My T has nice (i.e. expensive) clothes too. Recently she told me that she was changing a bag her husband gave her for Christmas, as she didn't want a red one. Today, therapy was quite serious and she was trying to persuade me to do something difficult. I saw her (red) coat and (red) scarf hanging up and spotted a chance to change the subject. I told her that she should hang onto the red bag so she had a red trio. She responded without missing a beat 'As interesting as that fashion advice is, we were just about to...' I cracked up laughing, because I wear the oldest jeans, sweatshirts etc and will never be in a position to offer anyone fashion advice.

At the end of the session, she put back the chair we'd been using for the 'critical parent' part of me. I told T I was worried the critical parent was just outside the door waiting for me. T said no, she's gone and I'm putting her chair away. I said 'I'll just squash her to make sure', and picked up T's bag and dropped it with a thud onto the chair. I picked it up to replace it, and saw it was a Prada bag If I'd known, I wouldn't have touched it, let alone chucked it around! Pretty sure that squashing imaginary parts of oneself is not what they have in mind when they design their bags!