# I think I scared my new therapist...



## Trek (Apr 12, 2010)

I had my first meeting with a new therapist, she was asking me all these questions about my life, stuff like that- normal first appointment things.

She had me do a few tests to make sure I wasn't totally delusional, asked me the year/date/time/day, had me re-create diagrams, asked me to write a few things, count backwards from 100 to 0 by 7s (which I did and she seemed weirded out that I could actually do).

Those were fine, but then she asked me more personal questions about my life and stuff. I mentioned my health conditions and whatnot, (I have some heart problem that _will_ kill me, and I made that clear. She was like 'you shouldn't be so negative about it' I told her that I wasn't being negative about it, simply being factual. For whatever reason (I think I've just blunted myself) I don't really show emotion. I think she was expecting someone who is starting therapy to be emotional about something like that. She was positive that I was feeling things that I wasn't. She told me to hold on, and went and got her colleague and he came into the room. They both started talking to me about it, and they were like "why do you think you're going to die" then I explained my health issue, and told them that it's simply the way the heart condition that I have works... they were both like flabbergasted that I was being so factual about it. That's just the way that I am though.

After that they brought in yet another person, they were talking to me about other things at this point, and the 2nd guy to come in was joking around about the stupidest things. They were all laughing, and I just sat there, with a straight face and stared at him. Was super weird, lol.

Anyways, she told me that they can't help me if I won't open up. HELLO, I did open up- I've come to terms with that diagnosis 21 years ago.

Made me mad.


----------



## IsThereAComputerOption (Apr 15, 2011)

You came to terms with that diagnosis when you were born?

Ah man, the idea of opening up makes me nervous.


----------



## sleepytime (Feb 18, 2011)

Wow, sounds really weird and unprofessional of them. She doesn't sound like much of a therapist if she actually had to bring her colleagues in to confer on the issue during the session. I'd be pretty pissed off if I were you too.

Also if she feels you are suppressing some feelings about your condition then surely her job is to get you to deal with them in time using a gentle approach? Maybe she expects you to just open up from day one while she sits passively and listens and does no work at all. She sounds like she's confused about what her job is.


----------



## rainbowOne (Sep 26, 2010)

Therapists kind of work by the patient 'letting go' and going all emotional on them. They can't do anything unless you pour out your feelings or whatever.
I guess she'd not been told beforehand about your condition, and needed to check it up or something? Maybe she's new. I had an appointment with a newly trained therapist once, most awkward hour ever. 
What do you want from therapy? If you appear, to them, calm and collected, how are they going to help you with anything? Not critisicing or anything, it's good to be yourself, but you do need to let the therapist know what they can do to help.


----------



## Trek (Apr 12, 2010)

IsThereAComputerOption said:


> You came to terms with that diagnosis when you were born?
> 
> Ah man, the idea of opening up makes me nervous.


You get used to the idea pretty quick when you're unable to do a lot of things 'normal' people can do, and spent the first 3 years of your life in a hospital.


----------



## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

She sounds daft. I say get a different one to check you out.

Not everyone is going to pour out their heart & soul on the first session. Sure, you may have some blocked feelings about your condition, who knows, I don't know you. But, it doesn't mean its suddenly gonna come out. I was very calm & factual on my first hour with my current therapist. I simply had some sort of guard up. Which was NORMAL, I was meeting someone for the first time. No way in hell was I gonna start breaking down.

Bringing in like twenty other people to "assess" why you didn't show any emotion about it just proves how incompetent she really is as a therapist.


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

A good therapist doesn't get scared by anything. They've seen it all.

Plus, what you said wasn't so shocking.


----------



## Ambitious (Apr 17, 2011)

sleepytime said:


> Wow, sounds really weird and unprofessional of them.


:agree


----------

