Does your T say your name?

My T doesn't say my name much. I don't usually say his either. I don't think it's on purpose. As somebody else said, we're the only two people in the room, so there's just no need.

Now that I think about it...no, never in over a year of therapy. He says all of my family members names, though ????

My T has very rarely said my name. I have never said his name. I too don't see much reason to address each other by names when there are only two people in the room. It would even sound strange to be honest.

Also, when I think about it, when I have one-on-one meetings with students or colleagues I don't think I ever address the other person by their name and neither do they. So, to my mind the fact the we don't use names in therapy isn't that much different from other social situations involving two people.

She usually addresses me by name when she wants to emphasize a point. Or when she wants to interrupt me.

Or during the times she fetches me from the waiting room, rather than chime my queue number from her room.

Not very often but neither do I tend to refer to my psychiatrist as 'doctor' or by their first name either. Thinking about it, the use of my name tends to come up when I am being given an assignment, order, etc. I really haven't been bothered by this.

One reason your therapist doesn't do this immediately comes to mind. Could they be concerned your professional relationship risks the onset of transference?

In the meantime, this is a great subject to bring up in a session with them. What a good opportunity to raise some ground rules and expectations. Who knows, your therapist may come to the realisation that to use your name more often would improve your comfort level, etc.

Yes, several times every session. I like it.

I don't think this is a stupid question at all. Makes a lot of sense, in fact. Certainly I wouldn't want to work with someone who didn't know/wouldn't remember my name!

But I don't particularly like being called by my name. Use it even one time too many and it seems disingenuous - like a cheesy sales pitch. "Argo, boy am I happy to see you, Argo! Argo, I've got just the product for you - it just screams 'Argo!'"

Sometimes using someone's name strikes me as an aggressive move. It's sort of possessive - you're taking that person and sticking them in your mouth! I only use T's name - well, most people's names - when I'm irritated with him/them.

Sometimes someone says my name and I don't recognize it - I mean, I do, but I don't. It's like for a second I have to recognize myself from another person's perspective and it takes me a moment to make the connection. Like, there's this flash of confusion before I remember " Oh, yeah, I AM Argo!" And then I'm not sure I'm happy about finding that I'm Argo.

Does that make sense? It's difficult to explain, and disconcerting. Anyway, I'm glad my T doesn't use my name more.

No she doesn't, can't remember her ever calling me Mike. And like others I rarely use her name and I always use her first name, because for some very odd reason calling her Dr. (her name here) just seems WAY too intimate.

I guess I agree with what some people have said. With only 2 people in the room, maybe there is no need to say my name. I actually don’t say his either. I think it might be nice to hear him say my name once in a while, though. Maybe it’s because there’s something about the therapy relationship that does not seem real to me, and hearing him say my name might help it feel real and make me feel seen in a way. I think it adds a little bit of intimacy to hear someone say your name.

I'm not sure. Sometimes she does. She says somtimes ''dear Chummy'' or ''you know dear Chummy, you do matter''.
But if I think back to all the T's I've had, I don't think T's often said my name when talking to me.

To me, when someone makes a statement directed to me and uses “you” it feels like I’m in trouble and I’ve done something wrong.

It’s very triggering.

That’s just me.

Yes. I understand what you are saying.

If he called me by name in that manner it would feel the same cheesy way.

There aren’t many people who actually call me by my given name.

I’m someone’s mom.

Mrs “Trail”

The name my family called me when I was little.

Hey “girl”

People I know seldom use my given name.

It kind of leaves me feeling alone and unknown.

My counselor uses my name in an appropriate way and it sounds and feels so good for someone to address me as who I am.

I don’t know.

That’s just me.

Trail.

I actually never thought about this before. But now that I do, my therapist does say my name when he greets me. He always says, "Hi Miswimmy1!". In session, I don't think he's ever said my name. On the phone, he never says my name.

I realized that I have never once addressed him by his name. I usually just say hi.

I feel the same way. My husband always called me by a nickname, from the very beginning even. I got a nickname at work because there's someone else there with my name. I'm glad my therapist uses my name when he does. I get to be me for once.

Yes when he's being direct. He says hey (my name) to stArt out emails

Only in emails and voicemails. He may have used my name at our first meeting when he came out into the waiting room, but never in-person since then. I never use his name except in emails and voicemails either--we're two people in a room, there's no ambiguity about who we're talking to or who "you" refers to. If he did choose to use my name for emphasis, I think I would find it somewhat odd, but I suppose it would depend on context.

I can't think of a single time my psychiatrist has ever used my name...however, my counselor does. I have a therapy situation where the prescriber is a different person from the therapeutic counselor. My shrink is a very smart, though very impersonal man and he never addresses me by name. My counselor, whole he doesn't often use my name, if he wants to make a point, or bring something home, will use my name to emphasize that.