Posted by DAisym on November 25, 2008, at 23:10:29
In reply to Re: I'd like to get to know the Babble therapists » workinprogress, posted by 10derHeart on November 25, 2008, at 21:52:51
This is a very intimidating thread for me for reasons I'm not sure of.
My therapist is somewhere between 45 and 65 - it is impossible to tell based on what he looks like. My best guess is that he is near 60. He has been a therapist for nearly 30 years and is considered an expert in relationships and in individual trauma therapy. I have no real idea how tall he is - not too tall but not short either. Sometimes he feels so big and other times not - it is a therapy-space thing for me. He has a medium build, dark hair with gray sides and wears rimless glasses. He dresses nicely but come on - this is California - it is all about casual. So slacks, collared shirts, no ties, no jackets. I love that he wears purple a lot. He fidgets in his chair. He is rarely distracted.
He has a great voice - full of emotion. He is very smart and sarcastic. He likes Celtic music and Shakespeare and James Hillman. He is reserved and thoughtful. He almost never talks about other clients or himself, unless I ask a question. His approach is mostly psychoanalytic but with some gestalt/existentialism thrown in.He believes in attachment therapy and told me once that he has always believed that it is all about the relationship, before that was the "in" thing to believe. He is amazingly creative in his ability to show he cares and to stay connected.
He is Jewish and not afraid to talk about God. He is almost, to use Dinah's word, unflappable. His anxiety comes through when I'm suicidal, which he freely admits. He owns his mistakes and apologies when he thinks he should. He opens conversations. He calls to check in. He gets emotional. He makes himself as available as possible and yet takes really good care of himself. He believes in boundaries. He does not hug.
And yet, despite not hugging, he is really warm and I usually feel really held and cared for. And he is hilarious - and so real. Yesterday he said, "that bring up really sh&tty feelings, doesn't it?" Totally. I like that he swears sometimes. He does ask a lot of questions, but they are the right questions. He loves stories about my kids and cheers when something good happens for them. He thinks I work too hard and is always encouraging me to find my inner-b&tch and learn to say no. He gets mad for me, but never at me. I've never heard him yell but he says he does. He takes my side often, even while encouraging me to look at the other side. He is protective of all the parts and pieces.
I'm not a dog person so I have no idea what kind of a dog he would be.
poster:DAisym
thread:865092
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20081120/msgs/865297.html