Part of adjusting has involved accessing compassion for ourselves and others.

So what happens when yourtherapists challengesspill over into your sessions?

What do you do if theyghostyou, take a sudden leave of absence, or even pass away?

Collage Art  Woman  Stop  Blue

Najeebah Al-Ghadban

Practicing compassion for your therapist can help soften the sting of loss, Dr. Jamea explains.

Even so, the idea that your therapist will disappear without warning isnt overwhelmingly common.

If youre nervous about sudden departures, bring it up to your therapist.

Therapists are trained to process that kind of thing.

This adviceto talk to your therapist about therapyis useful across the board.

Come up with a coping plan.

Its not irrational to think through how youll deal if your therapist departs suddenly.

Maybe you find comfort in creatingelaborate plans.

Theres no harm in this, Dr. Jamea says.

Making a plan can help you feel more prepared for the unexpected.

But dont think you have to come up with this plan alone, Dr. Jamea says.

Talking about ending therapy with your therapist isnt as weird as it sounds.

[Most] therapists don’t like to hang on to clients forever, Dr. Jamea says.

Most people like to see our clients fly away from the nest and put coping skills into practice.

So it can be a really good learning opportunity and a therapeutic opportunity to be stronger.

And most of us are in therapy to feel stronger.

If your therapy sessions end abruptly, permit yourself to grieve.

When those sorts of things happen suddenly, it can be really hard.

But the unorthodox relationship can make it hard to figure out what youreallowed to feel.

In short: Its okay to be sad.

It’s really about going through the grief process, as you would anything else, Dr. Jamea says.

So allow yourself to grieve, whatever that means for you.

Allow yourself other feelings as well.

No feelings are off-limits.

Refusing to feel the emotions that are bubbling up inside wont make them go away.

So if you think that coping involves pretending that youre unfazed, c’mon reconsider.

Write down all the things youve learned in therapy.

You should absolutely journal about your feelings and reach out to friends and family for support.

Reminding yourself of other difficult moments youve worked through increases our capacity for resilience,SELF previously reported.

I think that will help you feel more gratitude than pain over the loss, Dr. Jamea explains.

Discuss your old therapist whenever you start seeing a new one.

Part of moving forward might involve finding anew therapist, and thats fine.

But that doesnt discount any of the work (or pain) that occurred with your last therapist.

Sometimes people feel almost like you’re talking about an ex-lover with a new lover, Dr. Jamea says.

But it’s not like that at all.

Therapists are trained to help people process relationships, and that includes therapeutic relationships as well.

Youre allowed to talk about what happened and how it made you feel.

Giving yourself that permission can be helpful, she says.

See more from ourGuide to Caring for Your Mental Health here.