What is the oddest thing you’ve ever seen in a therapist’s office?

Up until yesterday I thought it was a box of “Frozen” tissues, cold to the touch, in No. 2’s office.

But yesterday I first met a therapist I was consulting with on a specific issue (no nickname yet). Her office was set up so the client sits on a couch and she sits opposite behind on a desk. The front of the desk, toward the client, has a big square sign on it reading “Personal checks and cash accepted” then the Mastercard and Visa logos, then “Credit and debit cards accepted.”

I was taken aback. Most therapists seem to do their best to obscure the transactional aspect of the relationship. This one shoves it in your face. I don’t actually mind—I mind the hierarchy of her sitting behind a desk more—because I think keeping the money in mind keeps things real, plus it makes her different and therefore more interesting, but it did make me wonder what other odd and weird and strange things therapists have in their offices?

The therapist herself. Can't get much odder than that. (to be honest, I didn't really pay attention to their offices)

I only saw one who sat behind a desk as you describe. He would only use CBT, which I loathe. In our second session, when I began to tell him about something that I was having difficulty dealing with, he told me those were things I should tell me friends, not him. If I didn't have friends, he said, he had plenty of goals already developed to help move me in that direction. I think I threw up a little in my mouth. He did not last long.

The credit card logos would not bother me on a website, IF it also included a list of all the insurance companies they also accepted. Let's be real, here, most people rely on insurance to pay most of the bill. If you can afford to pay out-of-pocket (or choose to do so), that's a privilege that most people don't have.

That, plus the desk, are HUGE signals to other humans saying "Do not get emotionally close to me!" Which is fine, for some clients and for some problems and is probably fine for what you need her for, atisketatasket.

Back to the original thread...my T has a small mirror on her wall framed with hand-carved wood faeries. Odd, but it's blonde wood and not garish. She has confirmed that she does not literally believe in faeries or the power of crystals, so I'm okay with the whimsy.

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A toilet. My Temp T has a toilet in her therapy space. It has a door, but still, who would feel comfortable using the toilet so close to their therapist!?! I did tell her I thought she should knock it down because it would then give us a better space to work in, but she said it was quite handy. Go figure 🤣

Wow, Waterbear.

I'm taken aback by that. I think the strangest thing I saw in my 2016 therapist's office was a kitchen table in the corner. I never worked out what that was doing there, as it wasn't where we sat to work.

I wonder whether she would probably leave the room if people wanted to use it?????? I would hope she would 🤣

Was it just a bathroom in her office? I am used to judges having their own private bathroom in their chambers and so it does not seem all that odd to me. I would not think it for clients but just for her.

One time a single ice cube fell out of my T's potted plant and onto the floor in the middle of the session. That was kind of weird.

Haha....that's very odd.

It is a toilet (bathroom I guess) in her small conservatory type therapy space which is attached to the back if her home. I sit about a meter away from the toilet when we have sessions. I'm ok with it, but does seem odd that someone would want to use it. And probably not for her, as she would have one in the house I assume!?!

Does she leave the door open so the toilet is visible? I would find that off-putting

The therapist in “In Treatment” had a bathroom in his home office space and it annoyed me.

Why did it happen?

I used to see a therapist who had a toilet as part of the side building where she saw clients. This was right next to her house. The toilet wasn't for her it was for clients. I never used it but I always thought it wasn't just for the obvious but for clients who might have wanted to freshen up after heavy crying.

It was a certain kind of plant (orchid, maybe?) that she was watering with an ice cube for some obscure reason. I guess it shifted as it melted and fell out.

I did not realize the bathroom was in a home office -then I would think it for clients. I was thinking more of an office building. I still don't find it odd.

Not sure this counts, but L still has that creepy picture of a woman wearing a mask in her office. It used to be just to the right of the door to outside, in direct sight-line from the couch, which I hated because I would accidentally look at it while talking sometimes. It was distracting there. Then awhile back she moved the cursed thing to the wall right NEXT to the couch, so now it's closer to where I sit, but at least I don't accidentally look at it there I'd have to turn my head to do so. I have told her on numerous occasions how much I hate it and that I think it's creepy. Sadly, she likes it so it is still there. I must be the only client who complains about it. I have, at least, become adept at just plain ignoring the thing since she moved it next to the couch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by atisketatasket ... But yesterday I first met a therapist I was consulting with on a specific issue (no nickname yet). Her office was set up so the client sits on a couch and she sits opposite behind on a desk. The front of the desk, toward the client, has a big square sign on it reading “Personal checks and cash accepted” then the Mastercard and Visa logos, then “Credit and debit cards accepted.” ...

I find that appalling. Classless. Rude. Disruptive to the therapeutic relationship, and to the therapy itself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stopdog The therapist herself. Can't get much odder than that. (to be honest, I didn't really pay attention to their offices)

~~~~~~~~ Yeah, I've never noticed anything weird in a therapist's office, but the therapist his/her self is often a weirdo.

She’s mostly CBT. Don’t think she’s at all interested in building a therapeutic relationship with anyone.

Awesome T has a bathroom in his office. His office is a converted house but it is all offices. It is his personal bathroom and is a full bath. He opened the door once to show me a picture he purchased from a local artist but then got SUPER embarrassed and self conscious that someone was in his bathroom. I laughed SO hard!

Art T has a lot of her own art in her office. The stuff on the walls is OK. She has a book shelf though with other art she has done that is more personal. They are harder to see from where you sit but she will share them and doesn’t mind if you get up and look at them. She showed me one and it was WAY more than I needed or wanted to see of her that early in our work. I am much more comfortable with her now but would still be uncomfortable if she were to bring it out again. FAR worse than awesome T’s bathroom awe heck, truth be told I would rather do our whole session in awesome T’s bathroom than look at the one art piece again!!!

Pdoc… OMG, Pdoc… is there anything in her office that isn’t strange???? To include her!??? All the pictures behind her desk are black and white got his or Ansel Adams. There is a huge painting a client did for her with super bright colors just inside the door on the client side of the desk. Then tons of bright colored, pop art, modern and crazy stuff behind the client. She has a low, wide file cabinet that is crammed full of personal pics all facing her so they seem to tease the client (she doesn’t care if you go look at them though)… then her desk is absolutely cluttered with odd toys and hand out stuff from drug reps. When her kids were little she set up a living room/play room in the office behind hers just for her kids.

Oh… and old T when I was in college… her office was normal except for the low window looking out to a gas station… BUT… she came to the door to meet me once fresh out of the shower. Hair in a towel and just basics of clothing and a slip… OMG!!!