Hey. From the way you have described things I wouldn't have wanted to work with her either. I would have been about as impressed with her as you are.

> She seemed to dismiss stuff I was very concerned about, focused on stuff that didn't mean much to me, didn't seem to grasp a general picture of who I am, and I didn't feel very comfortable talking to her.

Sounds like you guys just didn't click at all.

> "You need three of these symptoms," and reads list. "You need two of these," and reads list. Suddenly I felt like I was being quizzed. I felt like I should ring a buzzer and yell, "Oh, I know that one!...

That would have done it for me too. Game over.

> If I'm going to drop her, is it bad form to try another therapist in the same office?

Not at all.

If you have arranged another session with her I'd give her a call to cancel and say 'I want to meet with a few more people and figure out who I get on best with, but I don't think we will be meeting again, thanks for your time'. If you don't have another session planned with her then it isn't any of her business and you don't owe her an explanation at all.

> The real problem is that I'm a smart guy. I need someone smarter than me. I want the House MD of therapists. I need someone who is going to see more than just the obvious surface stuff because I'm already aware of all that. If all you have to offer is "you'll feel less depressed if you take up yoga," I can't use you. Yoga is not a revelation. Well, maybe it is if you do it right but that's beside the point.

> GRRRRRRRRRR!

LOL you remind me of me!!!!!

I hear you on this.

Now... I'm with you 100% on not going back to this lady.
I'd suggest, however, that instead of it being a problem with smartness (or her lack thereof) one could view it as a problem of a lack of emotional attunement. I mean, there would have been various points in that interview where I would have looked a little taken aback and I'm sure that you would have similarly indicated your feeling misattuned. And instead of her noticing and indicating that she had noticed and her asking you what was going on for you she just kept blundering on.

So that speaks to a bad fit. And I wouldn't go back to someone who I was clearly so disconnected with.

I hope your next interview goes better.

:-)