Posted by daisym on March 2, 2005, at 23:48:27
In reply to Re: I am officially a difficult client » Dinah, posted by Toph on March 2, 2005, at 22:59:26
I'm jumping in here.
My therapist often reminds me that I need to stop trying to be my own therapist. I research, read and in general try to figure out what is going on with me. I watch him like a hawk and often think to myself -- "Yeah...I know what you are trying to do here..."
But what I've discovered is that I hate, hate, hate problem solving sessions. I don't want him to jump in and help me "fix" anything. (OK, once in a great while.) I need to emote, to feel and to cling in therapy. Stuff I don't do in the real world. So him telling me how he feels, and asking how I feel and talking at that level is so much more productive. I don't think he is waving the white flag around my "problems" -- I think he is helping me understand why I create them or why I view certain things as problems at all.
I hope this isn't totally off the mark. It just hits a nerve with me -- the whole, "smart clients are so much harder". Actually, I think articulate clients are better at hiding their stuff because so often they just seed the session with red herrings and never really get to the issue. It takes a savy therapist to see through that!
poster:daisym
thread:465666
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050225/msgs/465805.html