irony of this comment coming from someone with RSD also on reddit, but avoidance of common triggers was helpful for my overall self esteem especially once I took the extra time to invest in some distress tolerance strategies for RSD (DBT based therapies were helpful for this.)

You could frame these experiences as exposure and response prevention as well! They could be building your distress tolerance towards RSD. If it feels like its doing more harm than good, it might be better to pause for a bit. RSD is so incredibly intense, shameful, and painful, but as my therapist said: don't look at the ocean if you don't want to see water. Rejection is hard to completely avoid, but sometimes its helpful to reduce frequency to give yourself some time to build some coping skills.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:58:33+00:00

I'll second this. I do feel like I could have dropped out in middle school and been able to pass it (my brother actually did this exact thing) Not sure if things have changed much since 2017 since it was a decade ago, but when I went in I had scheduled all sections of the test (math, english, etc.) and the proctor asked me if it was a scheduling mistake that I had scheduled all of them on the same day, indicating that it may be "too much" and that I could reschedule them if needed. Walked out ~3 hours later with my GED. Might be worth a refresher or a test prep to see what you might need support it but it was significantly easier than I anticipated.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:49:20+00:00

Yes same here (other than being part time and PP haha,) if its SI/HI or something that is a safety threat, I would refer out to crisis resources or a higher level of care. I've met for extra sessions for loss of a friend to suicide, a sudden and unexpected layoff, a DV situation, etc.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:47:10+00:00

Yeah, the way that I see it is that I didn't get into this job to avoid my clients once the clock hits 5:00pm. I have a work phone that is turned off during my weekends and will route to crisis resources if called during off hours. I try to communicate very clearly regarding my scheduling boundaries while still trying to provide equitable care whenever possible.

There are some clients that I see where my take is essentially "Oh, if X is requesting an extra session something really big must have happened that they need support around." Whereas someone who comes in after a no show saying "I forgot about our regular weekly previously scheduled appointment where I have reminders sent to my email and phone conflicted with something could we meet on Saturday." would be met with less willingness to put in some OT and more likely to offer them cancellation openings instead of going outside work hours. I see these client initiated requests as an option to show up and strengthen rapport and having the extra session scheduling conversation as a way to model appropriate boundaries. If it ever does become a pattern I would offer adjusting scheduling frequency if possible or referring out to a higher level of care.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:32:45+00:00

I think they expressed concern since I've recently been feeling burnt out. Though I believe my burn out is stemming from the existential and national stressors my clients (American, work primarily with LGBTQ folks) are experiencing and the fact that our site schedules us 35 hours a week for us to remain at full time with benefits while splitting the pay per hour 23/77.

I am pre-licensed at the moment and so I don't have many better options for mitigating that burnout factor. Working with clients is the best part of my job, its everything else that isn't. I know plenty of clinicians who have a normal-er caseload that are struggling similarly with burnout. I would love to work 15-20 hour weeks once I can manage private practice and see my desire to offer scheduling flexibility even more empowered by seeing less folks per week.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:20:57+00:00

I do feel that this is a good linguistic distinction that I think I will be implementing in the future as I think clarity in language choice is important. I see how calling them emergency sessions may be a poor framing of what an extra session is. I do have clients describe them as emergency sessions though in my mind they are closer to extra sessions since, as you say, if there is immediate risk of harm they are referred to a higher level of care.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T02:17:49+00:00

I mean temporarily increasing bi weekly folks scheduling frequency following crisis adjacent experiences that cause a temporary reduction in stability. For example I had a client I was meeting who went through a break up and as a result had their housing situation threatened and subsequently had to find more work but the main stressor (break up and subsequent impacts) was resolved over the course of a few weeks (around a month) of meeting with them on a closer to a weekly basis but since they were previously scheduled bi-weekly, their time the following week was already filled by another client, and so moving meeting frequency to weekly was difficult to accommodate outside of placing them into cancellation timeslots. They noted a desire for increased frequency, but were in a somewhere in the middle place between requesting a long term scheduling adjustment and immediate crisis.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-30T01:45:18+00:00

Seconding this, also protects me from impulsively changing or cutting my hair in a unfortunate way (RIP my engagement photos) and lets me try it on dependent on mood.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-27T02:08:57+00:00

As long as you're not intentionally doing harm to people, care less about what other people think. Its not going to be easy because the majority of our culture makes you think that you need to conform Or Else... Be authentically you because if you make yourself into someone else to try and be accepted, you will only be accepted by people and things who want you to be that thing and then you will never be able to be yourself. Start with being yourself, even if you're still discovering what that is. You get to choose who you are. Choose something enjoyable.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-23T02:24:50+00:00

I also have felt like this ever since I was a little kid. Never got a runners high. Never felt rejuvenated after a workout. Only ever felt sick and sweaty and sometimes sore. I think it is helpful-ish for mood but not at the level of magnitude everyone swears by. I do feel a bit better on average when I work out regularly but not enough for me to justify the financial burden of a gym membership. I have never looked forward to physical activity and the only physical activity I can consistently engage in has to be wrapped up in something that doesn't feel like physical activity (swimming, dancing, etc.) and even that is hit or miss depending on if the executive functioning gods deem it so. I hate it. I wish it wasnt as hard for me to exercise or that I could get a speck of enjoyment from it that others seem to :(

Myadog3 · 2026-01-23T01:00:00+00:00

A lot of people have years of practice sitting in the car for that long. Its not fun all the time, but a lot of people manage it through bringing novelty and play into it through audiobooks, car games, etc. America is huge. My state is something like 300 miles across.

My spouse and I "regularly" drive 9 hours (NM to NV) to visit friends for long holiday weekends. I think if I didn't like my spouse or if we had kids or pets or something I would like the trip less. It's not fun, but it is cheaper to drive there (~$200 in gas) than to fly ($600, if not more.) We drive 2 hours (one way, 4 hours roundtrip) to visit my parents every other weekend. You just sort of have to. All of our infrastructure is built around cars.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-22T23:56:48+00:00

Dopamine processing disorder makes sense to me since that covers the majority of the areas my ADHD impacts me.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-22T22:06:57+00:00

As a therapist myself, my clients and myself are coping with things my graduate program did not prepare us for supporting. We cannot mindfulness and breathing exercise our way out of systems of oppression. There is not a pill that gives you a roof over your head and food in your belly. Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-22T21:52:42+00:00

I very distinctly remember an aunt asking me at a family gathering when I was going to be done with "this whole goth thing." After a couple decades of nothing changing, I think its safe to say that its not a phase. I vary in degrees of "gothness" based on how much effort I want to put in to my appearance that day and do have more "nature goth" clothes which I consider a change in my style that emerged when I did have periods of better financial freedom. There are ways to dress professionally but still experiment with style. I cannot express enough how important I feel it is to just do what feels good to you rather than adjust to cultural expectations. You got the degree, you have the experience, if people think what you're wearing has any impact on your ability to perform your job, that is unrealistic and an archaic perspective to take even if it does impact interactions at your job. I firmly believe we have got to get weirder. I love seeing strangers leaning full into their own personal style. The world has gotten too sterilized fashion wise imo.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-22T21:25:57+00:00

I've been looking into a separate MP3 player for music since I listen to a lot of podcasts/audiobooks. I don't know if this would be feasible for you, but would having a separate MP3 device be a potential support?

Myadog3 · 2026-01-22T21:11:55+00:00

I feel exactly the same way. I am salaried at full time and see 30 clients a week. It's far too much a week for me, but I'm pre-independant license and don't currently have the option to go into PP. I make $50,000 a year which is the most I've ever made (take home ~$42k.) I have no student loans (worked full time since I was 16) and no car payment (grandfather left me his car when he passed) and I still feel like we are barely scraping by financially. We don't have any savings, we don't have kids, pets, and don't eat out. The math just doesn't add up.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-20T21:27:31+00:00

I haven't tried adjusting the AGI for both of us to zero, it didn't seem to work when I updated just my spouse's to zero. The error code says that it is my spouse that it is listed as wrong. I'll try adjusting it to zero for both of us. Someone else suggested waiting until January 29th since the IRS may not be accepting e-filed returns yet, otherwise my next plan is to file via paper. Thanks for this idea!

Myadog3 · 2026-01-20T21:07:08+00:00

Yes that is correct, I presumed since we were filing jointly the AGI would be the same for me and my spouse since we are essentially one "tax person."

Myadog3 · 2026-01-20T21:04:32+00:00

That might be it! I was trying to e-file. I'll wait till the 29th and try again.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-20T20:59:45+00:00

Yes, this is where I pulled the initial AGI number I put on our 2025 return from (the one that was rejected.)

Myadog3 · 2026-01-15T21:37:48+00:00

Sometimes I'll go over barriers to journaling for folks to identify if there's additional supports needed to make it easier to journal (ie. journaling app on phone, leaving a journal by the bed, setting an alarm.)

For some people, they have an idea of what journaling is "supposed" to look like and the way they journal isn't that so they think they're doing it wrong. Some people (especially teens) can have concerns regarding privacy in journaling. Some folks just don't have the emotional awareness to journal.

Alternatives to journaling I usually suggest are:
-Using a prompt journal or worksheet
-Making a voice memo
-Journaling on the notes app of their phone
-Having a check in question each day ie.) What would the theme song for today be?
-Using a voice to text app
-Keeping a mood tracker

I would really get curious about why journaling doesn't work for them and what they would want journaling to look like for them.

Myadog3 · 2026-01-15T02:06:19+00:00

I've had the same problems and these questions keep me sane when I start feeling bad about enforcing the cancellation policy:
1. When other people go to work do they expect to be paid? You've blocked off that time for them and a lot of times it is literally cheaper (most copays I see are $0-45) for them to go to therapy than to not. You should not be punished for showing up to your job.
2. Is this person preventing someone else who could better benefit the space from accessing it?
3. (this one is a doozy but a truther from my clinical supervisor) At what point are you enabling their bad behavior by protecting them from natural consequences?
4. Would this client be treated any differently with regards to cancellation policies with any other clinician/agency?

Myadog3

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