Psycho-Babble Psychology Thread 849515

Shown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

Every therapist I have seen is socially perfect ~ perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect weight, perfect height, etc.

...And then their are the clients.

Me = sweat pants, baggie sweatshirt, roll-out-of-bed hair, usually quite confused, slightly overweight, old sneakers or crocs, .....I do shower LOL!

I wonder if they think "Lord, get yourself together!" or that they feel so great about themselves because they appear to be so perfect...

Comments?

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by lemonaide on August 31, 2008, at 16:42:28

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

Well you haven't seen a lot of T's then. Some are dressed to the T. But I know one who is also my professor who dresses terribly sloppy, like he just rolled out of bed(or a dark alley) and came to work.
I know my T doesn't care what i look like, and that is nice to know. ;-)

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by Maria01 on August 31, 2008, at 18:11:56

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

One of my aunts was a practicing T for years and a clinical supervisor. She was never bothered by sweats, etc., but she did draw the line at strong body odor and colognes..both of which were offensive to not only her, but to the clients that followed the uh, "fragant" clients. She was very tolerant of other things, but she did ask a couple of her clients to bathe prior to their appointments because they smelled so badly. *shrug* T are people, too, I guess, and get grossed out like the rest of us.
Surprisingly, smokers didn't bug her much..she smoked for years and then quit when she started her practice.

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes

Posted by Tamar on August 31, 2008, at 20:07:00

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

Ha ha! You havent seen my therapist.

He cant keep his tie straight. In fact, I dont think Ive seen the front of a tie in the four years Ive been seeing him. Ive only seen the back, where the label is, as it twists round. Oh, and his ties never go with anything else hes wearing.

He has this unfortunate habit of allowing his shirt button to pop open just above his belt, exposing a couple of inches of tummy.

He frequently puts on his jacket without adjusting his collar, so that his collar is sticking up.

He almost never polishes his shoes.

Ive noticed that his hair frequently sticks up at the back of his head.

Last week he had ketchup on the collar of his shirt.

Despite all this, Im curiously attracted to him. Must be the transference talking

 

what happened to my apostrophes?

Posted by Tamar on August 31, 2008, at 20:12:19

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes, posted by Tamar on August 31, 2008, at 20:07:00

they all went bad :(

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Tamar

Posted by Dinah on August 31, 2008, at 21:55:02

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes, posted by Tamar on August 31, 2008, at 20:07:00

He sounds like me. :)

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes

Posted by JayMac on August 31, 2008, at 21:56:10

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

Lol....funny.....
My T humors me in the consistency of her outfits. She definitely has a style. I've had a couple Ts in the past, and they all seem to have a particular style that reminds me that they are a therapist, and my therapist.

To start, she wears dark colors and loose fitting pants, which I don't mind. I'm always happy to see she wears age appropriate clothing. She's probably like 5'1 so she wears nice, platform sandals to give her an extra 1-2 inches. Her toes are the royal opposite of mine: neatly polished, perfectly trimmed, and curiously cute. Whereas mine are too long to be called toes, but too short to be called fingers. Her jewelry makes a noise whenever she moves. She sits behind me while I'm lying down filling the air with words, so I guess it's to remind me she's alive.

Inevitably, she always, and I pretty much mean always, wears a shawl. I don't get "the shawl." It makes her look an astounding 15 YEARS OLDER. Goodness gracious! Almost every session I see some sort of "the shawl." She has many varieties: the one that barely covers her shoulders, the one that drapes her like a blanket, the one that teases the eyes and believes me to think that "the shawl" is attached to her shirt. Wow! I keep the chuckles to myself, but I would to verbalize the analytical implications of "the shawl." How I would marvel in her surprise to speak of her attire.

Disclaimer: No offense to ANY of you who display "the shawl" in public. I find it to be a very capable garment, in the right setting, but please don't over do it.

Don't get me wrong. My T is plenty attractive. But to see her in such vacant attire detracts from her humble beauty.

Come to think of it, my T is not *MY* T without *HER* shawl. I guess "the shawl" is inescapable.

JayMac

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » JayMac

Posted by obsidian on August 31, 2008, at 22:29:09

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes, posted by JayMac on August 31, 2008, at 21:56:10

funny, I've been thinking of buying a shawl

I think I just want an excuse to go around wearing a blanket.
I've known of another couple of T's who wore shawls.
Mine doesn't, but he's a guy so I can let it go.

 

That was a real chuckler, thanks. (nm) » Tamar

Posted by susan47 on September 1, 2008, at 0:14:23

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes, posted by Tamar on August 31, 2008, at 20:07:00

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by WaterSapphire on September 1, 2008, at 4:27:37

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

Why did your candidness and the honesty of your post make me grin :)

Ya know, when I was in therapy I often wondered it too. I never would have thought about posting this. Great question by the way!!!

Sometimes it felt like they looked perfect and I was so imperfect and I felt inferior. I feel that way with doctors too. IF they are a good kind therapist, they probably understand a patient is struggling. If they are a judgemental kind, then they may look down upon their patient and perhaps should look into new work.

Just my opinion

Chelle

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes

Posted by antigua3 on September 1, 2008, at 8:36:13

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

My T is always dressed to the nines. Not a hair out of place. I admire that in her, and we laugh when we're dressed in exactly the same colors, but I know deep down what a mess she can be in her own life. Just disorganized, I mean. But she's the greatest and does comment on my own clothing, but never when I'm at my worst, with no sleep and baggy clothes vs when I have to go to work and have made an effort--she usually comments then.
good thread,
antigua

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2008, at 13:07:56

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes, posted by antigua3 on September 1, 2008, at 8:36:13

Mine have always looked and acted like they were perfect and that always had me feeling inferior. Like I didn't have any standards and always was neat and clean. Phillipa

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by onceupon on September 1, 2008, at 13:37:42

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2008, at 13:07:56

Not sure what my therapist thinks about my appearance (pretty much jeans and a t-shirt unless I've just come from work, which is rare). But I find it puzzling that she's often wearing one of the same 3 or 4 outfits. Can she not afford more clothing? Is she just above the whole dressing thing? Why does she mess with my mind like that?!

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » onceupon

Posted by Tamar on September 1, 2008, at 15:52:29

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by onceupon on September 1, 2008, at 13:37:42

> Not sure what my therapist thinks about my appearance (pretty much jeans and a t-shirt unless I've just come from work, which is rare). But I find it puzzling that she's often wearing one of the same 3 or 4 outfits. Can she not afford more clothing? Is she just above the whole dressing thing? Why does she mess with my mind like that?!

Maybe she has outfits that are just for work, and she dresses completely differently at all other times (possibly jeans and a t-shirt!).

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Tamar

Posted by JayMac on September 1, 2008, at 16:33:32

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » onceupon, posted by Tamar on September 1, 2008, at 15:52:29

> > Not sure what my therapist thinks about my appearance (pretty much jeans and a t-shirt unless I've just come from work, which is rare). But I find it puzzling that she's often wearing one of the same 3 or 4 outfits. Can she not afford more clothing? Is she just above the whole dressing thing? Why does she mess with my mind like that?!
>
> Maybe she has outfits that are just for work, and she dresses completely differently at all other times (possibly jeans and a t-shirt!).
>
Now that I've seen all my T's "shawls," I'm scared to see what she wears every day. For some reason, I have a hard time imagining her wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I have a hard imagining her wearing anything but what I usually see her in. She dresses conservatively with nice sandals. Who knows though? Maybe on the weekends she only wears a bikini and a shawl.
I go wearing jeans and a t-shirt and my flip flops. Sometimes I'll wear my nice jeans with a nice shirt and my hair more done. Sometimes I just feel like crawling out of bed and then crawling into her office. I've seen some of her "other" patients and they dress casual as well. I don't think our Ts expect us to dress up for them.


Jay

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » JayMac

Posted by obsidian on September 1, 2008, at 17:01:54

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Tamar, posted by JayMac on September 1, 2008, at 16:33:32

>Maybe on the weekends she only wears a bikini and a shawl.

maybe, lol
:-)

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients?

Posted by onceupon on September 2, 2008, at 10:03:59

In reply to Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Tamar, posted by JayMac on September 1, 2008, at 16:33:32

"Maybe on the weekends she only wears a bikini and a shawl."

Ha! I snorted when I read that. I don't do that often ;)

 

Re: Are therapists grossed out by clients? » Looney Tunes

Posted by Dinah on September 2, 2008, at 11:56:14

In reply to Are therapists grossed out by clients?, posted by Looney Tunes on August 31, 2008, at 16:36:36

I don't know if he was grossed out by me, but my therapist didn't think much of the way I dressed and groomed myself. I always bathed and washed my hair, so I wasn't actually gross, I guess.

But after I gained weight, I didn't spend a lot of money on clothes. I never wore makeup, even before I gained weight. My nails aren't well manicured. I tend to just chop them off with clippers when they start annoying me. I often wear braids. Not the sophisticated kind but the little girl kind.

I honestly think he is now perplexed when I mention this. Over time he's gotten to see Dinah, not the fat, slovenly, ugly person in front of him.


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