T eating while in session

I eat at my desk. I don't eat while teaching or in court.
I don't eat with students in my office usually (unless they bring me something and are eating also) - if I am eating and they interrupt to talk to me, I put the food aside.
I keep my shoes on also.

I guess I don't see how being unshod is equivalent to being "real" or human. I don't find formality "unreal."

I eat at my desk all day long, but I don't work with the public. I do take my shoes off at my desk but only walk around shoeless on Fridays, if limited people are here!

Non pretentious.

Formality is not necessarily pretentious. There are levels of familiarity and the unshod is a very familiar level for me. The therapist client interaction is not one of such familiarity to me. Pretentiousness is not entering into it one way or the other as a given. Certainly therapists can be pretentious but I don't base whether they are or not on the level of formality with which they present themselves in the therapy arena. Nor do I find the act of wearing shoes by itself to be pretentious.

SD have you seen the Allstate commercial where the young guy and the old guy get into a fender bender and they discover they have the same insurance and agent? Then the young guy says, "it almost like we are connected." and the old man says " no" and then the young guy gives a look of "come on man, seriously?" I'm more like the young guy. Formality is almost always pretentious to me.

I am so the older guy. I don't see anything in that commercial though, that I would label pretentiousness.

I know....

the commercial isn't pretentious, all I am saying is I prefer to believe that we are all connected, so you can save the "GOOD DISHES" for someone else, ya know?

Sorry for the hijack...

Professionalism should not be mistaken for pretentiousness. The two are completely different animals.

Pretention is pretending you are something you are not - important, intelligent (pseudointellectualism), feigned expertise.

Professionalism is maintaining bearing appropriate to the situation.

Therapists are usually MS's or PhD's. They're highly educated. They should behave consistent with that education. Poor posture and habits in the presence of the patient indicates a level of disrespect both for the patient and for self.

Would you be okay with your MD taking his shoes off? It would be the same level of professionalism displayed by some of these therapists - none at all.

Granted, Some are more comfortable in therapy if the environment is very casual. Some of the things we discuss are very sensitive, but removing items of clothing and, especially eating in the presence of the patient is, to put it bluntly, just bad manners.

I look at some of the responses in this thread and realize that there are patients and therapists here with boundary issues.

I am assuming you mean me, so we can agree to disagree. As I see posture having NOTHING to do with respect.

Y'all got me curious so I googled it. Ha! There's an article by Doc John! Then a week later the new York times picked it up and discussed it. Eating was #2 on doc johns list of Ts terrible habits.

Hey I can read this with both eyes!! That's a first!

Woops now I can't. But it's getting there!

Would you post the link here please? I think it is very much needed.

I'm not addressing anyone specifically. I've posted my opinion, which may be applicable to other posters. Only those posters would know.

It's up to each of my fellow members to decide if my opinion is of any value to them.

I don't post to offend people, only to inform from one person's perspective.

Sorry I haven't figured out how to post links from my phone. The cut and paste doesn't work. Unless the thing has an email to a friend, I can't send it. I googled "therapist eating during session" but pc and nytimes are 2 of my most frequent sites so they came up on top.

Yeah, me too.. Peace

12 Most Annoying Bad Habits of Therapists

Thanks- funny and oh so true.
I agree with each and every point made.
Though it's missing the taking his/hers shoes off

I would be very upset if my tdoc would eat during a session. And the taking shoes off and putting feet up - that would upset me too. I don't think my tdoc would ever do either of these things.

OK that said. I often take coffee with me to my sessions at 8 a.m. Tdoc has never said anything about this, but I wonder if tdoc finds it distracting when I drink coffee. Tdoc always has coffee, but I don't remember him ever taking a drink during our session. Now I am starting to feel really bad that I bring coffee!

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...of-therapists/

That one I have seen has a dog she brings in. I don't go when the dog is there. If the woman tells me the dog is going to be there due to some personal glitch in her life, I simply don't go for that week. I would rather not go than waste my money watching the dog distract the therapist. I tried it one time (I showed up and the dog was just there with no warning) and it was awful.

What´s wrong with a dog in therapy?..Unless you are allergic ..

It is a distraction for the therapist. I don't bring my pets either.

xould you Politely ask your T if they could eat lunch at 12 instead of your time??? that really is unethical to eat in front of a client like this.. I would also tell them that you have an issue with food and it triggers you when they eat during your sessions and you qould rather they did not. therapists are not supposed to eat during client time... Mine never does.. not even drinking anything... Hugs and best of luck to you.

I'm a cat person.

Besides, unless the dog is there for specific therapy it doesn't belong there.

I like all animals , I would like a dog or cat to pet instead of playing "on and off" with my water cap. Different strokes for different folks.