memes

Therapist here. I’ve had clients say this “I’m sure you hear this all the time” line to me before. It’s always a little surprising to me, because while, yes, we do hear a lot of the same type of traumatic stories, we’re trained to regard every single patient as unique. And that’s because they are. No one’s story is like any other’s. There may be similar elements, but they’re ultimately all very different due to the details. Just as you regard everyone you know as highly different, we see our patients the same way.

Don’t ever be afraid that your therapist sees you as “just another X-type person.” And if you get the sense they do, get a different therapist.

Was telling what I thought was a common story of my upbringing. She burst into tears.

I, personally, would ruin this method. I usually end up massaging my therapists and there really isn't a slot to explain that on the insurance forms.

People aren't even pretending to post memes anymore...

I await the "hurr durr everything's a meme" comments.

When I was in therapy my therapist said she could write a paper on me. This was flattering but also hmmm.

When I used to smoke, I started bumping into this therapist in D.C. outside my building on a busy street downtown. She had actively tried to get on some Bachelor-esque reality show (it may have actually been The Bachelor). Eventually, she told me about the time she pissed in a boss's coffee mug. Or my favorite: the time she did blood magic to prevent rain from ruining her and her friends' beach weekend. She eventually said she needed to stop meeting me for smoke breaks, because she was dating someone, and if we kept it up, "she would take what she wanted." Therapists, man. Definitely very stable.

I can't believe the scientific community of Lemmy is unfamiliar with the literature behind therapy.

One of my first sessions with my therapist, I said something that made them crack and go "WHAT". They apologized almost immediately for losing their composure but I've been chasing that high ever since.

I briefly went to a therapist 30 years ago. Like many people who go, I was worried that they wouldn't think I was actually depressed and wouldn't give me anything or do anything for me. I needn't have worried, as the guy hadn't listened to me for more than two minutes before he said "we need to get you on Prozac." He had me meet with their staff psychiatrist who turned out to be a 70-year-old Cuban. This guy just rambled for an hour without ever asking me any questions; at one point he actually said "back in Cuba, we had a lot of problems with the blacks - you call them n*****s here" which was pretty eye-opening (keep in mind this was a counseling service run by the state university I was attending at the time - and this was the 1990s, not the Jim Crow era). After I got my prescription I mentioned this comment to the therapist and he just rolled his eyes. It was obvious that they kept this guy around for his ability to prescribe drugs and for no other reason.

Unfortunately, the ethical implications of this would be troubling. Refunds would have the effect of reinforcing whatever the patient did that session. If doing or making up wild stuff is what gets you a free session, some people are going to realize that. If other patients catch wind of one person getting a refund, they may end up doing and saying wilder things, too. Patients' best interests would take a backseat to the entertainment of the therapist, and that's pretty messed up if you think about it.

Yeah, ethical therapy person gotta ruin the fun. Sorry guys. But there is potential in a refund model. It could go far if it's used to reward positive things, like putting the most effort into working out an issue, or making the most personal growth over a period of time.

This would be a great setup for a dark comedy.

I had a psychiatrist tell me he'd keep seeing me weekly until he gets bored of me.

Can't leave is hanging we need to hear it too!