Posted by daisym on April 29, 2005, at 18:08:47
In reply to is your T's intelligence critical to therapy?, posted by JenStar on April 29, 2005, at 13:51:22
I like all the answers I've read so far, I do think it is important that you feel your therapist is smart. For me, I think that he is "smart" about his timing, which is critical. He seems to say the right things at the right time. And the fact that he is quick, like someone else said is also critical. He can follow my jagged line of thinking, he gets my jokes and he picks up which age state is "out" during sessions.
But I think the most essential thing is that he reads between the lines very well. He gets what I'm trying not to say -- and he never seems to avoid anything. And he is smart enough to say, "I don't know" without freaking me out.
He also acknowledges how smart I am -- and never,ever,ever is condescending. Once he said, "you don't miss a thing, do you?" Ah, "nope and it would serve you well not to forget that."
All that said, I met a woman who was super smart and she was running her psych agency so she had great understanding of the pressure I am under and all the different scheduling challenges that I faced contemplating therapy. She and I were a horrible match. She was all about the brain and what I needed, which I didn't know then, was someone who was all about the soul.
I hope you find a good match!
poster:daisym
thread:491528
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050428/msgs/491625.html