[atisketatasket]

I've spent the day looking at them, in my quest for the future No. 4

So I can say with some authority, around here at least, it's Gandhi, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Which is not really relevant to therapy unless its goal is to make us all social justice warriors, oh, and how do we know in what direction we should all change to change the world? Because maybe some of us want the world to be a peaceful place, and some of us want to fight in wars...you get the idea. So the quote really says therapists are practicing mass brainwashing.

Plus, he never actually said that. But fiddle-de-dee.

Most unusual? Something long, and in German, from Goethe. I may call that one.

So, what quotes do you most like/object to on therapists' websites?

[mostlylurking]

I thought this was a great question, so I went to the Psychology Today listings for my area (there are like 400 therapists where I live, so that's a lot). The main thing I was stuck by is that nothing they write sounds even remotely authentic, but in terms of their photos, so many of them are attempting -- it would seem -- to look attractive and happy. Why would that be their goal, instead of looking kind, serious, understanding, attentive? Very strange, really.

I also had the disconcerting experience of running across my own T's page. I've seen it before, at the very start... it seemed fine, but I hardly recognize it as my T now that I've been seeing him for close to 2 years. I think many of these people are great T's, but I think it is virtually impossible to discern what they are like among all the pablum. A good friend recommended my T. I would not have picked him based on his PT page. A terrible thought because he's been wonderful. But I would never have known.

And anyway, what a lot of us want to know is this:

Out of session contact? Which kinds? How often?
Transference-- can you deal, or not deal?
Planning to move / retire / die / have a baby / change clinics anytime soon?
Are you on the the kind / gentle end of the spectrum or the pragmatic / challenging side?
Ever dealt with burnout? How do you avoid it now?
Transitional objects -- thoughts?
Gifts -- thoughts?
Contact after therapy ends -- thoughts?

Sorry ATAT, I know you wanted something more literary but I found that seriously lacking when I went looking.

ETA: "Struggling" and "growth" were the most common words, if that's of interest.

[atisketatasket]

I like most common words.

And hey, no quote vs. banal quote...I'll take no quote any day. At least they can be pretentious in their own words.

[rainboots87]

Specific quotes doesn't bother so much as cheesy lines about puzzles pieces of life, facing challenges, etc. or a list of questions like "Are you struggling and have nowhere to turn?" "Do you feel hopeless/lost/depressed?" "Well, here I am to solve all your problems..." Gag! I guess any quote that talks about the journey versus the destination irks me too.

I prefer mostly a list of credentials and experience, specialties, and so on, with maybe one or two lines of the feel-good stuff to make them seem more personable.

Ghandi,Dalai Lama quotes etc Or those posters with people standing on top of a mountain at sunset emblazoned with words like "Success" and "Attitude" with some little ditty underneath Irk me and put me off taking that therapist or counsellor seriously

My new therapist/p/doc has zero quotes on her website, just her picture,credentials and areas of interest, I was drawn to that immediately

[stopdog]

Anything having to do with peace, journeys, healing, or warm acceptance.

[retro_chic]

My T only has one quote on her website which is this one:

“The more honest we are with ourselves, the better our chances for living a satisfying and useful life.” (Nancy McWilliams)

I think it is pretty good quote - simple and straightforward.

[ScarletPimpernel]

My T has no quotes on her website or her psychology today page. She also doesn't ask stupid questions like "Do you ever feel...?". She leads straight into what she treats, her experience, and her style.

[unaluna]

My t's says stg like,"there is no such person as the perfect patient." I told him, i understand he wrote that before he met me, but he needs to change it now

[Myrto]

My therapist has a quote by Sartre on her website: "we are not responsible for what has been done to us but we are responsible for what we do with it". I can't stand Sartre but at least it's not some quote from the dalai lama about spirituality (ugh) or healing journeys or something.

[junkDNA]

He doesn't have it on re anymore, but it was a quote by t.s. eliot...I forgot a tho ...something abt exploring and coming back to where we started and knowing hat place for the first time???

I'll have to look it up.

[Argonautomobile]

Close thy Byron and open thy Goethe, ATAT. Give that T an everlasting yea!

My T doesn't even know who JK Rowling is.

[LonesomeTonight]

Neither T nor marriage counselor have any quotes. But when I went to check, I noticed yet another typo on MC's bio that I hadn't noticed before. One of these days, perhaps I'll mention it to him. Or the fact that he has HIPPA instead of HIPAA (I know, a common mistake!) in his e-mail signature and leaves out one of the words spelling it out.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by unaluna

My t's says stg like,"there is no such person as the perfect patient." I told him, i understand he wrote that before he met me, but he needs to change it now

For all the grief our ts give us, i gave some back today. - mine asked whats the haps on pc recently. I was wearing my pc tshirt. Anyway i told him about this thread. Hes like, it doesnt say that. I go, yeah i think it does, because i remember being super bummed out by it! He goes, well, theres no... im like, okay, you DENY it, but that means you really believe in it, right? Because otherwise why would it be foremost in your head? He goes, the pursuit of perfection is impossible... i go, and THEN you met me! Im cackling like a fool. He goes, youre really enjoying this. Im like yeah. He goes, i guess i will have to change it. I go, yeah, to no perfect patient but unaluna!

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by unaluna

For all the grief our ts give us, i gave some back today. - mine asked whats the haps on pc recently. I was wearing my pc tshirt. Anyway i told him about this thread. Hes like, it doesnt say that. I go, yeah i think it does, because i remember being super bummed out by it! He goes, well, theres no... im like, okay, you DENY it, but that means you really believe in it, right? Because otherwise why would it be foremost in your head? He goes, the pursuit of perfection is impossible... i go, and THEN you met me! Im cackling like a fool. He goes, youre really enjoying this. Im like yeah. He goes, i guess i will have to change it. I go, yeah, to no perfect patient but unaluna!

You're gonna ruin that man for anyone else.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

You're gonna ruin that man for anyone else.

Huh! Thats what all my exhs say!

[atisketatasket]

I can add another: any quote from Anais Nin.

Stuff about positive thinking and how we choose what we can think bla

[awkwardlyyours]

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

I've spent the day looking at them, in my quest for the future No. 4

So I can say with some authority, around here at least, it's Gandhi, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." Which is not really relevant to therapy unless its goal is to make us all social justice warriors, oh, and how do we know in what direction we should all change to change the world? Because maybe some of us want the world to be a peaceful place, and some of us want to fight in wars...you get the idea. So the quote really says therapists are practicing mass brainwashing.

Plus, he never actually said that. But fiddle-de-dee.

Most unusual? Something long, and in German, from Goethe. I may call that one.

So, what quotes do you most like/object to on therapists' websites?

I think the fact that they don't know that it's not a Gandhi quote would instantly strike them off my list rather than the banality of the quote itself.

I haven't seen Gandhi or Nin or the Dalai Lama being quoted around here. But, there is some Brene Brown (instant strike again) and some weird random quotes from obscure (to me, at least) psych texts.

That has me wondering if there is regional variation in what Ts quote -- and, if that somehow reflects the general population's leanings (assuming Ts are up on it).

Btw, I did actually riff (in depth) on the banality of T profiles to both former T and current T -- at first they were amused but then as I didn't stop, they both got painful looks of consternation and attempted to stutteringly ask me if the T couldn't be good despite the candle-flame/mountain-range/random-river/'peaceful'-image display banality?

When I gave them a withering look in return, current T deftly changed the topic while former T went after it like a bulldog and informed me in no uncertain terms that I was being picky and that this is part of my pathology and finished up with a conversation-ending irritated harrumph (oh gawd, now I really miss her I think).

[atisketatasket]

I think you and I should open up a consultancy for therapists in the design and content of their websites.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

I think you and I should open up a consultancy for therapists in the design and content of their websites.

And I could proofread them!

Yessss any Brene Brown, Louise Hays, The Secret or Elizabeth Gilbert quotes anywhere, anytime and I am feeling nauseous

[atisketatasket]

Huh. I just wandered back to No. 3's website after looking at more potential No. 4's and realized there are no question marks on it at all except in an FAQ section.

There are also no quotes from anyone. And her requisite water photo is one of Monet's Waterlilies series (trite, but not trite when it comes to therapists' websites).

Maybe I should just find a permanent job in Montreal and hire her again.