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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 4, 2013, at 23:01:02
I wonder what the ideal patient would be. For a therapist, I mean. If there was such a thing as a "perfect patient" what would that be...
Posted by Moishe Pipik on September 5, 2013, at 16:08:44
In reply to Ideal Patient, posted by alexandra_k on September 4, 2013, at 23:01:02
> I wonder what the ideal patient would be. For a therapist, I mean. If there was such a thing as a "perfect patient" what would that be...
In a word: COMPLIANT
That was easy
Posted by Partlycloudy on September 5, 2013, at 20:40:50
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by Moishe Pipik on September 5, 2013, at 16:08:44
> > I wonder what the ideal patient would be. For a therapist, I mean. If there was such a thing as a "perfect patient" what would that be...
>
> In a word: COMPLIANT
>
> That was easy
>
>Ha ha ha ha!
I quite agree. :-)PC
Posted by Dinah on September 5, 2013, at 21:19:01
In reply to Ideal Patient, posted by alexandra_k on September 4, 2013, at 23:01:02
I remember we were talking about a therapist blog once where the ideal patient was more or less described as someone who doesn't need therapy at all. Heaven forbid they have issues.
I figure an ideal client is one who pays, shows up, behaves with respect towards the therapist, and is willing to work. And probably doesn't require much unreimbursed time.
But that ideal therapist knows that "willing to work" doesn't necessarily look the same in every client.
(I was never an ideal patient.)
Posted by alexandra_k on September 5, 2013, at 23:10:52
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by Dinah on September 5, 2013, at 21:19:01
compliant. haha, yes.
i guess it depends on the therapist. like how the ideal therapist depends on the client.
i think most of the therapists i've seen would think the ideal client was one who was therapy naive. they would be young.... 18-25 probably. first serious episode of anxiety and / or depression. they would be able to go through their well practiced 'standard toolkit' of therapy techniques... educating them about PERFECTIONIST THINKING! and the like. and the client would of course find this new and... liberating in some way. it would work. over a period of... 6-12 sessions. they would be better. whether it be because of therapy or because things just got better by themselves, they would be better. and they would attribute the better to therapy and be grateful, of course. as would their family members.
so... they would be a person with good family support structures. who basically didn't have anything wrong with them. just a brief episodic reaction to... something.
i remember when... they thought i might be like that. and when therapists and p-docs alike almost kind of wanted to work with me...
they obviously aren't my ideal clinicians, ha.
Posted by Dinah on September 6, 2013, at 8:25:05
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by alexandra_k on September 5, 2013, at 23:10:52
I think that's likely true of CBT therapists, particularly newish or rigid ones.
Do I remember correctly that CBT is even more highly favored where you are than where I am?
Posted by Moishe Pipik on September 6, 2013, at 12:14:29
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by Dinah on September 5, 2013, at 21:19:01
> I figure an ideal client is one who pays, shows up, behaves with respect towards the therapist, and is willing to work. And probably doesn't require much unreimbursed time.
LOL - Isn't that what I said?
Posted by Poet on September 6, 2013, at 13:33:06
In reply to Ideal Patient, posted by alexandra_k on September 4, 2013, at 23:01:02
Probably one that doesn't stare at their shoes when asked questions and answer by crossing his/her arms and legs and glaring. My therapist has said more than once I'm not easy to work with.
Though do show up on time and pay the insurance co-pays in a timely fashion, so that scores me a few idea patient points, maybe.
Poet
Posted by baseball55 on September 6, 2013, at 23:05:59
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » alexandra_k, posted by Poet on September 6, 2013, at 13:33:06
Therapy was very intense for me and I was suicidal and hospitalized a lot. I asked my t if he intuited at the beginning that I would be a difficult patient. He said i wasn't difficult at all, just complicated. A difficult patient was one who constantly called wanting to have long phone conversations and/or who constantly threatened suicide in a way that was clearly manipulative.
After talking to him about this, I realized I was more difficult to myself than I was to him. As a professional t, he was not dismayed by me, nor surprised by my constant tears and depressions. Given my history, he expected this. He said I always worked hard and this made me a gratifying patient, I never was sure what this meant. I did work hard, but only because I saw no choice in the matter. It was get honest and get will or die for me.
Posted by Phillipa on September 7, 2013, at 9:57:35
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by baseball55 on September 6, 2013, at 23:05:59
I feel you hit the nail on the head with your description of what a difficult patient is. Phillipa
Posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 10:20:25
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by baseball55 on September 6, 2013, at 23:05:59
That's a definite point. An "easy" client carries far less intrinsic reward. Particularly for a skilled therapist.
Posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 10:25:19
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » Dinah, posted by Moishe Pipik on September 6, 2013, at 12:14:29
> > I figure an ideal client is one who pays, shows up, behaves with respect towards the therapist, and is willing to work. And probably doesn't require much unreimbursed time.
>
> LOL - Isn't that what I said?Well, possibly. I consider "compliant" to mean falling in with whatever the therapist wants to do. Being willing to work doesn't quite mean being willing to work in whatever the therapist offers the first time. It might mean being willing to explore being noncompliant, and work to ways that therapist and client can agree brings about change.
For example, I think someone can be willing to change without being willing to do really stupid homework assignments. While a compliant client might be more like a student who wants to get good grades and is assigned a stupid homework assignment. Roll their eyes privately and try to give answers that satisfy the "teacher".
Posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 10:31:55
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » alexandra_k, posted by Poet on September 6, 2013, at 13:33:06
> Probably one that doesn't stare at their shoes when asked questions and answer by crossing his/her arms and legs and glaring. My therapist has said more than once I'm not easy to work with.
>
> Though do show up on time and pay the insurance co-pays in a timely fashion, so that scores me a few idea patient points, maybe.
>
> PoetNot easy and not ideal are too different things. Not easy is only not ideal when therapists are limited or not inclined to work hard.
My therapist would never class me as easy, but at this point at least would class me, if not ideal, as at least a highly desirable patient. He says he's grown as a therapist because of doing therapy with me, and that was important to him. :)
Posted by Poet on September 7, 2013, at 11:26:47
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » Poet, posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 10:31:55
Hi Dinah,
My therapist definitely works hard. Fantastic that your therapist would classify you as highly desirable. I'm going to ask mine if she has grown as a therapist from working with me. She's always honest so she'll be truthful, which I hope will be good in this case.
Poet
Posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 12:09:15
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » Dinah, posted by Poet on September 7, 2013, at 11:26:47
Well, he would never use that actual term - for obvious reasons. I was going for something less than "ideal". He has expressed the overall sentiment though.
I'm not sure he would have expressed earlier in therapy. :)
Posted by alexandra_k on September 7, 2013, at 21:06:45
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient » Moishe Pipik, posted by Dinah on September 7, 2013, at 10:25:19
I remember working with one of the counselors at Uni. She was nice enough, and was trying to help me, but I didn't attach to her, particularly. I... Just didn't. I don't think I was her ideal patient at all. I mean, I think she tried... But I would miss sessions because I forgot, and stuff like that. I didn't think of her much outside sessions. I... Couldn't engage enough to get any work done, I suppose. I've had that with a few therapists. Horrible feeling. Why can't I attach to them?
I think it has something to do with my sensing that they would find me... The real me... Overwhelming. So... I don't go there.
I suppose I might have been nearly ideal for my last therapist. Except it would have been better (for everyone) if I was richer haha. I did try... I couldn't engage in quite the way he wanted... But I did try and do some work. Maybe he would have preferred me more helpless and more attached and a little less defensive? He might have thought he did, but he couldn't have handled me that way. I wasn't good enough at putting things away at the end of session. I guess that would have been more ideal. If I was better at that. More productive outside session. More productive inside session. More compartmentalized ahaha.
Posted by rockerchick46 on November 2, 2013, at 15:06:30
In reply to Re: Ideal Patient, posted by Moishe Pipik on September 5, 2013, at 16:08:44
> > I wonder what the ideal patient would be. For a therapist, I mean. If there was such a thing as a "perfect patient" what would that be...
>
> In a word: COMPLIANT
>
> That was easy
>
>LOL!!
Tam
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