Posted by Racer on September 17, 2004, at 13:53:30
In reply to What I am worried about, posted by pinkeye on September 17, 2004, at 13:28:42
It came up over this board, if that matters.
Anyway, we talked about it a little bit. Now, this is not something that worries me. Maybe I'm Narcissistic or arrogant or something else that's pathological, but I never worry particularly about whether or not a therapist likes me. I do worry, though, about building a good therapeutic alliance, and if that's not there, then it won't work for me. I guess, though, that it all comes down to that alliance: if that's there, then I just assume that it's there because we both care about the relationship. It doesn't mean we'll be best friends, it just means that, within the formal structure of the relationship, we're both invested emotionally in one another and the relationship. To me, that's caring about one another.
In other words -- a Dinah moment! -- if we have a good, trusting therapeutic relationship, I see it as meaning that my therapist cares about me.
That's enough for me, at least. I hope it helps you, too.
(And, as someone who's taught various things in Adult Ed and horseback riding for a long time, I can tell you that it's the same for me -- I *do* care about my students. Even those I don't "like" I still care about. And they're *all* my favorites, in their own way. That experience also helps me, because I can see how that must be similar for therapists.)
poster:Racer
thread:392008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040911/msgs/392017.html