Posted by Dinah on February 11, 2009, at 21:27:29
In reply to T's in real life, posted by emmanuel98 on February 11, 2009, at 19:41:59
Well, some may be. Others aren't. Just like with any other profession.
Some people may be drawn in by a desire to be part of a relationship while staying safe. Others may be extroverts who really enjoy people and want to know what makes them tick. Some may be substituting others for the parent or sibling they weren't able to help. Others may be emulating a beloved therapist who helped them a lot. There are lots of ways to arrive at the same destination.
Does it seem like your therapist would be weird or socially inept?
I'm weird and socially inept, so I know I'd know my own kind. My therapist is nothing at all like me. He enjoys other people, being in groups, and, I hate to admit it, fitting in. He's not the teensiest bit weird, or even odd. Not even interestingly eccentric. He's socially adept. He is gregarious and outgoing, and doesn't even seem tense around people.
Maybe your therapist is a reasonably normal and decent guy. But that doesn't mean he's anything that should make you feel inferior. Reasonably normal and decent guys forget birthdays, yell at their spouses and children, and have less than charitable thoughts. They pass gas, scratch themselves, and are rude and thoughtless on occasion. Reasonably normal and decent guys are every bit as fallible as you are.
My therapist has his strengths and weaknesses. So do I. Neither of us would particularly enjoy hanging out with the other in real life. But we appreciate our differences and respect our strengths in that room.
Do you think your therapist is the person you describe? Does he seem standoffish or weird? My pdoc I wouldn't be surprised to learn was like that in real life. But then I find him that way in the room too. Do you think they could hide themselves that much?
poster:Dinah
thread:879519
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090129/msgs/879535.html