[Miswimmy1]

I have been seeing a new therapist for about three months now. I feel extremely lucky to have found him. He's dependable, kind, and EXTREMELY intelligent. As I've been getting to know him, I have come to realize that he is very established in his field (examples - he's a published author, he is double board certified, he is on the admissions committee of a prestigious medical school, he's on multiple boards for various OCD organizations and foundations, he is affiliated with said medical school and still conducts research and teaches residents, he manages his private practice, the list goes on and on). I am a student who is about two years away from med school myself. I have my sights set on becoming a psychiatrist. I find myself becoming more and more intimidated by my t as I work with him. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I look at all that he is accomplished and I feel challenged to do my best to bring my career to that level (over time of course). Motivation/inspiration is good but I'm not sure that is a healthy way to view t. I want to impress him because I'm in such awe of all he has done with his career so far and I want him to see me as a member of the next generation of people (hopefully) like him. Because he is an active faculty member of said medical school, I find it very easy to see him almost like a professor. I'm not sure if that's a form of transference or what...

Anyways, I want to talk about these mixed feelings I have (of seeing him as a therapist vs. seeing him as this almost mentor/role model type figure), but I'm not sure how to even bring it up or phrase it. And also, I'm not even sure if it's a problem in the first place. Can anyone relate to this dynamic between themselves and their t? Any suggestions on how to address this with my t/should I address this with my t?

I am in a not dissimilar situation. I am a trainee therapist and my therapist is rather well known in therapy in this country. He too is an author and trainer and involved at a high level. I saw him described as a "big name" in psychotherapy which made me laugh and also made me feel rather proud of him.
One thing I have talked to him about is that in the course of being in therapy with him I have learned more from him than any other teacher by miles. As well as being my therapist he is my teacher and I am lucky to have him as a teacher.
I don't really feel intimidated by him but that might be because I have been his client for a long time and I have seen some of his vulnerabilities and humanness as well as the eminent career stuff.
I want to say your feelings about this are valid. It sounds like it would be a good idea to talk to him about them. If you are feeling something and not sharing it, it could become an obstacle to the relationship but if you bring it into the room it has the opportunity to become part of the work.
You could just say what you said here about having mixed feelngs towards seeing him as a therapist as well as seeing him as a mentor figure and go from there.

[magicalprince]

I think it's potentially normal you'd feel what you feel, but then not therapeutic just to feel it, your feelings toward him as an individual and your purpose for being in therapy are separate, maintaining/clarifying that separation is what's key as you don't want to allow those feelings to limit your ability to use therapy.

For example, your intimidation with him as a person may get in the way of your need to express yourself as a client, that is a transference, yes, that's material you would want to be working on and talking about.

I'm not necessarily relating in the academic sense, but I had gone to therapy with confused motivations for a long time, in terms of personal vs. professional relating to a therapist, what I learned from that experience is that you always have to bring the focus back to where you know the focus should be, it will save you a lot of frustration and possibly a lot of pain.

One question I would put forward is, how do you know about all of this T's accomplishments? Is he telling you about them? How is this information relevant to you seeing him for therapy?

As to how to bring it up, well, you brought it up in your post, right? Go with that.

[Miswimmy1]

Originally Posted by magicalprince

One question I would put forward is, how do you know about all of this T's accomplishments? Is he telling you about them? How is this information relevant to you seeing him for therapy?

I know about my T's accomplishments primarily from sources that he has put out of his own choosing (i.e. His business card displays his credentials and certifications and his biography on his website mentions most of his awards and his affiliation with the medical school/research endeavors). Don't get me wrong - he didn't tell me them as a way to brag or anything. He's actually extremely humble. I have initiated conversations about some of his projects and only then has he elaborated on them. I don't know if any of it is particularly relevant to therapy... I guess he's just willing to satiate my curiosity.