“So… About Last Week”: Why Therapists Bring Up That Thing You Thought You Got Away With
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Written By: Undefeated Healthcare Editorial Team
Reviewed By: Chase Butala MS LPC, LCPC
5/22/2025
From your friends at Undefeated Healthcare—where healing comes with honesty and probably a callback to last session.
You walk into your therapy session, ready to talk about something new. You’re feeling good, maybe even a little smug. You’ve emotionally outpaced your issues—moved on, grown, evolved.
And then, your therapist smiles kindly and says:
“Let’s circle back to something you said last week…”
Cue the internal oh no and sudden desire to disappear into the couch cushions.
Why do therapists do this? Why can’t we just leave things in last week like expired yogurt or old arguments with your cousin? Let’s break it down—and yes, we’ll keep it funny (because emotional accountability deserves a side of laughter).
The “Circle Back” Is Not a Personal Attack
First, let’s clear the air: Your therapist isn’t trying to trap you. They’re not keeping score or waiting to call you out like a judge on a reality show.
They’re bringing it up because what you said last week matters—and often, what we casually mention in passing is actually where the good stuff lives.
You brushed off a major emotional event like it was a weather update?
You cracked a joke while describing a painful memory?
You said, “I don’t want to get into it” and then moved on like you weren’t obviously getting into it?
Yeah. Therapists catch that. It’s literally their job.
Accountability: Therapy’s Secret Superpower
When a therapist brings up a past topic, they’re not trying to make you squirm (well… not just that). They’re practicing accountability, which is one of the most powerful tools in the healing process.
Accountability says:
“What you feel matters—and we’re not going to ignore it.”
“Your patterns are worth exploring—even the ones you want to hide under a throw pillow.”
“Growth happens when we revisit things, not when we sprint past them like emotional track stars.”
Sure, it’s uncomfortable. But accountability is where insight lives. It’s where you connect the dots between your past and your present, and finally understand why you freeze every time someone asks, “Can we talk?”
Why Accountability Is Hard (Even When You Feel Safe)
So you trust your therapist. You like them. You feel safe with them. And yet—somehow—when they say, “Let’s talk about last week,” your entire nervous system says:
“No, thank you. I’m good.”
Here’s why:
Shame is sneaky. Even when we feel safe, part of us still fears being judged or “getting it wrong.”
Vulnerability isn’t linear. Just because you opened up once doesn’t mean it’ll be easy every time.
Emotional habits die hard. If you’re used to avoiding hard conversations, facing them—even in therapy—can feel unnatural.
You really thought you got away with it. (Spoiler: you didn’t. Your therapist wrote it down.)
Therapy Is a Slow Roast, Not a Microwave
Growth doesn’t happen in one session. It happens through revisiting, reflecting, and—yes—circling back. Therapy is less like a TED Talk and more like a slow-cooked stew. The flavors (and breakthroughs) take time.
That’s why your therapist says, “Tell me more about that thing you mentioned last week,” instead of, “Wow, you’re cured now, wanna go get smoothies?”
They’re helping you move from surface-level survival to deeper self-awareness. And sometimes that means talking about your last-week-you—because that person still has something to teach you.
Final Thoughts: You Can Run, But You Can’t Out-Therapy Yourself
If your therapist is bringing up last week’s topics, it’s because they care. They’re invested in your story—even the parts you thought were just side plots.
So the next time you hear, “Let’s revisit something,” take a breath. You’re not being called out. You’re being called in—into growth, into healing, into the parts of yourself you’re finally ready to meet.
And hey, at Undefeated Healthcare, we’ll always hold space for those hard conversations. Even if you really, really hoped we’d forget.
