For those of you curious about what happens in therapy, Steph Meyers writes a funny, smart and candid piece in Chicago Now on what really happens - and it's just like on TV!
Full disclosure Meyers is a personal friend of mine (our children are in school together) and I've always known her to be smart and funny but I didn't know much about her career. In this piece you'll learn what it's like to attend therapy and decide if it's for you. I've asked Steph to be my therapist just so I could spend more time with her and work through my "mommy issues" but she doesn't see/help/work for friends - it's very possible I might become her enemy just to hire her!
I know this blog isn't an Angie's List but it's meant to highlight the best I see in Evanston and Steph Meyers is one of the best!
What do you do? by Steph Meyers
"I'm a therapist." That's the party-mannered answer to "what do you do?" Sometimes I get a bug-eyed response as they slink away. Sometimes I see the slight look of fear sweep across their face as they find someone else to chat up. Still others have asked "are you analyzing me right now?" Sometimes they are persistent that I must be analyzing people all of the time. I wasn’t and I don’t...until you said that, actually. Now I might be wondering if you are a narcissist. I'm kidding. Maybe. The truth is, I’m not working all of the time.
It is true that I do hear lots of stories, none of which I can tell you because what a client tells me is confidential. But I'm not being intriguing when I say that I can't really talk about client stuff. And I'm not trying to get you interested in the details, I promise. I am but a keeper of secrets--unless, of course, the secrets mean you are a danger to yourself or others. Those are not secrets I keep. Those are secrets that are shared with the right people who can help ensure safety. Nope, I won’t be able to tell you about the last time that happened, either (which isn’t very often).
Yes, you can tell me about your uncle/cousin/kid/aunt/neighbor/cat and the weird/funny/bizarre/mean thing that they did. I can't really tell you what is wrong with them based on the info shared since I've never met them and I don't catalog and diagnose what is wrong with people on the fly. There really isn't a "if screaming raging person, then this is what's wrong with them" scenario in the psychology world. That said, though, I really like stories about people. I'm naturally curious and want to understand as much as possible about human nature, what makes people do things, make the choices they do, form relationships, pursue interests, etc. So, I soak up these character exposés as they provide as much insight into the people telling the stories as whom they are about.
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