Has a therapist ever told you were one the most intelligent or smartest clients?

I agree with the second paragraph but not with the first one. My own therapy more often involved cognitive, intellectual type discussions than focusing on feelings and the relationship. It did because I directed it that way and I guess at least one of my Ts was a good partner for that. We talked about feelings a lot but often in a more detached, analytical, critical way, as a discussion. I read here other people reporting similar experiences - I really think that a certain type of client tends to do this more and kinda prefers it almost, and I think this type is quite abundant on this forum. Not hard to conclude that we have a tendency of intellectualizing. Of course it is not the same as being highly intelligent.

I do consider myself intelligent but more in a cognitive, academic way, it has always shown in pretty much all areas of my life and people comment on it all the time. I don't think it is distorted perception or false image. Socially and generally emotionally, definitely not. I think people are often aware of their own strengths (or mental weapons) and try to use that in interactions and as defenses, even in therapy, whether it is the right thing to do or not - mostly because it comes more easily, feels more satisfying, and we are more used to achieving results with those abilities and skills. I also think that many Ts actually think about themselves as highly intelligent, whatever that means. Intelligence really is a rather vague term IMO, which is used a lot in general, especially in this high-tech era of ours when information, complex perception, analytical skills etc tend to be primary values for a lot of people. These are things many people like to identify with and like to project it as well. I don't think that therapists as a group are exempt from this trend - after all, it's a pretty theoretical profession where feelings are meant to be dissected and not merely experienced.

Both my therapist and psychiatrist have said so. But, as another said above, this is usually said in response to my talking down about my intellect and calling myself an idiot.

Same here--not comparing me to their other clients so much, just an observation.

My T said I was thoughtful. I think I have an average or just slightly above average IQ, but it's combined with empathy and high sensitivity which makes me quite good at psychological or therapeutic work. However I still can get quite irrational and neurotic, anyway

I’d lose all respect for a therapist if they told me that.

In part because I’d wonder how they viewed themselves.

Also because, at least in my experience, it’s felt either like a passive-aggressive jab or like a cop-out by the person saying it (i.e., they can’t do whatever’s needed coz they aren’t as smart as I am).

I have been told that in an off-handed way by therapists I was checking out (and to me, it was a strike against them) but no one I’ve seen in a long-term basis has told me that (wouldn’t have seen them otherwise).

Blondie sometimes has said that I’m what therapists call “psychologically minded” (interested in learning more about why I behave the way I do etc) and she’s found it hilarious that at times, I can slip into this mode of doing a “meta narrative” (commenting on what is going on even as it’s happening; and sometimes when I’m responding to her in a more emotional way but also simultaneously providing a cognition-based narrative on what is happening internally and in the room).

But, that’s not a comment by her on intelligence or smartness (because clearly it’s neither of those things) but on how I tend to easily slip into a commentary mode.

And, the only thing she’s said (which she hasn’t repeated) which pissed me off was when she said she couldn’t argue the way apparently I can (when we were rupturous) but as it turns out, she is pretty good at arguing (unless I manage to hit some emotional weak spot of hers unknowingly).

Nah. My therapist doesn't say things like that. If she talks about her clients at all (which is very rare), it's vague (no names, no genders). It's more like, "I've had other clients dealing with ABC too and some of them find it helpful to do XYZ." Or, "Yup, you're just like other clients in that sense. You're doing the right thing." So basically, she only talks about and compares me to other clients when she finds it helpful. I wouldn't find it helpful if my therapist called me "intelligent" or "the most intelligent"...

Even if I'm heavily depressed and calling myself dumb, my therapist telling me that I'm "the most intelligent client" wouldn't be helpful.

When I told him about my scholarships and gpa he said that I’m much more intelligent than I like to let on. That could sound like an insult, but I think he has a point, so I didn’t take it in a bad way.

I have been told while in the psych ward that I am too smart to be there.

My pdoc (who does some therapy with me) tells me that to do my job, I must be smart. We have talked in depth/detail about my job, so her comment is not based solely on my title. It's something she knows I don't "feel" is true, but she doesn't compare me to other patients.

My current T talks about how I am gifted and that has influenced the way I experience life. She normalizes my thoughts/feelings/reactions and will specify when the reason those feel "wrong" is because I am at the far end of the bell curve rather than closer to the middle. She doesn't, however, compare me to her other clients.

completely irrelevant: but every time i read this thread title, i read it as "...most intelligent, and most smartest," which makes me laugh and think of the movie Drop Dead Gorgeous.

I had one tell me that I was smarter than she was...which, in retrospect, was probably true - although I don't think she actually believed that.

Yeah, I definitely wear the smarta** badge with pride... she brings that up a lot

I get that a lot too. I'm in college and am often self-deprecating about my grades, scholarships, abilities, etc. She tries to force me to look objectively at my grades and say "See? You are smart." It doesn't usually convince me. But I appreciate her trying.

Both my recent therapists know my IQ because IQ testing was part of my full assessment. Both acknowledge it but neither compared me to other clients. My IQ is very high but I don't feel very smart and I don't think I come across that way to others either. I do learn things super quickly but I suck so badly in other areas of life that it sort of neutralizes any benefit of intelligence.
If anything I think my Ts would probably think the IQ test must be wrong, LOL.

he's called me brilliant but I feel it was a joke

Yep.
Also lol at the all the humblebragging.
« My therapist has said I am SO smart! » aka « I am super smart and super special ».
I think when therapists say that it’s definitely a way to manipulate clients: you are a good client therefore I am throwing you a compliment.

I put it down to therapists turning out the same nonsense across the board.

The only thing that my therapist that has ever said that compared me to other clients is that I generally come in more prepared and am more willing to talk about uncomfortable things than some clients. I don't really consider that manipulative. It's probably true. Therapy is kind of expensive for me, and I've been pretty miserable. So I'm motivated.

I expect that I am smarter than some of his other clients, but that's sort of an accident of birth rather than something I did, so I wouldn't consider it a particularly useful complement. The only time I really think about intelligence is if I think I am smarter than the therapist, which I absolutely was once. But I don't think I am smarter than the one I have now.

Hey, we are just reporting what the ts said. Nobody here ever believes what their t tells them - why would that change for this one topic?