[WikidPissah]

I have read so many posts on here about googling T's, and I wanted to post a poll to see how prevalent this is.

I googled my T before I scheduled an appointment with him. I went to the licensing website to see if his license was current and if he had any complaints filed against him. That is/was the extent of it.

I'm not judging anyone, I am just really curious!

[rainboots87]

I will say that I first found out some info accidentally while looking for professional stuff, then I searched a bit more to see what else I could find. This has included pictures and whatnot. I probably know more than I should. but I just leave it at that- knowledge. I would never go to T's house or actually attempt to get involved in her personal life in any way. I'm just curious about her and like to know about her because I admire her very much. I also have a lot of respect for her and know that she is just my T and that our personal lives will never intertwine.

[unaluna]

hey, some of our T's are published, ya know! like in real books and research papers, and ya find that stuff online too, not just their recipe for beer bacon fries or whatever good poll!

[missbelle]

Never googled my therapist but did my pdoc and was just amazed at what I found. He has two degrees. He is an attorney and a Psychiatrist......amazing man. I am very blessed to have him!!!

I'm a compulsive finder-outer of information. With both ex-T and current T I knew that they were licenced because of where they worked, but I wouldn't not have looked up what I could find about them in terms of reviews and comments from former clients. (I didn't find any of those.) I also looked up current Ts publications, which was pretty interesting and very confidence-inspiring for me. I haven't told him that, but I would have no problem doing it, I think. I haven't looked up anything personal, though when looking for current T I inadvertently found an article he'd written about something non-mental health related, which told me about a personal interest he has, but that's a pretty mundane and completely uncontroversial thing. It would be easy for me to find out addresses and birthdates, I think, if I were to look for them, but I won't do that. I don't want to know where my Ts live, not because I would go there on purpose - but in case I'd have to walk past where they lived, or go shopping nearby, or something, I'd feel terribly self-conscious.

I'm curious why you are curious?

The only thing on the internet I go to that is T related is the website for the practice he is in. They have a pretty detailed website as there are 3 pdocs and 8 or so therapists. There was no reference on the poll about their professional websites, so I just said never looked him up.

[bamapsych]

I get obsessive and pretty much "online stalk" my T and exT. I keep up with both of them. exT was easy (she was just an intern with no license and no ethics rules to bind her). I have 9 friends on Facebook that are also her friends. I can see all of her pics and videos and wall posts. She also blogs ALOT and I found out a ton of her own struggles and personal info by reading the blog that she authors and by searching for blogs she has commented on. I have many pics of her. I drove by her apartment, but only a few times when it was already on my route. I NEVER would go out of my way to do this. I look at her Facebook at least once per day. I look at her mom, sister, and dad Facebook. I actually ran into her parents at a concert. I knew it was them since I stalk their Facebook pages lol. I wanted to talk to them, but I resisted the temptation. I would have give almost anything to go ask them to legally adopt me and be my parents (I'm 25 and exT is 30, so we would be sisters even though she felt like a mom to me). I was very anxious and worried that exT would show up and sit with her parents at the concert

Now my current T, she is more private with her stuff. I checked out her license info and citation history. I found a resume of her's on a website that she hosts (she gave me the web address). I google her, but can't find too much. She is a "Christian Counselor." I found where she did a radio show and said that years ago she questioned Christianity and got wrapped up in the Muslim faith. I have found pics but never downloaded them. Her home is like a mile from where I work. I have to pick up a kid that I mentor twice a month and I can see T's house about 300 feet away!!! So afraid that T will see me one day and think I'm stalking her. She writes a column in the local paper every 2 weeks and I have read through all of the archives (some personal info but not too much). Her facebook is set to where only her friends can see it. I can view 5 pics and her friend list, but no posts. I never facebook or google any of her family or frineds.

[WikidPissah]

Originally Posted by earthmamma

I'm curious why you are curious?

ha. good question.

I saw a thread about this and was like "wow, people actually cyber-seek (I won't call it stalking) their T's" I have seen posts here and there about it, but it isn't something I thought about much. It's funny because I surf the net a lot, and I am always researching something, I just never thought about googling my t.

For someone who hasn't thought about it a lot you seem to. E giving it a lot of thought

[scorpiosis37]

I guess "checked credentials" is the closest, but it doesn't fit perfectly. I was referred to my current T by my previous T so, when she gave me Ts name, I typed it into google hoping to find a website for Ts private practice. I wanted to find a statement from T about her philosophy as a therapist, her technique(s), her areas of specialization, etc. A statement like that could have told me right away whether she was someone I would want to see... or not. I tend to prefer a more humanistic approach (no traditional analysis for me!), just plain 'ole talk therapy (not DBT, EMDR, IFS, etc), and a T who talks "like a regular person" (no cliched "therapist" phrases like "that must be difficult for you," "how does that make you feel?" "where is that located in your body," "how do you think that relates to your childhood?" or any talk about "parts" or yoga/new age/hippie language). I realize I'm probably in the minority when it comes to my criteria, but that's what works for me. Alas, my T did not have a website, so my search ended there. Luckily, as I got to know her, I learned that Ts style DOES in fact meet my criteria. She's awesome & she laughs when I tell her things like: "Thank God you don't talk like a therapist!"

[WikidPissah]

yea, I am. I am intrigued. I actually want to go google him right now just to see what's out there, but I am not sure I want to cross that line just yet. I am too worried I will find something horrifying...like the time his email went rogue and I got emailed his address book. EEK...still not over that one.

My advise would be too not google him. Letting sleeping dogs lie. X

My t is really good at keeping her personal life off the 'net so I never found anything when I did try. I did dl her picture though off her psychology today profile, and I told her I did, cuz looking at it helps me transition from the 8 hour work day into doing my 'inner work' therapy stuff. Great question!

[WikidPissah]

Originally Posted by earthmamma

My advise would be too not google him. Letting sleeping dogs lie. X

pretty much what I have decided.

WOW I am totally amazed at 10 people googling t's family. I didn't expect that number to get that high.

[rainbow8]

Thanks for this poll, wiki. I feel less "bad" about my habits. I checked off "frequent" FB for my T and her family, but I made a decision not to look up her family any more. So, not sure if my answers are accurate. There's nothing to see but 1 picture on her FB, so I don't go there anymore either. I do plead guilty for driving past her house, though. Plus googling her and her family members.

[critterlady]

So, I selected "Checked out credentials/complaint history", but the truth is that I googled him, hoping to find out more about him than the psychology sites and provider review sites have. That I only found his professional information (even on FB) is sheer dumb luck.

However, I do think that in this time of internet presence being nearly inevitable if you live in a developed country, the responsibility is on the searchee to make sure that only those things they're okay with sharing with the world are available to be searched. If I had found personal info for T, it would have been because he didn't protect it and it's therefore basically public knowledge. Just like if someone doesn't want their phone number to be known, they don't list it. If they do list it, than they must be okay with people being able to find it.

My t is well known and very easy to find all over the internet.. She TOLD me to google her when we first started working together. In already know where her house is , and she freely shares personal info. She also gives me pictures of her and we've taken our picture together several times. So i am grateful that my t is very open..

[healed84]

I got on the waiting list for the office T is in and was just kinda assigned a T when one was accepting new patients. So, when the receptionist called with who I was going to see, I wanted to google and see who he or she was. So, I found the practice's page and yes I on occasion look on his fb page, It is private so I can't really see much.

[CantExplain]

Googled T but didn't find anything of interest. She has a very small online footprint.

[WikidPissah]

Originally Posted by critterlady

However, I do think that in this time of internet presence being nearly inevitable if you live in a developed country, the responsibility is on the searchee to make sure that only those things they're okay with sharing with the world are available to be searched.

You're right about that. I occasionally google myself, H (who has a big internet presence) and my kids to make sure nothing out there is embarrassing. There is an extreme that is out of T's hands though...with google maps and pubic records of home ownership, etc.

I go thru phases of googling her. In the beginning I never did, but I find myself doing it now so that I can try to hold onto her presence since I can't go see her.

[Chopin99]

I'm a freaking online sleuth. It's like a puzzle to me; put together the RL pieces with the online pieces to find the real person.

I go in spells. I go months without googling, then I get a "wild hair" and will look something up that I haven't thought of before.

This thread made me remember that T said she was planning to sell her house. Sure enough, it's on the market, so I got to see what it looks like inside. We do not share taste in colors (she has greens, yellows, reds, and pinks...I have taupes, beiges, blues, and grays), but I do like her wall art!

[Mike_J]

Does it count that I looked up her office so I coud send them a note?

I don't have an email for my therapist..