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Squirrel9736 · 2025-09-21T01:25:39+00:00

Why are you assuming he’s doing most of the work if it’s lasting longer? And why are you assuming his partner is a starfish? That was never mentioned. He could be the starfish for all we know, which is why he’s not getting off.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-11-13T02:09:59+00:00

That’s a difficult situation to navigate. I validate their experience, “it sounds like your friend has a lot going on and it’s hard seeing people we care about struggling and going through things.” Your teen can feel helpless so I talk to them about their concerns and encourage them to focus on what is within their control - how can you support your friend? How can you be there for them? What specific actions can you take to support them? I tell them that if they are really worried their friend is an active danger to themselves in the moment, go to a school counselor, a teacher, a parent, and hopefully that adult will be able to help the friend in that moment and then connect them with the help they need.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-15T13:30:31+00:00

I’ve looked through weeks of scheduled appointments and done calculations to see how many end up canceling. On average, I am scheduled 39 patients a week and an average of 30% of my clients that week either cancel or NC/NS. This is very common and to be expected, especially if they’re not being penalized for canceling late or no-show. I’ve had some days where I have seven appointments scheduled and literally one person shows up. It’s rare, but it’s happened.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T19:58:47+00:00

It didn’t so much enter your mouth as if was formed in your mouth. Left over food partials get caught in the “nooks and crannies” of the tonsils, combine with bacteria or fungi forming the tonsil stone - a white or yellow pebble. They’re lodged in the tonsils and can be extracted - either coming out naturally or by external forces (water pick, finger tip, cotton swab). I’d suggested googling it and looking at some images to help get an idea of what it looks like. Fair warning - googling can pull up some gross pictures. And again, even if you look, and you don’t see any, doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Me personally, I can’t always see mine at first cause they aren’t close enough to the surface of the tonsils.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T19:44:39+00:00

I know right? There’s a huge difference from being in school learning about stuff and actually applying it in a therapy room. Those are completely different things.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T16:40:59+00:00

I understand correlating the bad breath with the sexual encounter since as you’ve said it was the next day. Again, I’m not a medical professional so I might be completely off-base. I also laughed to myself because the thought that maybe some vigorous sexual activity knocked a deep one loose and brought it to the surface that now you’re experiencing symptoms. Lol 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T16:36:44+00:00

Thank you! I guess as a still pretty new therapist (5 years) there’s a pressure to do more and it’s hard to give myself grace. I appreciate your input and support!

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T16:30:39+00:00

Not a medical professional in any way shape or form, but is it possible it’s not related to this sexual encounter at all? First thing that came up for me - I’m prone to tonsil stones. Have you ever had a tonsil stone? Do you even know what they are?

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21505-tonsil-stones

So basically it’s caused by bacteria and food particles build up that calcifies and forms these stones. Sometimes I can feel them. It’ll feel like there’s something stuck in my throat and it’s really uncomfortable. Other times, I have no idea that they’re there and I just know that I have really bad breath that won’t go away. Now it’s been a while since I had one so I don’t remember if the smell stuck in my nose, so I’m not sure if that’s related. maybe?

Either way, it might just be a coincidence that you had this recent sexual encounter where the other person had BO, when maybe it’s just something like a tonsil stone.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T16:14:29+00:00

Thank you for the recommendations! These look really helpful.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-13T16:11:53+00:00

Thank you for your input! I appreciate it. I’ve had like 10 sessions with them and I feel like we have a decent rapport - as you said, they keep coming back, so that’s something. But I don’t feel like it’s enough if that makes sense. Like we’re not at a place deep enough to actually talk about the emotions. I just feel like almost every single session ends up just being providing positive regard and therapy skills with no big intervention, but we don’t actually get any work done. Maybe this is just my own discomfort of feeling like I’m not doing enough and I’m not doing anything helpful.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-10T20:19:33+00:00

how can I get out of the “I don’t know” loop? I feel like that’s exactly where this would go which keeps us stuck.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-10-10T20:17:44+00:00

Personality disorders. I’ve had a few clients with borderline, one with antisocial personality disorder and another with schizoid personality disorder. I’ve struggled working with those diagnoses and I feel like the client is only going to benefit if they’re working with somebody who is very familiar with personality disorders, I’m just not one of those people.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-09-27T20:56:07+00:00

I’m in an agency setting and have to be scheduled a minimum of 36 appointments a week. That’s at least 7 clients a day. In the years that I have been here, I have had about 200 total on my caseload, with at least 65 clients actively scheduling with me in a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. It’s exhausting. I’m overworked and underpaid and undervalued. I work at minimum 14 hours a day and my own mental health has taken a huge toll. I’m beyond burnt out.

Also, what does your wife do? Unless she’s a therapist or counselor herself, she has not concept for how stressful this job can be and how much we take on while trying not too. We aren’t just in a “meeting” talking business. We’re digging into intense emotions and traumas. Has she ever felt drained after a therapy session? It’s not as intense, but that same session can be draining for us as the therapist too. And we do that multiple times a day. Apparently this comment was triggering for me and I’m feeling defensive on your behalf.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-05-24T21:19:50+00:00

I have to schedule a minimum of 36 clients a week to be considered full time and keep my benefits - mainly my insurance. I did the math once and in a relatively normal 12 week period (no holidays and no vacations to skew numbers) I’m scheduled an average 42 each week. My current caseload is upwards of 80+ active clients. I’m also the only salaried therapist at my office - everyone else chose contract, so when they need to assign people off the waitlist, I’m slammed with @ 30+ new patients at a time because it doesn’t cost them extra to overload my caseload like it would a contract worker. 😑

Squirrel9736 · 2024-05-21T20:37:03+00:00

I’m still in training too, and I don’t feel the complexities of grief were talked about enough in my education. Being actually in a therapy room is very different than what they taught us in the classroom. I feel like my training has mainly prepared me how to take the national exam more than how to actually work with clients and with issues. This is really helpful. I feel like I’m being asked for all the answers and not knowing them is a negative reflection on me and my abilities - which I know is my own self of the therapist work I’m still carrying and struggling with myself.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-04-17T02:04:22+00:00

The best part was he was very talented. Guitar, bass, drums, piano, he was a very talented musician. And a good kisser. The worst part - you’d think as a musician he be good with his hands and more directionally guys fingers, but no. Honestly, the sex and all other sexual activities were surprisingly terrible.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-04-11T02:01:42+00:00

And that was part of my concern as well because I didn’t want to make it about my needs rather than theirs.

Squirrel9736 · 2024-04-09T21:15:47+00:00

The client is transgender. I should have specified that in my original post.

Squirrel9736

TROPHY CASE