[Wren_]

Random question for today

Most people here refer to their T's as T, how do you see yourself in that relationship?

eg. as C (client), as a P (patient), as a FT (fellow traveller) *taken from Yalom's description of how he sees clients*, in some other way?

[ECHOES]

I like Fellow Traveller

I see myself as T's patient and I see us as 'co-workers'

[Silent_tsol]

In contrast to T, I would refer to myself as silent_tsol or any of the variations that can come from that. But more on the lines I think your getting at....I think I am SWNAM (she who needs a map)

[learning1]

Interesting question, I'll have to think about it. My t has referred to his "patients" which makes me squirm. "fellow traveler" sounds better. But maybe there's something else that would describe it better.

[crazycanbegood]

I call myself a client and my T will refer to me as a client because I choose that term. But I know that generally T calls her clients patients.

I see myself differently though. I see myself somewhere between a client and a friend. My T has said that I am more than a client to her. I have recently come to believe that T and I are more like "work friends." I have a friendly supportive relationship with her that remains bound to one setting.

How do you see yourself?

[rainbow8]

I don't want to see myself as a client. I think my T and I are teammates.

[purple_fins]

I like your question.

I think, for me, it depends on what is going on at that moment and what we're working on--
sometimes I'm the student,
sometimes I'm the teacher,
sometimes we are fellow travelers.

I would never want to be the "patient" that term upsets me, and client sounds kind of - disconnected/nonchalant somehow.

fins

[stopdog]

Consumer or sometimes client? I refer to the therapist as T on this board. In life I think of her as "that woman in that office"

My T says repeatedly that we're a team. I think of him as my friend more than my therapist, and he encourages me to consider us "in a relationship, albeit a weird, somewhat limited one."

I don't know really, but I know I don't like using T for my therapist. It makes him seem really far away or something. It's weird I know.

[Chopin99]

My T calls us clients. I think of myself as a client. I think of the people I serve as clients.

Although T has said I am more than a client; I'm a person.

[PreacherHeckler]

I don't really have a preference. My T refers to everyone he sees as patients. I used to think of myself as a childish pain in the *** but for some reason my T never wanted to use that phrase.

T and I are team mates

[roads]

Ive always thought of my therapists as professional friends--wise, calm, people with whom I can speak openly about everything & get honest, thoughtful feedback.

T always uses the "we" term. I eventually became able to enter that arrangement after destrusting it for a long time.

[growlycat]

Yes, my therapist uses "we" a lot...as in "we already know this", etc.

In his finer moments, we are "old friends."

When I'm having a really hard time, I think of myself as her client. But we often refer to each other as team mates towards a common goal. Or sometimes I think of it as her 'child', in terms of her role of leading me through this, me trusting her, taking her hand, soaking up the nurturing pieces.

[maniaccreations]

I knew my T before I started seeing her so we are more on a friendship level when I go in for my sessions which helps alot. She used to be in my chair when I would cut, style and color her hair and she would lead the talk and now it is the other way around.

[peridot28]

...as her favorite.

She refers to us as her clients. By the way, (don't throw shoes at me ), but I hate when therapists are referred to as "T". I can't completely explain why it bothers me. When I first joined PC I did say "T" a few times. I always refer to her as "my therapist" in threads.

[lostmyway21]

When referring to each other I know we use "we" a lot. He only called himself my T once, and provider once. I never refer to myself as client or patient.

I'm going to have to say I feel like a little kid in therapy. A really little kid. I'm learning everything I didn't get a chance to learn from what I didn't have growing up. We work together, but he's in the lead parental role and I'm perfectly fine with that.

I actually don't recall what he refers to me as, not that it particularly makes any difference to me. He just calls me by my name, Chris, and since that is who I am, that feels most appropriate.

[unaluna]

Since I talk about PC so much, he sometimes refers to us as T and hankster. He thinks he's funny!

[shipping]

I vote for "co-workers"!!!! We both work really hard and the pittance she gets from my insurance company is disgustingly low. She is worth much more. I am a client. And she is a T therapist because the term is comforting to me. But really, we are co-workers. Thanks to Echoes for this term.

[stopdog]

The therapist I see has called me a "challenge" on more than one occasion.

[sconnie892]

I've never really paid attention to what t refers to us as. I think she might have used "client" when giving an example. As in "I have another client who's found ____ helpful."

I actually don't mind patient. For me it implies a caring relationship. And since I'm not doing the best job caring for myself at this stage of life, she is helping me do that. Client always sounds like a business relationship to me.