[Daeva]

I was wondering if anyone else has this happen. My T is very well known in the mental health field in my area, she's very well-liked and I am honored to have her as a T. However I get weirded out when I mention her name and someone knows her so it shuts me down. For example I went to a NAMI meeting tonight and we discuss whats going on in our lives, and I mention my therapist (by name) and 3 people, one in the Mental health field, speak up. My one friend: "Oh I LOVE Angela!" and someone else I don't know commented that she's nice, then the third person in the field goes, "Oh I love Angela, she's a real sweetheart, she's wonderful at what she does...." she goes on gushing about my therapist.

I felt so uncomfortable and like everyone was intruding in on us. Like it's stupid but I cringed. It made me shut down and shut off. I think partially cause of my fear of anything I say getting back to my T, not that I have anything to hide I just hate the idea of someone going to my T talking to me. My roommates attempted that, not for any good reason, except she was mad at me because I forgot to call medicaid and medicaid kept calling her. And she called MY therapist to complain about me. She called me and screamed at me, then called my Therapist to scream at her about me. Like WHAT THE ****.

She calls my T alot about me and it gets under my skin. My T NEVER picks up the phone anymore because of her, she has to let all her calls go to voice mail BECAUSE my roommate calls her so much so now she has to screen her calls so she doesn't have to talk to my roommate for the sake of my confidentiality. She never calls my roommate back, she won't even see her when she comes in to talk to my T. I get annoyed not only because it's a huge invasion of my privacy but because it's causing a huge inconvenience my T for the entire time I've been with her. She always tells me when my roommate has called her, reassures me that she didn't and would never be in contact with her.

It just is something that really bothers me.

Yeah, no doubt! That's totally inappropriate behavior. Can't your T use *69 or whatever it is to block her?

In general I don't have an issue with people knowing my therapist. In fact I have met some of her other clients through some Brenė Brown events. She facilitates events too and I have recommended them to friends. What's kind of weird is a friend of a friend whom I socialize with travels in the same professional circles. It's only a matter of time before they meet and I bet they hit it off. My therapist is very professional so I trust her completely.

[Daeva]

Unfortunately no--cause we use the same phone!

I trust my T too, I do not get why it is so uncomfortable to me, huh I guess we'll have something to talk about next session! lol

Get a cheap prepay phone and use that? Or get a google voice number for free and call her from your computer. You can also map it to your other phone so it's seamless.

Google Voice - What's new in Google Voice

[Daeva]

Google has a phone? Awesome! No money for a prepaid phone.

Yep and it's free to call anyone on us and canada. They aren't a phone service like Att. It allows you to give people one number for all you phones like if you have a cel and a work number. A phone number on steroids. There are a bunch of other useful features too.

[Daeva]

Oh good, I have no other phone. We are so broke! Thanks for the info!

I think i understand what you mean. My t is known around the world and so many people love her. Its weird to hear people talk about her, or see things written about her. T and i joke about it though, because its funny, those people writing such high and lofty things about her dont know what a complete dork she is in real life !! i always tell her, when she does something completely stupid or silly, you need to publish THAT so people know youre a geek!!
But yes, its weird and if i hear anyone who used to see her mention that, i do shut down. I think, no, she is my t. You stay away

[Nerak67]

I can see that it would be awkward but why do you need to mention your t's name? I talk about my t to friends etc but never mention his name. I'll just say "my therapist said...".

[Daeva]

I think you're right Starry, part of it is jealousy, because I want to have that sort of friendly relationship and know her better, like those people do but I can't.

Oh it's usually not my friends, but other people, like that work in the mental health field, they'll ask who my therapist is, and will tell me theirs.