# i made my therapist cry?



## alex291 (Jan 1, 2009)

im not sure if she was crying or if she just had a cold or something but my therapist reached for a tissue today. and her voice was shakey and she seemed really upset by something i said had witnessed in my childhood. i didnt even think it was taht awful compared to what it could have been, but i guess the fact that i was really young and still having problems years later partially bc of it made her feel bad?

on the one hand im confused, because i wouldnt expect a professional to do this. on the other hand, its nice to be comfortable enough to open up to someone and have them really care about me, even if theyre for the most part a stranger

it kind of made me uncomfortable when seh reached for the tissue though.

thoughts?


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## AshleyMarie (Feb 2, 2009)

I would be confused too.. but I would consider it a good thing that somewhere deep inside she has a heart..


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

It might not have anything to do with you. Perhaps she is going through something emotional or your story made her think of something from her own past.


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## alex291 (Jan 1, 2009)

it was still a little awkward. i was avoiding eye contact so i couldnt really see but at that point i didnt really want to look at her anyway


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

She was trying to open up with you. My doc has been with me through the last two years after losing my father and all the work I have had to do on the estate, etc. She lost her husband years back and could empathize. 

Go with it - it is nice to have a doc who cares. They have a pretty rough job, you know .


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## Coward (Jul 19, 2008)

you should have asked her

now we'll never know


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## Eugenie (Feb 17, 2009)

I'll bet she was dealing with her own issue and lost control for a moment. It must be hard to switch off on your own problems and deal with other people's all day every day.


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## fauxhawk (Oct 26, 2008)

Wow, seems kind of unlikely considering all the stuff they must hear. You would think they'd be a little more callous after all that. I'm guessing head cold, allergy, or LCSW.

*I goggled this out of curiosity and apparently it happens. Everyone reported feeling pretty uncomfortable. Therapists are human, but it does seem a little unprofessional.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Stunning. I thought they would have heard it all by now so that you couldn't manage to shock them with anything you say.


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## Bad Religion (Dec 14, 2006)

Haha that happened to me too! I was telling my therapist about stuff I went through during my childhood and she reached for a tissue, her voice got a little shaky, and she said "you've been though so much, and you're so smart and mature about everything, it's really amazing." It was so awkward, especially since I wasn't even upset about it.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

Like others have said, at least she cares about you.


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## alex291 (Jan 1, 2009)

thanks for the posts guys

yeah it is nice. i really appreciate people who do this job


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## hopeatsunrise (Feb 26, 2009)

An ex counsellor of mine, many years ago, once became tearful as i was telling her a story from my childhood too. To me it was a real eye opener as when i tell my story i say it with no emotion - i kind of cut myself off from it all. But when i saw that my story moved someone else to tears, it kinda shocked me and made me see that it was sad. I am sure my story triggered something of her own history, but it still helped me, personally, to know that she truly understood where i was coming from


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## John_in_SF (Mar 1, 2009)

Another possibility is that your therapist was modeling an emotional response for you. You said you didn't think your story was that awful, but maybe it was and you are not dealing with it emotionally.


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