[Angst_guy7]

I got a call back from a potential new T I had contacted. During the conversation he volunteered he had been in therapy and also will see a therapist to help him keep grounded in the whole process of therapy. (On his web site he states that he has gone through analysis and does dream interpretation)
He also said he himself has been on medication for depression for many years and it has helped him better understand his clients.

Would this make it less, more or neutral likelihood you would see him yourself?
Its a little worrisome to me but I tend to find fault in anything and everything
My wife on the other hand thinks its potentially a good thing!

[Soccer mom]

My only thought is will you always be wondering about his mental state and his ability to help you? If it will always be in the back of your mind, then maybe not the best fit? I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing - just will it affect your therapy by any preconceived notions in your own mind.

[UnderRugSwept]

It wouldn't bother me at all. Ts are just people, too...and he seems to be self-aware and taking care of himself. I agree with your wife and see it as a positive thing. (But then I also find self-disclosure to be helpful in my own therapy.)
ETA: Are you concerned he won't be able to help you b/c of his own issues? Most Ts can keep their "stuff" out of the room with their clients, esp. if they are getting help on their own time.

[JaneTennison1]

My T told me on session 1 she sees a therapist on a regular basis. Doesn't bother me. I think it helps her to be more able to take care of others.

[Angst_guy7]

Originally Posted by Soccer mom

My only thought is will you always be wondering about his mental state and his ability to help you? If it will always be in the back of your mind, then maybe not the best fit? I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing - just will it affect your therapy by any preconceived notions in your own mind.

Excellent point that I will have to take into consideration. OTOH I do tend to seek perfection (in my eyes) in a therapist selection. Knowing that someone volunteers this kind of thing maybe will make me start trusting him sooner.

[Lauliza]

I don't think it would bother me but everyone is different. I am becoming a T and take meds and go to therapy, but I wouldn't offer up this info for this very reason. Some people might feel like the T can relate to them, others might be concerned.

T's are just people and and many if not most of them do choose the field because of some personal experience with it. I do think it's odd that he shared this info with you in a phone interview before you even saw him, and without you asking. But that might just be his style and a way to weed out clients that would have an issue with it. I don't see it as an issue in of itself. I think it shows a lot about his personality type, so it might help you judge if you think he is a good fit or not.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Idk. I see the pros and cons. Pros: he can relate, have more empathy, honest. Cons: what if he becomes unstable himself?

What would matter to me, but it might be crossing a boundary, is why he had depression that required therapy and medication.

I personally couldn't risk it. I need someone who is stable (though I know no one is 100% stable).

I had a college counselor who had OCD. I adored her. But she wasn't stable. I didn't need a college counselor to be stable, so I didn't mind. But for a T, I just couldn't do it. I also had a counselor at the board and care I stayed at who suffered from a lot of mental health issues (don't want to say what, but she did disclose to me and it's extreme). She now does her own private practice and I can't help but feel bad for her clients because I know how unstable she can be.

I would not see him. I would not be interested at all.

He would score one for honesty in my book. I would be glad that he has a therapist, as I think that can only help. It would only bother me if he thought he understood me to the point of not listening and wanting to just talk about himself. It really comes down to how he is as a therapist, regardless of his own mental health.

[wotchermuggle]

I wouldn't be bothered by the fact he is in therapy - I think that's a positive thing from a supervision standpoint.

However, I don't know why he'd disclose he's on meds, especially if you've just met him?

[doyoutrustme]

I have a hunch that mine is, but, I would rather not know my Ts issues, so long as they can deal with mine.

[vonmoxie]

I would be concerned about a therapist who wasn't in therapy. I think the job becomes hazardous without that outlet being regularly available to them.

Also it gives them a more balanced perspective about the experience, from both sides. I daresay the same could be true regarding meds, that they could better understand what's involved with the struggle on the way to finding meds that might work for a person.

What I would be concerned about is whether their conditions and/or medication experiences might give them tunnel vision about their process (e.g., they are ADHD, and think everyone else is too), but as hard as it is to find a good therapist, I wouldn't disqualify on the basis of their having conditions, but would simply ask the question: In what way do you think your own experience with mental health impacts your perspective in providing therapy? And see if they give you a thoughtful answer. I'd be suspicious of an answer like "it doesn't affect my work at all", because we're all to some degree products of our experience, and the trick is to be aware of who we are -- not to try to be robots.

I would not consider seeing a therapist who had not been through their own therapy. (Not that that would even be possible, since they have to go through therapy in order to be licenced to practice, where I live.) If he's still in therapy, so much the better - what is perhaps a little odd is the fact that he volunteered the information during your first conversation, but it wouldn't be any kind of red flag for me.

[HazelGirl]

My T went to therapy for over 10 years, and takes antidepressants, ADD meds, and anti-anxiety meds. And I am so glad she does. It helps her understand me better and helps me know she has worked out her junk well enough to be there for me when I need without the fear of her unresolved stuff mucking things up. And I believe wholeheartedly that if she needed it now, she would go back. It helps me to feel like she is a secure and reliable person who has her own life worked out.

[Partless]

It depends on what kind of therapy your T is talking about. Psychoanalysts almost all undergo lengthy therapy, which is not IF they have mental health issues, but simply because that's often part of the training. Other therapists though usually don't share that info with the client, it's not part of the training or required for many, and certainly not something to share on the first interaction. In a way it's personal stuff. And can make client worried, for various reasons. This is not to say many therapists don't have mental health issues cause they do and many also take pills. But sharing it, it really depends on the particular form of therapy and the point in therapy when it's shared.

[junkDNA]

my T has a therapist (ive met her) and he is bipolar so he takes meds. he is a stable person. knowing this gives me hope for my own prognosis

My t has shared that she talks to her own t every 2 weeks. I personally wouldn't want a t who didn't have their own would worry about them burning out.

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[RedSun]

In the uk, to be UKCP registered you have to have forty hours of personal therapy each year in practice. I would be wary of a t that didn't have therapy. Dunno about the meds..don't think I'd worry either way really.

[SnakeCharmer]

It would depend on the overall impression I got of the person and why I was seeing them.

I'm pretty sure all my psychotherapists had done their own therapy and, not to put too fine a point on it, were still more than a little eccentric around the edges.

My current PCP is on Prozac. He told me when I commented on how well he was looking lately.

I had another provider who was in treatment for addiction to painkillers and alcohol. He was also in AA. He told me during our first visit in order to give me the opportunity to see someone else if I found him unacceptable. Seeing that I would be seeing him for a maximum of 20 visits, it would be supervised and there wasn't much he could do to harm me, I said it was okay.

I refused to see the only specialist in town for one of my conditions because I knew he'd gone out of town for in-patient alcoholism treatment several times and it hadn't taken although his record was clean -- no complaints, no lawsuits, no disciplinary actions. I didn't want to take the risk of being his first big blunder due to a bad hangover.

I'd rather have a T or medical provider who was open and honest and taking care of their life problems rather than one who was not. I live in a smaller town and it's hard for anyone to keep their private business private. Providers tend to disclose information in order to head off sensationalized gossip. So far, knowing this personal info has not caused any problems or broken boundaries.

[Favorite Jeans]

In my opinion this is TMI from him --especially at the first session. Saying he is in therapy to normalize it and assure you that he's doing/done his own work is totally appropriate. Getting into what his issues are and the fact that he's on medication strikes me as excessive sharing so early on. What I find concerning is not that he has issues but that he feels the need to tell you about them. He should be demonstrating that he gets what his clients are saying/feeling mainly by doing all that good listening, validating, and asking questions stuff that good therapists do. He should not accomplish this by opening up and telling you how much his life is like yours--or at least not often and not right away.

[dark_sweetie]

The only reason you shouldn't see him is bc he disclosed that info to you. There's just no reason to share that casually and he has obviously already burdened you with carrying part of the load of his self esteem. (Think about it--the fact that you even had to make this thread is a nono.) It's only downhill from there...

[feralkittymom]

Originally Posted by Favorite Jeans

In my opinion this is TMI from him --especially at the first session. Saying he is in therapy to normalize it and assure you that he's doing/done his own work is totally appropriate. Getting into what his issues are and the fact that he's on medication strikes me as excessive sharing so early on. What I find concerning is not that he has issues but that he feels the need to tell you about them. He should be demonstrating that he gets what his clients are saying/feeling mainly by doing all that good listening, validating, and asking questions stuff that good therapists do. He should not accomplish this by opening up and telling you how much his life is like yours--or at least not often and not right away.

Couldn't have said it better. I would be concerned that his sense of boundaries regarding his needs vs yours is "off."

[Depletion]

I think that its fine for a T to say that they have been in therapy, but I don't know if they should tell your their dx or what meds they are on. Someone being in therapy seems pretty general to me, and I don't mind knowing that, but knowing more specific things could feel burdensome. It sounds like he might have a tendency to be a little too open. But I think it just comes down to what feels right to you.

I started figuring out somethings about my T's mental health a while back because of the way that she was relating to me in session. We had a talk about it, and she has stopped, and I'm glad of that. And it hasn't been a problem that I leaned a bit about her, but I wouldn't want it to continue. So it might work if the the T is able to maintain strict boundaries about not informing you about himself further, but if you have hesitation about it, I think you should see someone else. I've found with T's you just have to go with your gut. Telling yourself that they have experience with all of the same issues that you have just isn't enough, you just have to have a feeling about the person.