I am considering seeing a T who is in the early 60s?
Can a T still handle things after that many years of being a T?

How old is your T?
Do you think age affects T's ability to do a good job or deal with certain issues?

[Indie'sOK]

I personally wouldn't connect as well with a T that is much older than I am. I had a T when I was 12 that was in her late 50s, I didn't connect with her at all. My current T is about early 30s, I connected with her very well.

I think if they are still a competent therapist, age doesn't matter much as long as you are able to connect with them.

[ECHOES]

My T is slightly older than me and I am in my mid-50's.
I need a T who is older and has life experience.
I wouldn't be able to connect with a young T.
But that is just my preference and we all have our own preferences about things like age and gender.

I wonder if T being older might make a person think of T retiring and worry about will T being there for the long run?

[Rapunzel]

One therapist I went to was 70, and that was several years ago and I'm pretty sure he's still working. He had retired from one 30-year career (also as a psychologist, but different setting), and was on his second. He knew or met several of the big names in history of this field, and I thought that was impressive. I think more years = more experience = an advantage. But it's important to be current and still learning, too, not stuck in the way things used to be done 30 years ago.

my t is 8 months and something like 19 days older than me which is just fine...i tell her she is senile. it's those 19 days that push her over the edge.

i like that we are close to the same age...my pdoc is about the same age as well and my regular doc is about 10 years younger than me.

stumpy

[pachyderm]

How about the client being too old?

[sittingatwatersedge]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel

it's important to be current and still learning, too, not stuck in the way things used to be done 30 years ago.

My T is 70 but you'd never believe it if you met her!
She is so full of life and is totally up on new research and theories.

I feel truly blessed to have the benefit of her many years of experience; I don't have to be part of her learning curve.

[KUREHA]

My psychologist is 9 years older than me.
I thought it was less than that, she only looks 27.

It's way better that she isn't old, it's easier to talk to her.

[splitimage]

My T is maybe 11-12 years older than me, in her early 50's. I like her experience but she's also totally current on all the latest research and practice. I think I'd have trouble seeing a T who was younger than me.

--splitimage

[sittingatwatersedge]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

How about the client being too old?

Ouch Pachy! I have been stressing about this myself..................

[hangingon]

My T is 44, when I searched for a T I purposely went for someone younger part for connection and part because I wouldn't want someone to spring they were retiring on me

However, I have a friend who sees someone in her 60's and she said she is very motherly lol.......That would probably result in too much transference for me! Even if I desire some mothering ...

I don't think age would affect ability. In fact, if their kids are all grown, they probably have more time to invest in their work if that makes sense. Then there is the experience behind age as well, which can be a benefit, unless they are totally cold and old school.

[thunderbear]

I think therapists that are older have more life experiance. But then again some may be stuck in the old methods of psycotherapy. Me personally I would rather have an older therapist. My former family doctor is 70 years old and I love him lol he's really smart and up to date on the medical stuff, but he was still old fashioned in the way he prcticed medicine. He sent out hand written Christmas cards. Call personally to check on you, and if you could'nt pay that day he would either see you for free or bill you in payments. And he always had samples in case you culdnt afford your meds.. I like that about the old docs.

[deliquesce]

Austin-T is turning 45. he told me this because i was having my quarter-life crisis (i'm turning 25 - wah, one foot into the grave etc). he told me his graduation day for uni was on the day i was born. that shut me up quick fast .

pdoc i think would be in maybe late 30s or so - maybe 38 or so? i actually do wish he was older. i feel sorry for pdoc having to look after us crazies when he's so young himself.

[sittingatwatersedge]

Originally Posted by deliquesce

Austin-T [...]told me his graduation day for uni was on the day i was born. that shut me up quick fast .

LOL!!!

>>> i was having my quarter-life crisis (i'm turning 25 - wah, one foot into the grave etc). <<<

Deli - you CHILE, you !!!!

[Melbadaze]

My T is 102, but shes still nimble, I can tell by watching her crochet jumpers and the way she can still grab those white whiskers out of her chin

[sw628]

My T is in her late 30's. I'm 23 We connect quite well. She is also very motherly:

[Rapunzel]

Age was used to advantage by my former T who was 70. I never expected to or wanted to live past 30. When I was approaching 35, i felt old. I told him that. He said I was young. I couldn't argue with someone twice my age, who completed his PhD before I was born.

My current T is 12 years older than me, and that's fine too. She reminds me frequently that she's been around longer than I have, and when I get difficult she'll use her age and professional standing to pull rank on me.

I've had clients who were older than me, too. And connected just fine. My internship was a geropsych placement. I've also been told that I'm too old for youth to connect with - that was by a supervisor at a residential treatment facility where I was line staff, and the supervisor said I would never be able to move up or advance because I was too old (still less than 40 - age-based discrimination isn't illegal until you're over 40). It was hurtful, and marked the end of my being able to work there (especially since it resulted in dissociated driving and crashing my car and having no transportation for a while), but I talked to some of the youth about age and connection, and they all said that they needed mother-figures, not just peer-figures. And now I'm working with youth again.

[fallenangel337]

My T, I'm guessing, is in her early 30's. She's never said, but that's my speculation based on a few factors.

I like having a T that young, because it's easier to connect. My old T was probably in his 60's, so things were less connecting and less comfortable. I don't think age really affects how well or how effectively a person practices; however, I feel like it can effect how a client connects with him or her.

[VickiesPath]

Originally Posted by stumpy

my t is 8 months and something like 19 days older than me which is just fine...i tell her she is senile. it's those 19 days that push her over the edge.

i like that we are close to the same age...my pdoc is about the same age as well and my regular doc is about 10 years younger than me.

stumpy

Yeh, well, stump, when you get to be our age, EVERYONE is beginning to be younger than we are.

[Amazonmom]

My T is 60. She hasn't always been a T, she had a career before that. I think she's been a T for 12 years or so, not sure about the exact time.

The only issue her age has created is the fact that I tend to defer to her as the older nurse, and sometimes I treat her as a mom figure. I'm working on that.

[BlueMoon6]

Great replies- I think it all depends on the person. Probably if you are in your 20's someone in their 60's might seemout of touch- but if you want someone motherly with lots of experience that t might be a great choice.

My t is in her mid-50s which is a little bit older than me and the age thing (everything else not considered here ) works fine. If anything, I would have wanted her to be older. If I do "interview" other t's I want someone in that age range mid-late 50's and older would be fine. But like others have said, I would NOT someone to start talking retirement!

Personally, I think 60's is a great age. A lot of experience. And (hopefully) motherly/fatherly.

[Brightheart]

My former T is somewhere between 33-35 (rough estimate) and I'm 40. I think the closeness in age worked well for me.

[deliquesce]

Originally Posted by Bether91068

My former T is somewhere between 33-35 (rough estimate) and I'm 40. I think the closeness in age worked well for me.

for some reason, i had always imagined your T being maybe 45 or slightly older than yourself. it feels funny to have to revise assumptions like that .

[cmac13]

Originally Posted by sittingatwatersedge

My T is 70 but you'd never believe it if you met her!
She is so full of life and is totally up on new research and theories.

I feel truly blessed to have the benefit of her many years of experience; I don't have to be part of her learning curve.

My therapist is 65. She is almost 16 years older than me. I needed to have a therapist who was older and mature and maternal. I could not deal with someone my age or younger. I do not worry about her age - you would never know by looking at her. She has the maturity and experience to be sure of herself as a therapist which has benefitted me immensely. I feel like I can tell her anything and she is so open minded.

[Seabirdanne]

The truth is, old people are a lot like young people in that some are hilarious and some have no sense of humor and some are sensitive and some are real -- well, not sensitive, and some you will feel like you've known all your life and some you won't. Focus on the person, not the age, and if he or she is not the right person to help you, then attribute that to the person, not the age.