Therapy for the working professional
November 29, 2015 8:17 PM   Subscribe

I'm having trouble finding a therapist who can accommodate my work hours. Is this a common problem?

I have a demanding job that often requires me to stick around the office into the late evening hours. Making it to a weekly appointment, say between 5pm to 8pm, just isn't going to happen with much regularity.

My initial thoughts were that a weekend session would be perfect but so far none of the therapists I've contacted will work on Saturday or Sunday. Do ANY therapists work on the weekends, how can I find them?

I am based in NYC where there seems to be plenty of people working long hours and plenty of people in therapy - am I doing it wrong? I would love to start seeing someone as soon as possible so feel free to PM any recommendations of you have been in a similar situation.
posted by Funky Claude to Human Relations (11 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Could you do an appointment before work? I have heard of therapists who have early morning hours.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 8:28 PM on November 29, 2015


Can you do a lunch appointment? If you work late evenings, seems fair to be able to have a longer lunch break.
posted by kitten magic at 8:31 PM on November 29, 2015


does your employer/insurer offer or subscribe to an employee assistance program/eap service? i was able to get a referral for a therapist who both took my insurance and had scheduling availability that met my pre-determined scheduling constraints through my (large) employers eap. in the end i saw a guy for a while who practiced out of his apartment which i think allowed him to keep reasonably late-ish hours (as in i was usually able to see him after 7pm, which sometimes meant coming straight from work or occasionally getting a work out in before seeing him)
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:36 PM on November 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you do it before work or during lunch, factor in 10-15 minutes at least afterwards to have for cooling off. I have therapy before work, and sometimes jumping from therapy straight into work has been tough emotionally, with crying and needing to think through a session, and I wish I were able to schedule it for an evening time period.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:41 PM on November 29, 2015 [5 favorites]


My dad is in this business and starts seeing patients at 7am IIRC. (My mom is too but she works a slightly different schedule.) Scheduling around demanding work schedules is definitely A Thing.

I assume there are folks with weekend hours, too, although the ones I know are not in New York.

But yeah I think you are just not talking to the right people yet. It kinda sucks because, a lot of people who might know, you maybe don't want to ask for a therapist recommendation, cuz you don't want everyone to know about it.

It also might be kinda expensive? Not sure.
posted by grobstein at 8:42 PM on November 29, 2015


I have a standing weekly morning appointment and still get in by ten - I make it a non negotiable and block my calendar, unless there's an all hands type meeting.

It's easier to get in later than to get away early.
posted by sweetkid at 8:49 PM on November 29, 2015 [4 favorites]


All of my therapy appointments were Saturday morning. So yeah, weekend therapy exists.
posted by ilovewinter at 9:56 PM on November 29, 2015


There are therapists who work over Skype with international clients, often at odd U.S. hours. Maybe you could try one of them who could Skype with you early or late. Not sure about the insurance situation.
posted by lakeroon at 7:18 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


Saturday hours are fairly common, we have three or four therapists that work on Saturday (including myself), I've even known one that worked on Sundays. Continue to call around.

A word of advice...If you're looking for prime times for therapy, be a regular client, don't miss appointments... someone else is in line for that spot.....
posted by HuronBob at 10:37 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


A word of advice...If you're looking for prime times for therapy, be a regular client, don't miss appointments... someone else is in line for that spot.....

Yes, try to indicate that you're committing to (for example) 9am on Saturday every week until you are completely done with therapy, not that you're looking to schedule (for example) 9am this Saturday, but maybe 11am next Sunday, and maybe can't commit to any particular time more than a week out.
posted by jaguar at 10:48 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


It probably depends on the therapist and how "flexible" they are and what time shifts they have open up. I wouldn't count on finding one who wants to give up every weekend to do therapy appointments, though. I have heard that some therapists work online these days, and I primarily do phone appointments with mine. If you have any slight flexibility during work to schedule a regular appointment that you can be "out" during via phone or Skype or something, that might work better.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:24 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


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