[PeeJay]

I really like the Therapy Tales cartoon.

This new cartoon sort of pokes fun at how therapists describe their ideal clients as attending sessions, paying on time, not engaging in out of hours contact, talking openly, demonstrating a desire to change, and working hard.

And the joke is, of course, that if you did all these things, you wouldn't need therapy!

Therapy Tales | A cartoon about avoiding eye-contact | Page 2

[pinkbutterfly]

haha! Love this!

[HazelGirl]

Yeah, definitely not an ideal client, lol.

[Carolllewis]

Thanks for linking to my site Glad you enjoyed the cartoon.

C

[IndestructibleGirl]

Ha I'm so far removed from 'ideal'. Incredibly, we still have a great therapeutic relationship though

[A Red Panda]

I'm ideal in the sense that I'm responsible and respectful - I would never yell or insult my T or show him any other disrespect... I'm fine with boundaries and don't push at them. I attend my appointments and I try to do the things he asks me to do between sessions - I even come up with alternatives if they aren't working for me.

At the same time, I'm not ideal at all because I have the high sense of awareness that many people are lacking... and for the most part my behaviour is modified so that I can function normally. Yet, my core beliefs and thoughts about myself just don't change, regardless of the evidence I can come up with that would help prove myself wrong. It just stubbornly won't change and I am really resistant to CBT/DBT even though I really try not to be.

[sweepy62]

My t says she loves that im insightful and very straight foward, go figure, but that she wishes I woul take that leap of faith with her.

[Elektra_]

Originally Posted by PeeJay

I really like the Therapy Tales cartoon.

This new cartoon sort of pokes fun at how therapists describe their ideal clients as attending sessions, paying on time, not engaging in out of hours contact, talking openly, demonstrating a desire to change, and working hard.

And the joke is, of course, that if you did all these things, you wouldn't need therapy!

Therapy Tales | A cartoon about avoiding eye-contact | Page 2

sorry to disagree but the fact u do all those things doesnt necessarily mean u dont need therapy. just means ur open to it. i do have desire to change but that doesnt mean i feel able or will right away! i do all the above but that doesnt mean i can do it on my own. tc

[nottrustin]

I am pretty iffy about this one...I always pay at my session...one our twice I got there and realized I was out of checks (she doesn't do credit or debit cards) but she is always fine and says I know you will be here next week so don't worry about it. She has given me books to read and workbooks to do. She wants me to do the stuff and report back what I think...usually she charges for the cost of the workbooks. She doesn't usually have the time to read the books so I am her tester.... So those are want make a great client...

HOWEVER, I am very resistant to taking or changing medications. When I was in a deep depression I kept saying I thought it was situational so I wanted to wait...She supports me on this though...I have a couple of times quit my meds cold turkey a couple of times without telling her or pcdoc...I minimize emotional pain and I don't cry...

[Freewilled]

I try to be ideal but then that backfires....cause then my T is left holding the clipboard like wtf?!? Why is she coming again? How can I be helpful here?

Yeah. I have problems but struggle to articulate them. T seems to believe I'm trying to be an "easy" client. He almost begs me to need him. I refuse because.....I think I'm need-phobic. I'm the opposite of the client who calls outside of hours or needs stuff from T that T can't give. I suck.

[Asiablue]

Nope i am a nightmare client and proud

ok not a nightmare... but she says i keep her on her toes

[stopdog]

I would say I am.
The second therapist has called me an excellent client.
The first considers me a challenge (her words, not mine). I don't think ideal equals trying to please one of them.

[Karrebear]

I try to be the perfect client but Im a people pleaser and don't like to bother people.

Thanks, that was cute!

I wouldn't call myself an ideal patient, but I think I am a good fit for my T.
Some Ts prefer challenging patients...

[learning1]

I don't work hard because I don't know of anything to do. My therapist doesn't make any suggestions. I don't ask her to make any suggestions because I don't think there's anything she can do except be nice and supportive. She seems to think so as well.

I'm a good client I guess. I pay my bill and keep my appointments and have a mutually respectful relationship with my therapist. More importantly, I work hard to take what we discuss in session and put it into action in my real life. I'm not resistant to most things we discuss and communicate openly with him. I wouldn't call myself "ideal" because I can become seriously ill which is very worrisome to him, but he would probably disagree that that diminishes his perception of me.

I am running out of things to say and I have only been there 6 months.

Here is a link to the referenced cartoon - the original link now points to a different page: Recipe ? Therapy Tales #419 | Therapy Tales

It's a nicely worded joke, I like it. Of course it doesn't represent all facets of reality in therapy, but I'm sure it wasn't intended to.

I sometimes contact T between sessions, but not often, and he has asked me to reach out if I need to, so I don't view that as a transgression. Other than that, I meet the requirements on the list... but T has said that my mental paon and self-loathing are reasons enough. I don't need to be obviously malfunctioning in society to need therapy. But again, I know that's not the point of the comic strip.

[CantExplain]

I was an ideal client and a fat lot of good it did me.

[someone321]

Thanks for the cartoon - it's great

I've always thought that I am an "ideal" client, pay on time, never late, want to change etc...
However, sometimes I send e-mails to my current T so I am not so ideal anymore (but I do not need her neither to respond nor to read them, I do that only to get rid of my thoughts)... And I realized that even if I really think that I do fulfill other criteria from the list, I am pretty stubborn so I'm not so sure if I actually want to change many things

[brillskep]

My first reaction reading the title of your thread was "Hell no!!"

Though I'm not as bad as I boast

I love Therapy Tales too!

I attend all sessions or let my T know on time if I can't make it (except only a few occasions due to public transportation).
I pay each and every session. I even paid the one time he said that i could pay another time if I needed the money for something else (I had some money stolen that I had been counting on). Once I forgot to pay and I actually went back to give him the money.
We do have out-of-therapy contact, due to half-objective reasons. I'm not crossing his boundaries and he's not crossing mine, this is just the kind of out-of-session contact we talked about and agreed on.
I talk quite openly. Except, unlike with most people in my life who aren't my T, I also talk openly about not wanting to discuss certain things (yet or at all). That sort of drives my therapist crazy.
I've changed quite a bit (for the better) since I started seeing my T, too.
Definitely working hard.

Originally Posted by Mastodon

[...] T has said that my mental paon and self-loathing are reasons enough.

Paon?? Pain!
(I was typing on my phone...)

[AmysJourney]

I like the cartoon but I do have to say something about this... I believe this has nothing to do with being an "ideal" client. Because let's face it.. if therapists thought that all the things on the list would beg the question if a client needs therapy, they would be out of work pretty quickly. I believe those things on the list are what makes a therapist feel they are doing a good job. If people pay on time it means they have a feeling of mutual responsibility. If they feel the client demonstrates a desire to change, then it means they have the skills to instill exactly that in a client. If a client turns up to sessions and doesn't cancel frequently, they know that the client is willing to work, is not "testing" them or their commitment etc. I believe every client "works hard" in their own individual strength.
The out of session issue.. I have a very strong feeling about that! But I think I will open a new thread with that one.. But briefly, in my opinion if a therapist thinks a good client is one who has as little out of session contact as possible, I think he has chosen the wrong profession.

Even though I find the comic funny, I also feel it's a little offending.. Because it makes me, the apparently "ideal" client question, what value I have as a client if I do what I think is right! How can someone assume that the healthy parts inside me, the ones that make me do all the things on the list are a sign that I don't need help?

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by Amelia112

I believe those things on the list are what makes a therapist feel they are doing a good job. If people pay on time it means they have a feeling of mutual responsibility. If they feel the client demonstrates a desire to change, then it means they have the skills to instill exactly that in a client. If a client turns up to sessions and doesn't cancel frequently, they know that the client is willing to work, is not "testing" them or their commitment etc.

I see the list differently. If people pay on time, the therapist does not have to worry about income, the client's desire for change is not connected with anything to do with the therapist and therapists have to recognize that it is what the client wants changed that is important - not what the therapist might want that is different, I see the cancellation thing as related to the therapist's income just like paying on time.

[AmysJourney]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I see the list differently. If people pay on time, the therapist does not have to worry about income, the client's desire for change is not connected with anything to do with the therapist and therapists have to recognize that it is what the client wants changed that is important - not what the therapist might want that is different, I see the cancellation thing as related to the therapist's income just like paying on time.

I agree with that interpretation as well. It shows that it can have many different implications - except that an "ideal client" might not need therapy.