Posted by pegasus on February 10, 2012, at 13:27:38
In reply to Re: Ts as prostitutes, posted by Daisym on February 9, 2012, at 22:08:25
I think I'm pondering it so much right now, because I'm trying to figure out what a T could do to make it less like prostitution. I think I'm concluding that anything they did in that direction would make it less useful, as well.
Because aside from the intimacy and confidentiality -- strictly from the T's point of view -- I think it's pretty similar to other helping professions. I don't think there's anything inherently shameful in trying to help people change in a positive way, by working with them intimately, in exchange for money. Lots of other professionals do that, and we don't feel contempt for them. For example, all kinds of doctors (I almost said lawyers, but that's a terrible example). The difference is that we don't have to have an attached relationship with them, for their work to help us. If we did, would we hate them for their work, too?
And, of course, we all know that if we *didn't* pay Ts, most of them would not be able to do their work. They'd have to go do something else for a living. So, from that side, it's necessary for them to ask us to pay. That part is not like prostitution, any more than any job is like prostitution.
I do think Ts work a lot *differently* than prostitutes in some important, good ways (although sigi has a point that I may be painting prostitutes all with a too broad brush). Such as that the T is committed to us (if they're good), and they usually aspire to develop a real, positive relationship with us, and their main goal is to make lasting positive change in our lives.
Dinah, I don't mean to be picking on your conversation with your T here. This is a conversation I have had as well with Ts, and I'm mainly trying to unpack it for my own sake. Also, I provide counseling to clients, and I want to figure out what (if anything) I could do to make it feel less awful for them.
p
poster:pegasus
thread:1009801
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20111220/msgs/1009923.html