Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahSweden
I think most T:s seem quite stable, at least when it comes to not showing if they for example got angry with the former client or if they had a rough time at home. But sometimes when I´ve seen my T thoughts just come to mind if she´ll ever show she´s upset or having personal problems, for example I enter therapy and I can see she´s been crying or such. Or if she´ll act out in a way that I understand it´s because of some difficulties in her personal life.
That made me wonder if anyone has experienced something like that with their T? What did you get to know, what was the cause? How did you react/do when he/she told you what had happened?
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I had the exact opposite happen. Quite a number of years ago, one of my former therapists lost his only child to a drug overdose. His office cancelled appointments indefinitely and I thought I wouldn't see him for quite some time. I knew that he must be devastated because it was a small town and her death was on the local news.
I thought I wouldn't have a session for months into the future, but about a week and a half following his daughter's death, I got a call from his secretary saying that he'd be in the following week. I remember being absolutely, positively floored, I even asked her if she was sure. Anyway, I went in and he seemed fine. He explained that he viewed work as helpful because he loved his work and saw it as a way to allow him to have a semi normal day.
To be honest, his reaction was one of the reasons I ended going to him. I was the one who just couldn't handle him returning when he did; it triggered too many memories for me regarding a death of an older sibling in my own family. I realize now that I just couldn't get my head around someone moving on the way he did. I just felt weird talking about my own issues when all the time I was thinking, "Dang, this guy is grieving about the death of his only child! He doesn't want to hear my silly junk!" In some ways, I regret not talking about it with him because it might have been a very important learning situation for me. But I just couldn't get my head around it.