What To Consider When A Family or Friend Wants to Join a Therapy Session

Can you have a friend or family member come to your sessions?

You’re in luck. Insurances allow for therapists to visit with friends, partners, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends or family members to come with you to your sessions AND insurance also allow for supportive people to come without you. At times, this can be rather beneficial for sessions. Another person who knows certain situations or who knows who you are as a person can help you progress further by the insights they provide.

There are a few considerations: unless you give your therapist permission to talk about your treatment or issues to this other person, the therapist is limited. In some cases, you might not want to give permission for the other person to know. A therapist will know how to manage this situation, if you don’t give permission to talk about your therapy.

Another consideration is that if the sessions are getting too intense for you, you might be using another person as a buffer and to prevent you from getting to the deeper issues. It’s a way to stop therapy without actually admitting that you aren’t ready for the next step or for the things that are being discovered in therapy.

While having a friend, partner or family member is beneficial most of the time, there are some considerations. You can choose if you allow your supportive person to know more about your treatment or nothing at all. It’s possible that you might feel overwhelmed by the process and trying to sabotage yourself. Overall, having a person who is supportive in your life attend therapy sessions to benefit you will help you progress.