Posted by Dinah on April 29, 2005, at 14:02:41
In reply to is your T's intelligence critical to therapy?, posted by JenStar on April 29, 2005, at 13:51:22
My therapist is smart enough, no genius. But I must confess that my standards for smart enough are pretty high. Every once in a while he mentions his grades (A's of course), perhaps because he knows I respect intelligence.
But his true genius is in emotional intelligence and relationship building. I've never met anyone like him in ability for that.
His biggest failing (to me) is in that sort of sensing that a lot of us grew up to have as a self preservation skill. He can't read the emotions of those around him nearly as well as I can, and he acknowledges it. He says that ability would be both a benefit but a curse as well in being a therapist. We've been together for so long that he knows me enough to read me now.
Which when you think about it makes his truly outstanding relational skills even more amazing. Does it help in maintaining a relationship to be a bit blind to what the other person really thinks or feels? Thinking logically, it might be.
My therapist appears to be weak at insights. I usually have to come up with them on my own. Unless that's his cunning master plan!
poster:Dinah
thread:491528
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050428/msgs/491537.html