Quote:
Originally Posted by nottrustin
for the most part I see T shortly after leaving work so I wear what I wore to work which is typically a dress/skirt or dress pants. When I am not coming from work I tend to dress up to some degree still. I have worn dress shorts with a dress shirt. I think I have worn jeans once or twice but always with a dressier shirt. The reason I do is I know that often practitioners look at ones appearance is assessing how a patient/ client is doing. I want them to figure out how I am doing based upon our conversations rather than my appearance
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This. I recently started to suspect that the psychiatrists I've seen over the years have misjudged my mental/emotional state based on the fact that I "present well", especially as they always put that in the appointment summaries they send to my GP. I have copies of some of these letters, and I think that is unreasonable, because there could be any number of reasons why a person looks put together on the outside. For example, I dress well as an attempt to make up for how much I hate my face, and I can spend anywhere up to an hour just trying to make my skin look somewhat smooth and putting mineral foundation on to cover it up. If I didn't do this, I would not be able to leave my flat. Not even just to pop over to the nearby shop.
OP, I hate my legs when they are bare as well, so I always wear black tights, even in the summer. No matter how hot it is. I don't think it's too bad, as the material is very thin, and it makes my legs look longer and slimmer with a pair of high heels (I always wear shoes with heels). I'm also really self-conscious about my arms, and always cover them up with a cardigan with elbow-long sleeves. I mostly wear dresses or skirts, sometimes shorts but still with black tights, and only occasionally do I wear skinny jeans with a nice top or something, with a pair of ankle boots. With a dress I will usually wear a belt around my waist, as my waist is quite small; anything to show off those parts of my body that I don't hate. (I do sometimes get quite hot, though, as a result of my high metabolism. Bloody nuisance, that thing.)
I often wish I could just peel my entire face off and replace it with a paper bag.
Anyway, I dress the same no matter where I am going. I think you should just wear whatever you feel like wearing; whatever makes you feel comfortable. OP, does your therapist comment on your appearance? Because I thought they weren't supposed to do that. At least that's what my university therapist told me, that therapists aren't supposed to talk about a client's appearance unless the client brings it up themselves. If yours does make a comment, could you just ask them to stop? That's not something you should have to worry about. In general, you should not have to worry about being judged by a therapist. I can see why you would, though, as I, too, worry about being judged, no matter where I go or who I see.
