Posted by Dinah on April 21, 2009, at 7:37:01
In reply to Re: family pictures » Suedehead, posted by softheprairie on April 21, 2009, at 1:49:40
I think I agree.
My therapist has always casually mentioned his personal life, and has never made a big secret of it. His wife showed up at his office one day, unannounced. I think he was annoyed with her, but I suggested he take care of whatever it was before our session, and I didn't mind a bit. It let me put a face to my imaginings.
But a picture is different, to me. I really didn't mind the picture of him and his wife, other than to idly think it probably wasn't accepted practice to have it there. But the picture of his teenage or preteen daughter bothered me no end. I'm not positive I was completely honest with him about that. I think I mentioned that I didn't like the picture looking at me while I was trying to talk about private things, which was true enough. He put on a layer of mulishness when I said that, so I didn't elaborate. Several months later, both pictures were angled toward his desk rather than the client chair. But then angling them toward the client chair was a message, wasn't it? Why weren't they originally angled to his desk? Or his own chair? He was showing them off, and that was inappropriate. I suppose someone else complained about talking about sex or something with a young girl looking at them.
But the truth was I felt like it was a slap. That he was telling me "This is my real daughter. She matters to me."
And maybe he was. Not that he'd ever admit it, even to himself.
poster:Dinah
thread:891535
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090421/msgs/891903.html