Things Your Therapist is Thinking…
I’m going to let you in on a little secret - we therapists are human too! I know, it’s shocking, but stick with me here.
It’s true that while we’re sharing wonderful insights, reflecting feelings, validating your experience and overall sounding so professional (on a good day) - we’re just human beings sitting there with you. Here are some things we are thinking before, during or after our sessions.
You’re my favorite/least favorite client.
I wasn’t looking forward to/super looked forward to our session today.
You’re a cool human - I wish we could be friends.
Did I remember to run the dishwasher/turn off the iron/feed the dog this morning?
I hope I don’t yawn…don’t yawn…don’t yawn…dang I hope they didn’t just see me yawn.
I’ve totally felt that way too. Actually, you handled that situation a little better than I did!
I lost someone I loved too, now I’m missing them and I hope you don’t see my tears coming.
Oops, I said something pretty stupid there. I hope that didn’t wreck our relationship. I will rehearse how to bring this up next time, or apologize when we meet again.
I have no idea what to say to you right now in this moment.
You’re sitting in my chair, but I will act as though there’s no such thing as my chair.
I wish I could punch your dad/mom/grandfather/grandmother/brother in the face for how they treated you.
I think about how to help you or what interventions will work best in the most random moments outside of our sessions.
I love seeing your dog/cat/baby/sibling/family when we’re using telehealth.
I love the decrease in power differential and increase in connection that telehealth provides. I get to meet you in your space with your own comfort items nearby and it’s such a beautiful thing to see into your space.
I still think about clients I’ve lost to overdose deaths or other causes randomly all the time - even years later.
I hope you can’t tell that at times I doubt myself as a therapist.
When you say, “I never thought of it that way”, I get very excited.
I want you to see yourself the way I see you - as strong, smart, resilient, capable, insightful, funny, and all the other positive things that you typically deny about yourself.
Your dad/mom/caregiver was wrong in how they treated you - you deserved better and I’m devastated that you didn’t get what you needed.
My silence is purposeful - you need to hear yourself and I can actually see your gears turning right now.
I sometimes have no answers for you - not even half of a quarter of a fraction of an answer.
I wish I could give you the gift of magical healing - poof - the problem you came here with is solved!
I’m so often overwhelmed with gratefulness that you’re choosing to share the deepest parts of yourself with me, and that I have even a small part in your healing - this is so endlessly amazing to me.
