Posted by lucy stone on August 27, 2004, at 20:27:27
In reply to Complimenting T/getting compliments from T, posted by tinydancer on August 27, 2004, at 11:53:22
I've been thinking some more about this in light of the responses. Therapists are only do things in therapy that are helpful to the patient. If it is not helpful or theraputic in some way it is unethical to do it. If compliments are theraputic, they are appropriate. Telling a patient she is smart and kind when she is but doesn't see it, is theraputic. Telling a patient she is beautiful if she is but doesn't believe it, it theraputic. Telling a patient she looks good when it is not for a theraputic reason is a boundary crossing, IMO. If he is telling her that because he appreciates her as an attractive woman but it not doing it to help her psychologically is letting his own issues intrude on the therapy and that is not ethical. I can hear my analyst's voice in my head asking me all his questions, why would I want his compliments, what would it mean if he complimented me, how would it make me feel, what are we recreating when he compliments me....all that analysis stuff.
poster:lucy stone
thread:382972
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040821/msgs/383155.html