Couch 216: The Baseball Couch

I both intensely crave and hate cigarettes. I have been watching old shows where everyone lights up and i really miss it but i know if i did i would get nauseous and headspins. I hvent smoked for 5 years now. Once heard it takes 10 + years for the cravings to go away.

Reminds me of a funny story one time when we still lived in CA (h is from there) we went to a baseball game with our friend and stopped at a deli to pick up sandwiches. the guy asks h what kind of cheese he wants and he says loudly and proudly "I want California cheese!" me, our friend, and the deli guy are like...huh? H says oh, I mean American cheese. He was always a very proud Californian. haha

Does she have her own bowl on the floor? Or do tricks for it?

My son’s t had a telehealth appointment with him this week. There were something to fill her in on so I was on the video call first. When she answered, she was in her kitchen making cookie. I thought that was weird, previous appointment she has been what looked like an office. So, change of scenery was weird, but I was like well must be the rest of her family was gone, so there is confidentiality.

Nope- wrong. I hear her sons in the background and at one point ask one of them to set a timer for her.

After she put her cookies in the oven she went out to her back porch. Ok, better privacy than in the middle of her kitchen. But then.. as soon as my son got on the call she went into the kitchen with her sons in there.

I means this has got to be all kinds of Hippa and code of ethics violations right? Thankfully, the next time my son sees her it will be in person.

So, I am stuck.. so I say something to her? Like hey that wasn’t cool? Maybe talk to the office manger and let her deal with it. Or tell my t who owns the practice? Surely, if she did it with us she is doing it with other clients right?

It's been a heck of past few days. Got out here for our "vacation" Thursday morning. Was supposed to have a session with one of my Ts but he accidentally double booked himself. He apologized when I texted him 45 minutes after we were supposed to meet, and he was able to do a brief 30 minute check in. Then I overslept the other T on Friday morning. I texted him and apologized and to let him know what happened, but he never responded back. Been staying in an hotel on the military base, and hanging out with my brother in law and his H. Been going sight seeing and went to the local waterpark yesterday...forgot sunscreen until a few hours in so I'm fried. Also had a hair dying mishap and the dye I want to use is out of stock in stores around, so I have to wait to order it so I can fix it.

We leave tomorrow to go home and I'm so ready.

Oof I am irritable today. I’m not totally sure why—could be the night shift, could be the new interns (who are eager but can’t do aaaanything without help). Also my roommate keeps like over sharing like telling me about her weird dreams and her period problems. And we keep having to admit patients who are uncooperative and don’t want help.

Wow, this would definitely bother me! In part because her sons were there but also because she was doing something else during my session. It's one thing if she's doing the session in her office and one of her kids knocks on the door to ask her something, say, or even came into the room briefly, and she shooed them out. But to be in the kitchen with them much of the time? And baking cookies at the same time? I'd definitely say something. Also, in terms of the cookies, it would be different if she was in her office and heard the buzzer go off in the kitchen and was like, "Oh no, I forgot about the cookies, be right back." Still annoying, but less of a big deal.

A bowl on the floor would be an improvement. The real trick is getting her to not pick up and eat the food she drops on the floor. Mealtimes are sometimes a bit of a goat rodeo.

Also, our dog eats out of this thing to help slow him down because otherwise he inhales his food. I bet Lone Dog is more of a refined nibbler, though.

This is shockingly bad behavior for a therapist. Not only is she violating your son's privacy, but she is also not focused on him during his session. Therapists are absolutely not allowed to multi-task like that, even if there weren't other people in earshot. I would report this to her supervisor and maybe even her licensing board. Violating confidentiality so casually and for such a trivial reason is appalling. If she couldn't do her job that day, she should have canceled. Yikes.

What did your son think about it?

I love how you talk about little EM.

You make me wish I could be adopted by you.

I would say it's all of the above and what you've identified here.

How is therapy going?

Healed

Like the others have said it's not okay for her to be baking + have her kids in the background.

If you like spicy cheese and baby sign language, you would fit in well around here.

You deserve to be treated so much better than this. I don't buy his lies- he knows exactly what he's done. A real partner would not do anything without your consent.

New cat eats way too fast but I don’t think she’d go for that. I would get a disgusted look and a stalk off.

As for lone dog, he drinks his water with his littlest toe crooked out.

Son, didn’t seem bothered by it. I saw my t today who technically is my son’s t’s boss. But I think I am going to email the office manager and let her bring it to either his t herself or if she feels the need bring it to her boss.

Could you mention it to your T and see what he recommends? Unless he'd feel obligated to say something. Maybe the office manager is different where they are, but I imagine if I'd told the one at ex-T/ex-MC's office, they'd say it was on me to bring it up. (Current T doesn't have office staff.) But maybe the office manager there is more involved.

I saw an ad for a cat toy today and thought of all the couch cat people. It's shaped like a fish and it flops around when the cat touches it. I can see that cats would probably find it entertaining.

I absolutely agree with Lemoncake, I wouldn't believe for a second that he doesn't know what he's doing. Even if he's telling the truth, it doesn't matter. He doesn't have the right to treat you that way and he shouldn't expect you to tolerate it.

Until he is able and willing to control himself, he should not be around you in private, at all.

Just watched a video on how to make a face shield from the lid of a krispy kreme box.

I needed a reason to go to Krispy Kreme other than mmm sugar. Thanks, Artie!

Now that is just evil! "save a life, eat all the donuts!"

Well i am nothing if not patriotic!

And don't clean the window of any donut grease, either--it could be a snack on the go.

I was thinking something along those lines but not nearly as funny! haha

Well i AM a professional!